{ladies who lunch}

So, as I previously mentioned, I have been enjoying mini adventures exploring LA with my good friend Samantha. Well, for lunch yesterday, we explored Downtown and went to lunch at Bottega Louie. First, and foremost, I have to praise my Dad--who's company built the building and this restaurant. With the vaulted ceilings, waxed floors, and beautifully detailed moldings-- I loved it. It was very grand-looking. Good job, Dad!






They are famous for their pizzas, so Sam and I ordered their Bianco pizza--ricotta, garlic and arugula. It was DELICIOUS.. (For our appetizer, we chose prosciutto and fresh fruit, also delicious).


But they are also famous for their patisserie--especially their colorful, flavorful macarons. YUM. We actually went with the chocolate eclair. Soooooo good.


It's interesting. I grew up in a family I feel was typically American--as in, we ate family meals around the table every night. And if we went out, we enjoyed fast food or inexpensive sit-down food like Souplantation... Which means that I was never exposed to some tastes that I guess are considered more posh(?). I've always been eager to try new foods, yet I never tried arugula until high school. I'd never tried a gooseberry, dates, prosciutto or persimmons. Are these things posh? I don't know. I feel like they are. I never experienced restaurants like this... where the food was of such high quality, with so many new tastes (at least to me) that I felt like raving about it. I enjoy my fast food and inexpensive sit-down restaurants just as much as the next person--but that's because it's what I'm used to. If I ate at someplace like Bottega Louie often, I feel like I would become the biggest food snob ever.

Needless to say, I feel quite cultured from eating at this restaurant because it seemed very European. And the food was delicious and the service excellent. Just beware that because of the vaulted ceilings and waxed floors, sound tends to amplify so it was quite loud.