With only a handful of weeks left in summer, the time to eat the season’s freshest ingredients is now. Los Angeles is blessed with some of the best produce in the country—so take advantage of all the gorgeous tomatoes, strawberries, stone fruit, and more while you still can.
Plus, August is the perfect time to enjoy classic summertime dishes like steamed clams and lobster rolls. With that, here are four dishes (and one cocktail) around LA that you should enjoy before fall arrives, all too quickly.
Caprese martini at Casaléna
Martinis in Los Angeles these days go way beyond “dirty” and “with a twist.” Case in point: the caprese martini at the sweeping new Casaléna in Woodland Hills. The drink highlights the flavors of the popular summer salad, combining tomato-infused Italian gin, basil eau de vie (a clear brandy), and fresh tomato water, among other ingredients. The refreshing libation comes in a coupe with a cherry tomato and basil leaf garnish, naturally.
Steamed manila clams at Fishing With Dynamite
For East Coast transplants, nothing says summer like a bowl of steamed clams. At Manhattan beach seafood staple Fishing With Dynamite, manila clams come in a buttery, garlicky white wine broth with a hunk of toasted, buttered baguette for sopping up all that goodness. Shuck, rip, dip, repeat.
Summer lobster pasta at Saltie Girl
The dish’s name says it all. This pasta at West Hollywood seafood stunner and Boston transplant Saltie Girl pairs spaghetti with a bevy of seasonal ingredients such as sun gold tomatoes (coveted at farmers’ markets around town right now), corn, and chanterelles with the addition of corn purée and Parmigiano Reggiano. And of course, this being a fish-forward restaurant, there’s lobster meat in there, too. A side of griddled bread makes this a full carb-on-carb experience.
Strawberry shortcake at Saffy’s
Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’s popular Middle Eastern spot in East Hollywood is known for its skewers and spreads, but don’t sleep on the baked goods (the couple runs a small bakery next door, after all). At the restaurant, the classic strawberry shortcake gets a thoughtful twist, nestling vanilla whipped cream and sweet Gaviota strawberries between a split biscuit made with sonora flour. Because of the high-quality ingredients the restaurant sources, it’s like the shortcake you remember from childhood…only better.
Mini lobster rolls at Cara Cara
The only thing better than taking in the breathtaking views of DTLA at Cara Cara, perched atop the Proper Hotel, is doing so with a cute mini lobster brioche roll in hand. Chef Suzanne Goin’s version infuses the classic New England sandwich with the restaurant’s signature global coastal flavors by dressing the lobster in piri piri aioli.
Karen Palmer is a pizza- and pasta-obsessed food writer based in Los Angeles. Follow her on Instagram at @karenlpalmer.
