The Best Cinnamon Bun I've Ever Eaten And More Reasons Why We Travel

I’m Laurie Ochoa, wide head of L.A. Times Food, pinch a packed summertime picnic version of Tasting Notes.

On a roll

The sourdough-enhanced interior of nan cinnamon bun astatine Daegens successful Oslo, Norway.

(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)

Norway is not only nan onshore of nan Viking Row, 1 of nan astir captivating nationalist fandom displays to look during this year’s World Cup — and definite to beryllium seen erstwhile Erling Haaland and nan Martin Ødegaard-led team conflict five-time champs Brazil. Norway is besides location to 1 of nan world’s top cinnamon rolls.

Until I went to Oslo recently, nan champion cinnamon rotation I’d ever eaten was successful Chicago — astatine nan venerable Swedish-American diner Ann Sather, wherever a milky sweetener glaze utilized to beryllium drizzled onto nan still-warm, pillowy pastry correct astatine nan table. (These days nan rolls are glazed successful nan room aft they’re baked.)

Los Angeles, of course, besides has show-stopping cinnamon rolls. This spring, Food elder editor Danielle Dorsey, pinch thief from Stephanie Breijo, Jenn Harris and Angela Osorio, put together a guideline to 11 of L.A.’s astir intriguing cinnamon rolls, including nan hip-hop-inspired over-the-top creations astatine All About nan Cinnamon, nan sweet-savory buns pinch chromatic and sesame seeds astatine Modu and nan tallboy “cinnamon goo”-filled rolls topped pinch caramel-toffee condiment from SweetBoy. Harris besides recommends the particularly decadent cinnamon roll served during brunch astatine Baltaire successful Brentwood, wherever nan cake-size rotation is wheeled retired connected a cart and “slathered pinch frosting astatine nan table.”

In Oslo, however, I discovered a cinnamon bun that stripped distant nan excess and fto nan principle of nan spiced mixed uncover itself.

Daegens, a mini cafe and bakery hidden distant successful Oslo’s beautiful Lilleborg neighborhood, is tally by Anta Stinnerbom, a young entrepreneur who spent respective months sharpening his java knowledge and barista skills astatine nan acclaimed roastery Tim Wendelboe and is now heavy into his explorations of sourdough baking. It’s nan sourdough, successful fact, that gives nan Daegens cinnamon bun its character.

Baker and barista Anta Stinnerbom astatine his Daegens cafe successful Oslo.

(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)

Even much than Stinnerbom’s cardamom bun — which some praise arsenic nan champion successful Oslo — nan much elemental cinnamon notes, enhanced pinch citrus zest and juice, let nan sourdough’s multifaceted dimensions to travel through. Not conscionable tang, but nan sensation of time.

When you can’t determine betwixt Anta Stinnerbom’s cardamom bun, front, aliases cinnamon bun astatine Daegens successful Oslo ... get both.

(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)

Daegens’ BMO (bolle med ost), which nan Oslo bakery makes pinch a bully seeded sourdough rotation topped pinch caller food and cheese.

(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)

The find of a awesome sourdough cinnamon bun is conscionable 1 of nan reasons I emotion to travel.

Lately, I’ve been absorbed successful nan world of Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgaard, some for his astir caller novel, “The School of Night,” which features a grand-scale narcissist captured successful a Faustian downfall, and for “So Much Longing successful So Little Space,” which documents nan author’s hunt for nan meaning of creation done his encounters pinch nan activity of Edvard Munch. At Oslo’s boldly vertical, 13-story Munch museum and Bergen’s much contemplative Munch postulation astatine nan Kode museum’s Rasmus Meyer galleries, I was capable to spot for myself nan chaotic stylistic leaps taken by nan creator earlier and aft “The Scream,” including nan paintings he did for nan women’s cafeteria astatine Oslo’s Freia cocoa factory.

But it was only aft nan first of galore bully meals successful Oslo that I started to get a consciousness for nan city. As I wrote successful nan preamble to our caller postulation of summer picnic eating guides, walking pinch an eater’s mindset gives america a deeper knowing of places we’ve publication astir successful cookbooks and novels aliases seen successful movies and paintings. Wandering markets, eating astatine nutrient stalls, sitting among locals and chap travelers astatine nan restaurants that embody a metropolis aliases its surrounding countryside ... these are nan ways we sorb nan hit of a place. Its flavors and ways of surviving are revealed to america complete meal aliases moreover a elemental greeting java accompanied by a beautifully baked cinnamon bun.

If you spell ...

(Giacomo Bagnara / For The Times)

For those of america fortunate capable to constitute astir nutrient for a living, each picnic is simply a chance to adhd 1 much spot connected our individualized maps of nan world’s awesome places to eat. And this year, we’re sharing our individual maps and notes connected places we’ve loved during our wanderings pinch readers.

Restaurant professional Bill Addison explored Melbourne, whose “modern eating moment,” he says, “derives from nan migrant communities that person rooted successful nan metropolis since its founding,” making it “innately acquainted to Angelenos, and besides thing wholly chopped to experience.” Then he shared 25 Melbourne restaurants, java shops and bars that showed nan ambition of its eating scene.

(Photo illustration by Los Angeles Times)

Addison, edifice professional Jenn Harris, lawman nutrient editor Betty Hallock and I shared a individual database of 33 Paris restaurants and bars we love. Reporter Stephanie Breijo and elder nutrient editor Danielle Dorsey wrote astir their 15 favourite London pubs, nutrient halls and cook shops. Addison and Hallock item 17 splendid Tokyo eating suggestions. I item 9 reasons Michelin-ignored Lima is 1 of nan world’s top edifice cities and came backmost from Hong Kong pinch 10 awesome eating experiences. And nutrient editor Daniel Hernandez filed 3 reports from Mexico: an updated guide to 17 caller and aged favorites successful Mexico City, a to-do database for exploring often-overlooked Colima, Mexico’s smallest state, and a fascinating look astatine really palm vino from Colima is astatine nan bosom of “a flourishing culinary activity rooted successful its 250 years of trade pinch nan Philippines.”

Given that these suggestions are not meant to beryllium definitive — they are our individual favorites — we cognize that location are galore different worthy places to explore. We’d emotion to perceive from you if you person your ain individual picks. We’ve built a shape for entering your favorites from astir nan world and will people nan results successful nan coming weeks.

And if you’re staying person to home, cheque Danielle Dorsey and Stephanie Breijo’s guide to nan 23 champion caller L.A. bars, Dorsey’s choices for the champion caller L.A. rooftops for drinking and eating and nan full nutrient team’s picks for 50 basal L.A. eating experiences.

We’ve besides introduced a caller measurement to prevention your favourite recommendations and build your ain civilization guides. Times elder merchandise manager Jeff Poirier explains the caller feature, which includes maps and is arsenic elemental to usage arsenic hitting nan “save” fastener connected immoderate individual entry.

Introducing ...

Los Angeles Times cooking editor Cody Reiss

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times )

We are thrilled to present our caller cooking editor Cody Reiss, who learned astir of what he knows astir cooking professionally astatine Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Cafe in Berkeley and did clip down nan antagonistic astatine Murray’s Cheese successful New York. He besides had a portion successful Eva Victor‘s “Sorry, Baby” and played himself successful nan very funny “narrative cooking short” “Breakfast for Liz.” Read much astir Cody successful his hullo to readers, which describes nan school attack he’s aiming for successful nan nutrient videos he’ll beryllium doing. And cheque retired nan videos he released this week connected why you should propulsion distant your brackish shaker and how to trim a tomato. Finally, pinch Cody taking complete our Cooking Newsletter — which is moving from Sundays to Fridays truthful that you tin person much clip to scheme your play cooking — now is an fantabulous clip to motion up for nan free play dispatch if you’re not already a subscriber. This week, he provides two important lessons connected salt and why you mightiness beryllium utilizing it wrong.

Chilaquiles heaven

Chilaquiles, molletes and salsas astatine Taquearte successful Pico Rivera.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Restaurant professional Jenn Harris’ latest reappraisal is astir Pico Rivera’s Taquearte, which happens to beryllium one of my favourite places to get chilaquiles and a loaded Mexico City-style taco campechano, which made our 101 Best L.A. Tacos list. I first heard astir Taquearte from my mom and her friend Pablo. (She went to precocious schoolhouse successful Pico Rivera and lives successful adjacent Whittier.) Harris bookmarked nan spot erstwhile Eater’s Bill Esparza wrote astir nan chilaquiles arsenic L.A.’s best. Harris wholeheartedly agrees and loved really “the chips ... were noticeably thin, delicate but sturdy capable to clasp their crunch. They hovered successful a magical authorities of limbo betwixt bedewed and dry, crisp and wilted.”

More restaurants recommendations: 7 L.A. spots for bandeja paisa, Colombia’s classical luncheon platter by Angela Osorio, 9 awesome places to effort Midwest-style tavern pizza successful L.A. by Kelly Dobkin and the champion places to eat and portion successful July, according to our Food writers.

The nonaccomplishment of 2 trailblazers

Chef Joshua Gil, pictured January 17, 2024.

(Tharini Shanmugarajah)

Joshua Gil, who “helped recontextualize and reimagine Mexican nutrient successful L.A.,” arsenic newsman Stephanie Breijo wrote, died past week aft a four-year conflict pinch cancer.

Gil, who is credited pinch helping nan precocious Joe Miller‘s now-closed Joe’s Restaurant successful Venice summation a Michelin star, and went connected to co-found nan much-missed Tacos Punta Cabras and Hamburguesas Punta Cabras, arsenic good arsenic nan pop-up Supper Liberation Front, established nan Alta California restaurants Mírame successful Beverly Hills, which closed successful 2023, and nan still-running Mírate successful Los Feliz, which Gil near aft a ineligible dispute. He besides established nan rooftop earthy barroom Mother of Pearl, which is closed astatine nan moment, and nan teppanyaki edifice Maison Kasai, some astatine nan downtown L.A. eating postulation Level 8.

In an extended communicative astir Gil opening nan now-closed Three Flames successful nan midst of crab curen and his drive to proceed mentoring chefs, specified arsenic Macheen‘s Jonathan Perez, he told Breijo, “I’m a very stubborn a—. I for illustration telling people, ‘I’m Mexican. I don’t cognize really to springiness up.’”

Chef Katsuya Uechi successful 2016 astatine nan 10th day ceremony of nan Brentwood location of Katsuya.

(Michael Kovac / Getty Images for Katsuya)

Late past week, we besides sewage connection that Katsuya Uechi, nan sushi maestro whose sanction has go synonymous pinch nan world Katsuya brand, has died astatine nan property of 67.

“The Okinawa-born cook altered nan DNA of nan L.A. sushi segment pinch his innovative, genre-bending creations,” writes Melody Xu of nan cook who first came to prominence for galore L.A. diners astatine Sushi Katsu-ya successful Studio City, which he opened successful 1997. “Spicy tuna crispy rice, which he debuted successful nan early 2000s, has since go a modern staple successful sushi restaurants crossed nan U.S.”

Also ...

Amid nan puestas of Olvera Street successful downtown Los Angeles.

(Etienne Laurent/For The Times)

• Many were hoping that nan World Cup would supply an inducement for downtown Los Angeles’ metropolis leaders and different stakeholders to put successful nan area’s infrastructure. But it’s sobering to publication newsman Angela Osorio’s look astatine the sad authorities of downtown’s once-bustling Olvera Street — pinch moreover taquito mecca Cielito Lindo facing a precarious financial business that has near it shuttered ... we dream only temporarily.
• Melody Xu talked pinch nan owners of immoderate of L.A.’s salient Venezuelan restaurants astir really they are connecting group and fundraising for survivors of nan copy earthquakes. At publication time, nan parents of Full Arepas’ Kelly Montano, writes Xu, “who were connected picnic successful La Guaira erstwhile nan quakes happened, [were] among nan much than 40,600 group still unaccounted for.”
• “For nan first clip successful its history,” writes Stephanie Breijo, nan Michelin Guide awarded a Mexican edifice 3 stars.” That grant went to Val Cantú‘s Californios successful San Francisco. Breijo has each of nan news from nan announcement of Michelin’s California guide, including nan caller two-star nickname for Los Angeles’ Kato.
• More from Breijo: As nan Boyle Heights fire burned, restaurants depended connected which measurement nan upwind blew.
• The legal conflict complete who tin waste a white nectarine variety, reports Claire Rush, led cardinal California husbandman Cesar Mora to springiness distant much than 100,000 pounds of nan fruit.
• And Hailey Branson-Potts has nan story of nan brew queen of Mendocino County, Lost Coast Brewery’s Barbara Groom, 1 of nan country’s first female microbrew owners, who turns 80 this year.