Some of the delicious brunch offerings at Le Petit Paris. (From Top- Croque Madame, Lobster Eggs Benedict, Smoked Salmon Tartine, Salmon Gravlax, House Potatoes)

In Los Angeles in 1913 a luxury hotel called Hotel Stowell sat in the Financial District of Downtown on Spring Street and 4th. Flash forward to 103 years later and what was once the lobby of this grand building has been transformed into one of the most genuinely French experiences I've had, well, anywhere. Le Petit Paris is this French restaurant situated in an art deco lobby that makes one feel as though they are noshing on Croque Madames onboard the Titanic. Trés Chic, non?  I had a lot of fun practicing the French I've learned in l'ecole with my waitstaff- everyone from the chefs to the management is authentically Parisian. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch which consisted of such delicious plates as Lobster Eggs Benedict and the most amazing Croque Madame I've EVER had. Le Petit Paris also has an extensive cocktail menu with a full bar, and great wines by the glass and by the bottle. 

The decor at Le Petit Paris has neutral, rich tones with pops of red and a distinct art deco style.

The Le Saint Germain cocktail at Le Petit Paris: Grey Goose Le Poire, fresh lemon juice, champagne, and St. Germain liquor. Refreshing, well balanced, and served in a vintage style champagne flute. 

The Croque Madame with mixed greens at Le Petit Paris is a must try.

Salmon Gravlax with chive cremé and house made blinis.

Le Petit Paris also has an adorable boutique next door appropriately called "La Boutique" that carries assorted French chocolates, macaroons, candles, specialty oils, and other assorted gifts. They carry one of a kind treasures, some of which can mostly only be found in France. I highly recommend checking out their adorable boutique before or after your next lunch or dinner there!

Ladybug getting a lick during our shopping trip! Sandals by Sam Edelman, bag vintage Malesherbes Louis Vuitton.

For the day I opted to wear a mid-length casual dress in a blue and brown floral pattern from Free People. It unintentionally matched the wallpaper, woops! Here I'm holding a specialty olive oil from France called L'huile de D'Olive by Château d'Estoublon in their Art Deco spray bottle design. It is packaged in a beautiful crystal perfume bottle but actually extremely delicious olive oil! A great buy to showcase in your kitchen or to give as a gift, I plan on tricking a few friends into thinking I've given them perfume as a gift in the near future ;)

All photos in this post courtesy of Brian Gove, copyright The Style Sauce 2016. 

Shop this Post

Umami Burger is definitely one of those places that you have to visit anytime you're in Los Angeles - It's a quintessential institution that always hits the spot when you're in need of a favorite American food. While they've branched out to various places in the U.S., it's a burger that was born in L.A. which is why I had to check it out for myself. For this meal I asked 3 friends to join me at their location in Hollywood to try their 9-course tasting menu. 

Umami burger's 9- course tasting menu. Not to be taken lightly! Make sure you come hungry!

The tasting menu is certainly not a small feat and it is not recommended for the faint of heart. I left feeling as though I had taken gluttony to a totally unchartered territory of gluttony levels. On a scale from 1-10 of full we left at like a 17 1/2. Our entire party had to take frequent breaks to try to get through all of these burgers. The server informed us we were the first actual table he's seen finish the entire tasting. This obviously made us all genuinely proud. 

Highlights of our dinner included: "The Manly Burger"- cheddar cheese, bacon lardons, onion strings, and Umami's special house ketchup, "The Greenbird Burger" (best turkey burger I've ever had)- green cheese, smashed avocado, sprouts, green goddess dressing, butter lettuce, and a "Maple Bacon Old Fashioned" which was just how I like my whiskey cocktails- nice and strong! 

Umami's signature burger the "Truffle Burger" . Highly recommended for all my fellow truffle lovers.

Umami Ahi Tuna Burger

Back to what I'm good at, talking about clothes ;). When eating a 9 course burger meal, what does one wear? Well... I opted for all black. I mean, this sort of meal is not for a lacy white dress or anything "dry clean only" if you know what I mean! I'm wearing here high waisted black pants, a For Love and Lemons Knitz body suit, Sam Edelman booties, and my favorite tan Topshop duster jacket. There's something about black and tan as a combo that has been calling me lately, and I've been wearing these colors together more and more. Check out the photos below and let me know what you think!

My friend Jackie and I before dinner

All photos in this blog courtesy of Brian Gove, copyright The Style Sauce 2016.

Shop this post