The Market at Santa Monica Place. Mmm Mmm GOOD!

So, I took a couple quick trips to check out The Market at Santa Monica Place. One with my bestie and one with my mom. Thank God I have foodies in my life that would understand my excitement! I love food. I love trying different things, cooking, discovering cool items and expanding my knowledge. All good things to me. So, I had been waiting for The Market to open for months. So I had to taste, buy...and take pictures. LOL



My take on the place, it's pretty great! And once everything is in place, it will be even better. One of the highlights for me was the Artisanal LA pop up store which will be there for just a month. They've always highlighted local, sustainable vendors who make great food and other products. Rotating local vendors in The Market is a great idea. I missed the 1st 3 vendors, but by the end of 2 days, I had something from all of the folks being featured May 23-25. Tangerine Vanilla Bean marmalade from Wallace Comestibles, 2 tiny Greek cookies from Gleeka, and the this life changing Peach White Balsamic Vinegar from Beyond the Olive. And I mean LIFE CHANGING. I've never tasted anything like it in my life. You can actually drink it, use it in iced tea, on veggies or seafood...or in that fantastic cocktail I made with organic mango lemonade and Vodka. A Peach revelation, I tell ya...

I also

I also checked out Rockenwagner Bakery; picked up Spiced Mexican Hot Chocolate (with cinnamon and chili powder, YUM!) at Groundwork Coffee; bought great Goat Cheese from and what the purveyor called "Vegetarian Salami" that is a fig leaf wrapped around fig, nuts and a bunch of other tasty stuff at Norcino Salumeria Cheese Bar; picked up Sea Salt Caramels and a couple truffles at L’Artisan du Chocolat. All in all, a tasty field trip! If you get a chance to visit, do it.