Dilly Dally Roundup
Some food content from my feed to yours, PLUS a new LA restaurant that's completely worth the hype
Everything. Everywhere. All at once. This week is one of those weeks! Really wonderful and exciting things: DINNERPARTY by Dilly Dally is TOMORROW, I launched a freelance project with a dear friend whose business I really care about, AND pitched another freelance project with a new specialty grocer opening soon in Highland Park.
Given everything on my plate, I’ve spent the few quiet moments I had this week consuming food media. So please enjoy this roundup of my feed favorites!
Tiktok:
I love a rotisserie recipe. And I love pho. So I love this.
What looks like the perfect pumpkin pie.
Fresh soup for sick days (because everyone is getting COVID again).
A good intro to kimchi.
I must go here immediately.
I… don’t understand why this exists.
Vegan high protein etc. etc. etc.: this dish is actually for everyone.
Instagram:
Idk what this is, but I need it immediately.
SOMEONE please make Molly Baz’s Corn Nut Brittle Cookie and lmk how it is.
This blackberry lemon shortcake is on Katie’s list to make for us, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
A Florence sandwich shop has landed on Abbot Kinney. And it looks PHENOMENAL.
Part horror, part masterpiece — I just need someone else to appreciate this atrocity with me.
I’ve been making a lot of Momofuku Noodles.
Specifically, the soy scallion ones. They are SO good with the addition of tofu crumbles, an egg, and whichever green refrigerator veggie is on its last legs. Oh! And, ofc, an avocado to top it off.
I had the Caesar Salad of my life at Donna’s.
Shoutout to Beth for recommending Katie and I check out the newly opened and well hyped Donna’s in Echo Park. It was… SO good. I don’t even always crave Italian food (I apologize), but they might’ve changed the game for me.
I was sold pretty early: the cocktail menu offered a signature gin and tonic that was so good I got two. Notes of citrus and rosemary might not be entirely original, but these are perfectly balanced and boozy. We started off with the garlic bread and Caesar salad. WOW. Finally a Caesar salad where every leaf is properly coated without being soggy, and the mound of lettuce is blanketed in freshly grated parmesan. AND the croutons were adorably and conveniently bite-sized! I could’ve ended the meal right there — but I’m glad I didn’t.
Next up were fingerling potatoes and fusilli alla vodka with whipped ricotta. The potatoes were served with a creamy savory sauce and were perfectly crisp without being oily. By the time the pasta was served, I was already so satisfied that I expected to be somewhat disappointed by comparison. I wasn’t. Just perfectly executed, well seasoned, totally creamy and delicious pasta.
We somehow managed to save room for dessert which was, ofc, another home run: a tiramisu so good even tiramisu haters (like Katie) would like it. The cream topping was slightly salty, which offset the richness of everything else. My only feedback (shockingly) was wanting a few more chocolate shavings on top.
Our leftovers became a prized treasure we were not willing to abandon, and Valentino, our bartender/server, could not have been more accommodating. He kept them refrigerated for us in the back room while we finished our night riding the paddle boats on Echo Park Lake.
It was a 10/10 experience. Get there early. Get there now. Go to Donna’s.
Okay, I need to sign off and get these chickens prepped for the dinner party tomorrow!!
Happy Eating!
Mary