Introduce any foodstuff into the conversation and just about everyone present is bound to find a little something about it to take issue with, even if the food happens to be the person's Favorite Food on the Planet.
Pizza? The crust is too crusty. Cake? The icing-cake ratio's never quite right. Nutella? Well... hmm.
Hold on: There's not a thing wrong with Nutella. At least that's the prevailing wisdom, which could be why blogs and fan sites regularly follow the hazelnut spread's every creamy move, from what big restaurants feature it in a dish to what stores have it on sale.
The Italian, put-it-on-everything delectable, which marked its first half-centennial in 2014, even has its own official day in the U.S., and given Nutella's high-level of comfort-food-dom it makes sense that it falls in mid-winter: Feb. 5 is Nutella Day.
And while we're fairly sure we won't see a large jar of the rich spread riding on anyone's shoulders, in a parade, down a major street, lovers of the dessert-enhancer may extract their fingers from the jar for an hour and seek out what shops make the best Nutella-plus sweets.
In Southern California you can find Nutella-nice goodies at...
Papillon International Bakery: The pastry-plus-more outfit, which has three SoCal locations, bills itself as the "Home of the Original Nutella Ponchik" (if you're picturing a soft doughy treat with the gooey spread inside, you're on the money). It's an Armenian delight with a lot of Nutella presence. Good good.
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French Crepe Company: So you say you're at the Original Farmers Market, at Third & Fairfax, and you'd like to stand-by as you watch a crepe artist slather a bit of browning batter with a generous amount of Nutella? You can, if you order the La Chez Moi. It's the #16 on the menu, but you probably already know that.
Bacaro LA: Nutella and pan de mie hasn't yet reached the peanut butter and jelly stratosphere, when it comes to pairing great things with other great things, but that could be down the road. Why? The Nutella Panino at this USC-close eatery tells the story: Chewy bread plus silky spread is a match bar none. You can add strawberries and bananas, which you should. As often as you eat Nutella from the jar, shouldn't you try it alongside other flavors while enjoying it out?
