Holiday Treats Decorate Local Menus

Holiday Treats Under $5 at Trader Joe’s

Whether your holiday shopping includes mini candy cane cookies, potato pancakes or both, Trader Joe’s has items for Christmas and Hanukkah. A pack of bite-size sugar cookies covered in white fudge and peppermint candy is $2.99, while a box of kosher potato pancakes is $1.99. And if parents are looking for kid-sized trees, Trader Joe’s also has mini Christmas trees – dusted with glitter – for $3.99.

Trader Joe’s, 9290 Culver Blvd.; 310-202-1108

Christmas Eve Dinner at Akasha

If you’re staying in town during the holidays, you might consider hanging up the apron on Christmas Eve and letting Akasha do the cooking. On Dec. 24, from 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m., the restaurant will offer a prix fixe three-course meal (plus supplements for an additional cost) that include a choice of appetizer, entrée and a dessert buffet. Items such as saffron risotto, Masala braised American lamb shank and chocolate hazelnut crème brulee are on the menu. Prices are $65 per adult and $35 for children age 12 and under.

Akasha Restaurant, 9543 Culver Blvd.; 310-845-1700

Holiday Prix Fixe Menu at Ford’s Filling Station

Feel like grabbing some holiday bites before the rush sets in? Ford’s Filling Station will kick off its prix fixe holiday menu on Dec. 13. Running through Dec. 24 (in addition to its regular dinner menu), the gastropub will offer a starter, entrée and dessert for $40 per person. Beer and wine pairings cost extra. Menu items include butternut squash soup, Loch Duarte salmon and sticky toffee pudding.

Ford’s Filling Station, 9531 Culver Blvd.; 310-202-1470

$5 Art-Friendly Stocking Stuffers or Hanukkah Gifts at Royal/T

The holidays are a time for decorating, and what better way to inspire your little one’s creativity than by giving him or her the means to express it? Royal/T, the café, shop and art gallery on Washington Boulevard, has a wide selection of wallet-friendly items that are perfect for Hanukkah or for Christmas stockings. The Art to Go kit, which holds pastels, colored pencils and crayons in a little plastic suitcase is just $5.

Royal/T, 8910 Washington Blvd.; 310-559-6300

Daily Holiday Deals at Starbucks

From now through Dec. 12, Starbucks will be celebrating the holidays with deals on coffee, tea, snacks and decorative mugs. There's a different deal each day and some examples include 50% off a box of cranberry bliss bars (regularly $13.95, on sale for $6.95), free brewed coffee during January when customers purchase a tumbler for $19.95, and holiday boxed mugs for $6.95 (regularly $9.95).

Starbucks, 9718 Washington Blvd.; 310-204-1075

Laura Clark is Founder & Editor of L.A. Story.

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