I will never get this song out of my head now…
It’s rare for me to venture outside of the Westside to try new foods (the 405 guys!) but when I heard about Spread PB, I decided to fill up my gas tank and make a trip out to Studio City. Spread PB is a sandwich shop specializing in variations on PB&J’s. I was the kid that had to have a PB&J in my lunches everyday, so I was excited to get my nostalgia-nosh on.
Spread PB
12215 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
http://spreadpb.com
Blog warning: This post may contain peanut products… I kid, I kid. I just loved the warning sign before you enter Spread PB. Although people are super sensitive these days so I suppose it makes sense…
When I first walked in to Spread PB, I loved the schoolyard vibe and I geeked out cause “The Mighty Ducks” was on the TV. I knew the owners had to be a millennials like myself and I was right! Katie Kerr, who owns Spread PB with her friend Dustin Alpert, was actually there so I could get the full lowdown.
Katie and Dustin, both LA kids, had been friends since the 6th grade. They both went to colleges outside of LA but once they finished, they returned to LA and rekindled their BFF status. They opened Spread PB in January of this year and are building an LA cult following of all ages. Considering average Americans consume more than 6 pounds of peanut butter each year, Spread PB was destined to appeal to customers of all kinds of demographics.
Spread PB makes their own peanut butter and a majority of the ingredients are from local vendors. Fruit spreads come from LA based Just Jan’s, which are all-natural, preservative free and contain 14% less sugar than other popular brands. Their bread is from Abby’s Millstone Baking Company and it’s a drastic step up from the Iron Kids bread I was eating as a kid.
First I decided to try samples of the most popular peanut butters (from top left):
- Coconut PB – Has a sweet coconut finish, would work well with a fruit spread.
- Maple Bacon PB – Has chunky peanuts and actual chunks of bacon in it.
- Green Curry PB – Game changer! This is such a crazy flavor to me, because I’ve had green curry containing peanuts but haven’t experienced vice versa. This would be great topped with honey or even with the raspberry fruit spread.
- Banana Chunky PB – Has pieces of dried banana with peanut chunks. Could totally pair this with marshmallow spread.
I decided against B.Y.O.S. (build your own sandwich) and decided to try two of their most popular sandwiches. Note: you can try any of these grilled in a Panini press, I decided for the sake of imagery to get them cold.
The Elvis sandwich really is fit for a king. Their house maple bacon PB is spread on white bread topped with sliced banana, crispy bacon and drizzled with honey. Lovers of sweet and savory will be all shook up after one bite. The sandwiches come with a side of baby carrots, which really brought out the kid in me! Plus, they’re perfect to dip in the PB. Although they don’t sell regular milk here, they have yummy Silk Almond Milk in vanilla and chocolate, in the classic squeezable container.
The P’s Please was my favorite; it’s chunky PB, with potato chips and dill pickles. Salty, crunchy and creamy all in one bite. It may sound odd, but I love the trend of pickles with everything. I can’t get enough.
Other info: Don’t let the tight mini-mall location fool you, there’s plenty of free parking outside and beneath in their parking garage. The weekends here get a little nuts (get it?) with customers, so I think 11 AM – 2 PM on a weekday is the perfect time for an adult foodie to give it a try. There are gluten-free options for our GF friends out there. You can look for their PB on the grocery store shelves around the LA area, see stores here.
