Los Angeles has many things to recommend it to the enterprising eater, and Surfas is unequivocally one of them. Why? Well, for one, take a look at this photo. Mycryo Gelatine Substitute. Lots of it. While the vast majority of the population would have absolutely no idea of what to do with it -- sprinkle it? snort it? use it instead of NutraSweet? -- the fact that Surfas carries it in such large quantities is just very cool. So is the shop's eye-popping variety of spices, flours, sugars, extracts, chocolates, nuts, dried beans, butters and -- well, you get the picture.
Geared towards pro chefs who presumably have a need for things like mycryo gelatine substitute (used mainly by pastry toques, as discussed here), Surfas is also a paradise for the less ambitious homecook.
Find out why after the jump.
It's easy to while away an hour or so just wandering the aisles, gazing vacantly at tubs of fondant and the wide selection of kitchen equipment housed under the store's cavernous roof.
There are very few places where you can pick up duck confit, candied violets or a steam table on your way home from work, and the fact that you can do so here, in an unassuming building on the side of a loud, dirty road, makes life just a little bit more enjoyable.
Got a favorite specialty store? Let us know and maybe we'll stop on in.
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