Oui, tres bon! They briefly had a restaurant and market in Beverly Hills. The food and the shopping were excellent! Sadly, they closed that location and I almost never visit the Grove. I'll have to explore the SM location!

I've never been to The Grove (we're closer to Century City), but I've been to the Farmers' Market on Fairfax many times. I do not like the parking situation there, or I would visit it more often, and we prefer to go to the Hollywood FM if we are in that part of town. However, I did notice that there is now a Greek restaurant at the Fairfax FM, and I will want to go to that. I'll also check out Monsieur Marcel and see how it compares with Surfas. Surfas was featured in a recent episode of Modern Family, which we record as a series on DVR and generally watch two weeks or so after it airs. That episode showed a cooking class at Surfas.

Monsieur Marcel also has a location at LAX terminal 5, and I wish I had known about that two weeks ago, as I flew out of terminal 5 on Feb 26 and could have gone there :(. I also need to go back to the SM 3rd Street Promenade - I don't think we've been back there since we moved from Venice, although we go back to Venice on a regular basis. I won't go during the summer, however. When we lived in Venice, we were half a block from the French Market Cafe, and I went there at least once a week, as it was the closest food market, and I bought baguettes there, among other things. We liked going there for breakfast or brunch.

Thanks for the info!!

Uh oh! I thought Surfas was more for equipment and such. Sounds like I need to go there too! Monsieur Marcel was more core food.

I enjoy the farmers markets in LA. One year there was a fellow selling truffles at Santa Monica , but he wouldn't tell me where he found those truffles. LOL!

Anglophilia, Larchmont NY? Not a bad market, small, but very nice. I love that Japanese guy who has incredible varieties.

dcarch

Arch---

This is the ORIGINAL FARMER'S MARKET, Los Angeles. It is a permanent structure, built in 1934. It is NOT the average, pop up market as you're referring to. I'm shocked that you're not familiar with it-- since you seem to be here often. This is a L.A. LANDMARK.

Larchmont is a lovely section of Los Angeles. I guess you've missed that one too.

The ORIGINAL Farmer's Market, Los Angeles

Yes, Larchmont is the business street in a lovely neighborhood, Hancock Park, in LA. I miss the way Larchmont USED to be - last time I visited LA and the old neighborhood, all the cute little independent stores were gone and it was one restaurant after another. It was small town living in the heart of LA - grocer, hardware store, variety store, barbershop, shoe store, gift shops, florist - just everything one might need.

When I lived in Los Angeles in the late sixties, went to Farmers Market a lot. The one food thing I remember buying was a duck -- couldn't find one in grocery stores. I loved the indie small shops, and did a lot of holiday shopping there.

I looked at the new Farmers Market link, and felt sad. There were chain restaurants and chain stores. I adored the charm it had before the Grove went in.

I guess I'm getting old -- I used to think progress was wonderful. Not anymore.

What is confusing is that Larchmont (NY) is in the county of Westchester,

and there is also a Westchester in LA.

dcarch

Except the thread was about L.A. It shouldn't be confusing when you're talking about one city,

Cacao, I agree, the chains are slowly encroaching on all of our shopping areas. But that's every town, isn't it? Small businesses are being driven out by online and big box stores. How can the individual merchant compete? Their costs are often higher than the retail at the larger stores. The common area fees in the malls, centers, etc are huge, as are rents. How does the little guy with slim margins compete with that?

I've been to Hancock Park many times (driving through), but I've never been to Larchmont Street and will have to go there as well. I currently live in Westchester (LA) and have only driven through Westchester County NY. I've never been to Larchmont NY and know of it mainly from Joan Rivers.

That's not my area, but I've been there. It's the last of the old Gilmore empire, which included oil fields, the bank, a race track and a stadium. All before my time, of course, but we were brought up with the ghosts. My memories of The Farmer's Market are mostly about smelly, hot, uneven asphalt, flies and damp heat trapped under the canvas top. It was pretty dirty all over. It sounds like it has improved a lot! The only food I remember eating there--all independent stalls, the restaurants were on the periphery and were also locals--was beignets. They were the rolled and cut rectangles, and bright yellow (eggs?), rather than choux dough (which I know is traditionally the most common kind in NOLA, but in L.A. would just be a French churro). The rolled ones were cut with a zigzag wheel, and puffed up into little footballs.

It is definitely different now! There are some chain type places as part of it, but there were also a lot of interesting vendors. I particularly wish I had access to the butchers - lots of options I don't have close to me in South OC (at least not that I have found).

I also had never been to the Grove - really just another outdoor shopping mall but it was nice to walk through. I couldn't believe the line at Laduree! Macaroons are fine and all but really a line out the door?

I've been to Larchmont in Westchester County, NY (husband grew up in nearby Bedford NY) and the shopping street, Larchmont in LA in the Hancock Park neighborhood. Actually, the two neighborhoods are quite similar. When a movie is being made and the neighborhood needs to look like it could be in Westchester, they filmed in Hancock Park. Unless one was on Windsor (which has huge palm trees), it could pass for Westchester - lots of traditional houses and big deciduous trees. "Mr Hobbs Takes a Vacation" was filmed at the house next door to the one we rented when we lived there. We were shocked when we rented the movie one night and realized this! So much filming in Hancock Park they had to pass ordinances limiting it.