Coffee and Cake Monkey

Yes, there has been a lot of eating lately.

And it hasn't been just the occasional donut or *gasp* Pop Tart. There have been Grand Marnier chocolates, truffles, gourmet donuts from Rustic Canyon that you dip in "hot chocolate" (high-five, Kathy!) and even high-end Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies filled with maple-vanilla buttercream (more on that later). Well, mister/sister, now you can add bacon donut to that list!

Did I say that out loud? Wow, my mother-in-law is seriously going to kill me.

Today, C and I met my food blogger friend Pat, of Eating L.A. fame, downtown at the Spring Arts Tower to catch the 2009 Western Regional Barista Competition hosted by Intelligentsia Coffee.

I love coffee as much as or more than I love donuts. And I was not about to miss this opportunity for gratis cappuccinos from the top regional baristas. While we were there, we stopped by the only food-focused booth, hosted by Cake Monkey Bakery. They knew Pat from her blog and gave us some samples. Their specialties are mini layer cakes and snacks made in loving homage to Little Debbie.

While I had a Lil' Merri, which is like an oatmeal cream pie that will blow your mind, C had an inside out s'more (the "before" picture, to the left, is courtesy of Cake Monkey). She really liked it, as you can see from the "after" photo above. (In its own way courtesy of Cake Monkey, too.)

After we left the barista wars of 2009, we headed for the morning's piece de resistance (which Pat had blogged about last month). The Nickel Diner, on 5th and Main. This is where the unholiest of holies is located. The bacon donut. And as much as I wanted to turn up my nose in donut snobbery, I was mystified. And in the end, completely sold.

You'll be happy to know that since I'd had my Lil' Merri, I waited to eat the bacon donut. But I didn't wait long.