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The Ballerina at The Daily Dose

The Daily Dose cafe in downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District is tucked away in an alley with pleasant outdoor seating. What’s even more pleasant is its food.

A hearty breakfast of The Margot, a sandwich made with two scrambled eggs, feta cheese, chives, serrano chili and avocado — watch out, it’s spicy! — or The Ballerina (pictured above), with a duck egg fried in olive oil and thyme on ciabatta with butter, apricot jam and a slice of toma cheese served open-faced with arugula salad and purple potato, will set you straight.

The Margot

Get a sandwich with a Nutella Mocha or Dirty Chai (chai tea latte with espresso), and you’ll have yourself a proper morning meal.

Dirty Chai

Daily Dose also serves lunch menu for most of the day.

Note: This meal was hosted.

Further reading:

Daily Dose by hoopLA

Spindle Tree at Villains Tavern

If you’re looking for something a little different when it comes to cocktails, look no further than the new menu at Villains Tavern in downtown’s Arts District.

There are four fruit- and herb-based drinks on The Garden section of the menu and four flavored vinegar-based drinks on The Shrubbery section. (Read more about shrub syrups for cocktails.) My favorite Garden drink is the Spindle Tree made with Russell’s Reserve rye, Becherovka herbal liqueur, honey, mint and Bergamont bitters. The Lilium, with Plymouth gin, lemongrass, lime, grapefruit, ginger and bitters, is another good choice. As far as the shrub drinks go, I liked the Oleander with its balanced combination of Leblon cachaça, blackberry shrub, muddled lime and lavender bitters, I’m a sucker for anything with lavender.

And if you’re looking for something fun, Villains put its popular snow cone on the menu: the Permafrost is a snow cone with your choice of liquor and fruit. With the weather warming up, this sounds like the perfect summer treat.

Note: This tasting was hosted.