The Griddle Cafe: Discovering Coconut

OH MY GAWD.

Why the F did it take me THIS LONG to order the scotch on the rocks flapjacks ($10.95)? Coconut, pecans, oats, butterscotch chips --> flapjacks. ‘Tis perfect. The flapjacks were the perfect sweetness and were oh-so-fluffy. It tasted like coconut ice cream almost. Amazing. Speechlessly amazing. And, of course, I never do the Griddle without their dark roast French pressed coffee ($3.35). Just a pot of that makes me a happy, functional person. Yes, their coffee makes me want to contribute to society.

But while I was living la vida loca with my flapjacks, I could tell mom wasn’t really blown away by the turkey and cranberry sandwich. Take my advice, stick to the griddle-cooked stuff or the eggs. Come on, I didn’t even KNOW they served sandwiches. Mom’s sandwich looked pretty I-can-make-that-at-home (ICMTAH) – the bread wasn’t even toasted (non-toasted bread pisses me off).

FOOD: 5/5
SERVICE: hit-or-miss
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

The Griddle Cafe ($$)
7916 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Amandine: Last Goodbye

Leaving LA meant leaving a lot of good friends and I spent the last few weeks trying to jam in as much “meeting-up” time as possible with people. On this particular day, I met up for the last time with two very important friends of mine – my food and HK film Buddy, B and my Japanese baked goods lover, Amandine.

Being nostalgic, I ordered the same thing from my first day at Amandine – the caramel banana tart ($4.35). The tart was as good – if not better – than the first time I had it. The crumbly cookie crust encased a smooth and light cream filling; the sweet pastry cream and the ripe, sliced bananas complimented the slight bitter twinge of the caramel cream topping. In other words, the tart is a perfect balance of textures and flavors and is both satisfying yet not overly heavy. This perfection paired with a large coffee and good company and conversation – yes, there are some things in LA I’ll miss.

FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 4.5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

Amandine Patisserie ($)
12225 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 979-3211
http://www.amandinecafe.com

Amandine: Standards have Changed

(Too soupy: Omelette Ratatouille)

Now that I’m a graduate (I will never tire of saying that), I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands. I mean, just in this past week alone, I’ve been to the cinema three times! And what better way to spend all the free time than to grab brunch and the New York magazine crossword puzzle?

So, on Tuesday, I headed out to Amandine with NY mag tucked under my arm. I ordered the Omelette Ratatouille ($8.95) which came with a side of fresh fruits, two slices of toast and potato gratin. The fruit side was a little random – five chunks of banana, honeydew melon and cantaloupe? Very Asian indeed. The potato gratin was pretty good but I would have preferred it warm/hot instead of cold. And the omelette? It was only ok. The eggs weren’t light and fluffy enough and the ratoutille made the omelette a little too “soupy.” Flavor was good though but I probably wouldn’t dole out close to $9.00 again for that.


On top of the omelette, I ordered two cinnamon croissants ($2.25/each) to go. Right now, I’m on a “trying to find a croissant in LA that can match Bouchon’s” and I heard that Amandine is supposed to have a pretty good almond croissant. They were all out by the time I got there though which is absolutely ridiculous since I got there at 10am. What the hell? Anyways, the cinnamon croissant was only ok. Flaky? Yes. Melt-in-mouth like Bouchon’s? No. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to keep searching.

So yes, now that I’ve tried Amandine’s savory stuff, I guess it’s safe to say that I’m keeping this little favorite café of mine as a sweet-stuff-only location.


FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 4.5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

Amandine Patisserie ($)
12225 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 979-3211
http://www.amandinecafe.com

[NYC '09: Brunch, day 4] Bouchon Bakery: The Lake

(Ingenius Coffee-to-go Lids at Crumbs)

On day 4, Sunny and I decided on a second round of Bouchon Bakery + Central Park. We hopped off the C line at Columbus Circle and picked up a few baked goods before hopping back on the subway out to West 70th. We took a little stroll around the upper west side, stopped at the 72nd street station (so beautiful) before ducking into Crumbs for a coffee-to-go.

(Sweet, moist coffee cake)

We entered the park on 75th – I was planning on enjoying our food at the Ladies Pavilion (remember when Carrie and Miranda talk about forgiving Steve in the SATC movie? Yes, there) but the place was occupied by a wedding ceremony. How cute. Well, we settled instead on one of the benches facing the lake. It was equally lovely.

I took a bite of Sunny’s coffee cake which was crumbly and moist. The brown sugar topping really brought it up a notch too. Stellar stuff. And after falling in love with it the first time, Sunny bought the raspberry and almond croissant ($3.25) again. This croissant is a MUST-TRY. It’s so amazingly flaky – it melts on your tongue and leaves a soft, tart sweetness. SOOO good. I wanted to get that too but since Sunny got it already, I decided to try something else with the hazelnut and fig croissant. I’m not a big fig fan – I got it mainly for the hazelnut. This croissant was also flaky and soft but the fig taste was probably a little too much for me. Definitely get this if you are a fan of figs. It’s chock full in every bite.

(No other croissant will be good enough after this: raspberry and almond croissant)

(Hazelnut and Fig Croissant)

I wanted to try Bouchon Bakery’s famous TKOs (i.e. Thomas Keller’s Oreos) but, since I’m not a crazy big fan of Oreos to begin with, I decided to forego them and opted for a second round of macarons ($2.75/ea) instead. I got the chocolate this time and also got the caramel (my favorite!) again. The chocolate was well and a definite chocoholics’ dream but I definitely preferred the lighter flavors like vanilla and caramel. Seriously, the caramel is so amazing.


It was an absolutely beautiful day. I love Central Park and I love Bouchon Bakery. And, of course, the company I was with :D Sunny and I did manage to sit in the Ladies Pavilion for a while after we had finished our food. So peaceful, so beautiful. And it’s times like these that you know life is good.

FOOD: 5/5
SERVICE: 3/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

BOUCHON BAKERY ($)
10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9366
http://www.bouchonbakery.com

[NYC '09: Afternoon Tea Con't, day 3] Teany: I'll Stick to his Music

Trying to avoid the rain, we ducked into Teany on the lower East side for an afternoon coffee. Leave it to Moby to come up with a smart punnish name. I have to say though, as much as I love Moby and his music, I was less than impressed with Teany. The place looked cute from the outside but the inside was way too cramped for comfort.

On top of that, service was the speed of slug. Don't get me wrong, the staff was nice but, regardless of niceness, does it REALLY take 15 minutes to churn out a coffee drink? I decided to be adventurous and strayed away from my usual black coffee order and went for the snow globe ($4.50) instead. BIG MISTAKE. The menu claimed that said drink was a mixture of coconut, frosted mint and vanilla. I am in LOVE with all three ingredients (especially the first two) but I tasted NONE of them in my drink. It just tasted like a regular latte. What the hell?

Oh well, maybe it's my problem. Because the place was super packed and everyone seemed to be enjoying their organic teany-machiatto-chino-with-soy milk. I guess I just wasn't made for a place like teany. Yes, I'll stick to stick to my corporate Starbucks black coffee and I'll leave Teany to the skinny-jeans hip organic crowd.

DRINKS: 1/5
SERVICE: 2.75/5
ATMOSPHERE: 2.75/5

TEANY ($)
90 Rivington St.
New York, NY 10002
(212) 475-9190
http://www.teany.com

[NYC '09: Lunch, day 2] Bouchon Bakery: Because God Loves Us

(A picture is worth a thousand words...)

Bouchon Bakery has been on my “to-go” list for the longest time. I could’ve gone last year when I was in Manhattan but I couldn’t drag my lazy ass from the upper west side down to Columbus Circle and I was preoccupied with the cupcakes from Crumbs and everything else from Zabar’s. Well, this year, I was determined to visit Thomas Keller’s casual eatery so, on our first full day in New York, we subwayed out to Columbus Circle.

The bakery’s system is a little confusing at first – there’s the dine-in area at the front and there’s the to-go bakery counter in the back. We ordered from the to-go counter since we had planned on picnicking in Central Park. Also, everything costs about $3.00 cheaper if you order to-go. Good, my poor wallet needs that extra $3.00.

(Achingly Flaky Pastries)

It’s difficult to describe exactly how I felt when I laid eyes on the glass desserts case. It was a feeling beyond joy and excitement even…everything felt almost transcendent. Beautiful works of art disguised themselves as tarts and pastries and I could own a piece of that art in exchange for mere money. Wow. VERY wow.

(Reminds me of someone I know. Cough *YVONNE* COUGH)

I opted for the hot-pressed vegetable jardiniere sandwich on toasted multigrain ($9.75) for my main lunch meal. And, on top of that, I bought three macarons – caramel, vanilla and pistachio ($2.75/ea). Yep, there was no way I wasn’t getting Bouchon’s macarons. I had pretty much made this cross-country pilgrimage FOR these delicate cookies. I was brimming with joy when I was handed my small bouchon to-go bag, complete with paper-wrapped sandwich and boxed up sweet treats.

(High quality: Even the coffee kicked ass)

With Bouchon in one arm, we skipped over to my favorite spot in Manhattan: Central Park. Personally, I like the upper parts of the park more (think the Conservatory Garden and the Reservoir) but since we had come out of Columbus Circle, we entered the park at 59th and trekked our way around the lower side and eventually settled down to eat at the Chess and Checkers House.

The food at Bouchon is absolutely amazing! The veggie sandwich was so well-made – I loved every single bite of it. The crusty multigrain bread was spread with a layer of pesto and sandwiches layers of roasted eggplant, portobellos, red onions, bell peppers and wonderfully ooey gooey gruyere cheese. It was wholesome and filling.

(Say [gruyere] Cheese!)

But the star of the show was definitely the macaron selection. $2.75 a pop sounds expensive but Bouchon’s macarons are literally three times the average size. The meringue shell is a little less airy and delicate than, say, Jin’s but that’s understandable given the size (it was as delicate as you can get without shattering under its own weight). The fillings were all amazing. The best I’ve had so far! It’s so rich – it tastes almost like ice cream! The caramel macaroon was definitely my favorite and tasted like a small piece of heaven. The vanilla was light and sweet. The pistachio macaron had a distinct nutty flavor. All three macarons were extremely well-made. I’m a definite fan. And I totally disagree with those who think Bouchon is overpriced. The food quality is outstanding and, after trying their macaroons, I can’t believe Paris Pastry has the gall to charge $2.50 for their macarons when Bouchon’s are about five times bigger and better!

(This makes me happy)

Bouchon is definitely my new favorite bakery. FARK…I wish I lived in New York :(

(Bite of heaven: Caramel Macaron)

(Pistachio ice-cream-like innards)

FOOD: 5/5
SERVICE: 3/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

BOUCHON BAKERY ($)
10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9366
http://www.bouchonbakery.com

[NYC '09: Dinner, day 1] Barbarini Alimentari: I Love New York

After our 5 hour long flight from LA (a 7am flight, no less), the three of us were in no condition to venture far for dinner. After consulting my list of dinner places in the financial district, we decided to try out this small eatery near our hotel. We battled the strong NY windy night for a few blocks before nipping into the welcoming warmth of Barbarini Alimentari.

(The Food Counter)

Barbarini Alimentari is a neighborhood gem. In fact, it’s pretty much the real-life representation of what I think the perfect restaurant should be like: great food, great service, and a cute and cozy atmosphere. In one word, the restaurant is adorable. It’s tucked away in a quiet street near South Street Seaport. It’s not fancy or anything; a few clean chairs and wooden tables set in a small room with a glass counter at the front displaying the daily offerings. What the restaurant IS, though, is a perfect setting for a small group of friends to catch up over dishes of hearty American-Italian food.

(Just a part of the large dessert selection)

The three of us all ordered off the daily special chalkboard menu. Sunny got the penne with meatballs ($14.00), Debs got the orecchiette with shrimp in pink sauce ($16.00) and I ordered the vegetable lasagna ($14.00). We had just gotten off the plane and were literally STARVING so we all dove into the bread basket when it was brought to the table. Thank God we didn’t eat too much bread (cold and too tough – nothing special) because our piping hot pasta dish portions turned out to be quite hefty.

(Penne with Meatballs)

The orecchiette was a little bit too much on the al dente side for my personal taste but the sauce was great. I took a small taste of the penne and the sauce which I thought was a tad too sour but Sunny seemed to enjoy it. And the vegetable lasagna? Layers of pasta and grilled zuchinni, mushrooms, minced eggplant, cheese and more veggies…OMG it was SO GOOD. The pasta texture was perfect – not too mushy and not too chewy. The creamy béchamel sauce was spot on with the salty/cheesy/creamy balance and although the dish looked super greasy, the dish was surprisingly unheavy, relative to its ginourmous size. The minced eggplant lent the lasagna an almost meat-like texture. Really, with something THIS good, who needs meat?

(orecchiette in pink sauce)

When we were nearing the end of our meal, a sweet, intoxicating smell came wafting slowly from the kitchen. I have no idea what it was but it smelled absolutely amazing…which SUCKED because we were all way too full after finishing our pasta dishes. The chef, however, brought a small dish of complimentary amaretti to our table. How cute! The cookies were bite-sized pieces of sweet, crumbly goodness. The amaretti settled a pretty much solidified my love for this place.

(Meaty Meatlessness: the BEST veggie lasagna I've had so far)

Service was top-notch. Friendly, laid-back and attentive. The prices were also extremely reasonable – nothing was over $18.00 and many items on the regular menu run under
$10.00. The adjoining Barbarini Mercato grocery store is also absolutely adorable, stocking fresh fruits and imported wines and foodstuffs.

(Sweet and Almond-y Amaretti)

Between the soft glow of the restaurant lights and the warm fuzzy feeling in our happy stomachs, the atmosphere in Barbarini Alimentari felt Christmasy to me. And being at the table with those two ladies, I couldn’t ask for a better way to start our New York trip.

Here’s too good food and good friends.

(And an espresso to end a perfect meal)

FOOD: 4.75/5
SERVICE: 4.75/5
ATMOSPHERE: 5/5

BARBARINI ALIMENTARI ($/$$)
225 Front St.
New York, NY 10038
(212) 227-8890
http://barbarini.net

Amandine: Sweets for my Sweet

(Amandine Cake Case = love)

Clementine yesterday and Amandine today? Oh wow, I’m reeeeeeally being self-indulgent. I must’ve gained a million pounds in the last few months. Blegh.

(Pastries for happy people)

(I love chalkboard menus)

I was surprised that Amandine wasn’t packed like a madhouse – we got there around 12ish…on a Saturday no less! We actually managed to find a parking spot RIGHT IN FRONT of the place. Maybe the recent dreary gray weather has something to do with it? Oh well, all the better for me.

(Example of REALLY good French toast, see above)

Having already tried the Amandine version of the banana cream pie (good stuff but the crust was a little too hard), I set my heart on the French toast with bananas ($6.75) this time around. Two slabs of thick, custard-soaked bread with a lightly burnt, smoky crust. Mmmmm…THIS is what French toast should be like (The Waffle could use a few lessons from Amandine). Every forkful was a bite of eggy goodness. The bananas were probably a little under-ripe though and weren’t as sweet and “banana-y” as I would’ve liked. I washed my million calorie brunch down with a “small” coffee ($1.85) which turned out to be the same size as the large cup I got at Clementine just yesterday…and about a dollar cheaper. Sunny opted for French toast as well with the cinnamon raisin with cream cheese ($6.50). And, after ordering the Hungarian meat platter last night, Debs did a most un-Debs-like thing by going with the tuna salad ($7.25).

(Tuna salad: eat your greens...and protein)

(California raisins put to good use)

Needless to say, I absolutely love Amandine. Food is consistently great and prices are reasonable. I also adore the atmosphere – it’s all so convivial. Makes me want to put on a flowery day dress and sing and dance and maybe feed a bunny. On top of that, service is always great. The old Mexican man was there again. He’s my favorite. On a not-so-great note though, my love for Amandine could be detrimental to my health…and waistline. Ugh, I really do need to go on my apple fast. Detox, detox, detox.

FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 4.5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

Amandine Patisserie ($)
12225 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 979-3211
http://www.amandinecafe.com

City Bakery: French Toast with Class (04/07/2008)

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I've been sifting through some of my old writings and I realized that I have a whole bunch of food reviews that I never got round to posting on the blog. And because I REALLLLLY don't want to start studying, I'm going to do some more food blogging/procrastination. So here they are, reviews from yesteryear.

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I went back (of course) to the City Bakery and got the french toast. A while ago, I was pretty sure that the Griddle Cafe's Creme de la Creme french toast was the best thing ever...but then I realized that the REAL French Toast king resided at the City Bakery. SO good. The big, thick slice of toast was warm and crispy on the outside but soft and near-custardy on the inside. Yepp, I definitely think this is legitimate love.

The City Bakery LA ($)
Brentwood Country Mart
(Intersection at San Vicente and 26th)
http://www.thecitybakery.com

Clementine: If Tomorrow Sun Doesn’t Shine…

Sometimes, days are just fan-effin’-tastic and you go through the space of 24hours with a huge grin on your face which you just can’t explain.

I woke up today to the smell of cold windy air. Bought a copy of New York magazine (special, “Best of NY” double issue), tucked it under my left arm and started my morning stroll to breakfast. Half an hour later, I stepped into Clementine (finally!) feeling as if everything really was in its right place.

Now, I had never tried to hide my contempt for the British but even with that, I know that that country has given us two good things: a) fantastic music (a la the Beatles and the Stones) and b) banoffi pie.

I’ve been having MASSIVE banoffi pie cravings lately. But that Godsent pie doesn’t seem to exist anywhere in Los Angeles (trust me – I’ve done some extensive searching about). So, I’ve had to settle with the slightly inferior banana cream pie – which is exactly what I got a slice of at Clementine ($4.50/slice). Yes – VERY fatty “breakfast.” I got myself a seat in the sun and flipped to NY magazine’s crossword puzzle. This month’s issue was definitely difficult – a slice of banoffi pie and a LARGE coffee ($3.00) later, I was still less than a quarter done with the puzzle.

(Coffee and Crossword Puzzles: One of the small joys of life)

But, to expound upon the pie – it was alright. Seriously, that was it – “alright.” The best thing was the crust (that is usually the best thing) – a concoction of crushed grahams, butter, and brown sugar. That was topped with a scanty layer of bananas, a vanilla custard filling and a blob of whipped cream. Standard stuff. But, four/five years ago, I had sold my soul to the banoffi pie so I’ve been spoilt and know that there’s a much more beautiful world beyond the mere banana cream.

But Clementine to me isn’t just about the food – it’s about the idea. It’s the sitting in the sun, listening to the conversation of the table next to me – the table of a group of twenty-somethings who are talking about their jobs and life over cups of coffee. It’s the sun that shines through the bright yellow canopy. It’s the feeling of being happy.

(The idea: a quiet morning of good people and good coffee)

And as if that weren’t enough of a great day, I treated myself to a bag of popcorn and Slumdog Millionaire at one of my favorite theaters - the Majestic Crest. There’s a reason that movie won “Best Picture.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I had the last class of my undergraduate career today. It’s done. Six more days and I’ll be an official graduate. Crazy innit? Thirty months I’ve spent here and it’s almost at an end. I feel so blessed – I’ve spent over two years doing what I love and I’ve met some of the best people.

Sometimes life is great JUST BECAUSE. You can never anticipate how fantastic everything can be. I never thought I’d fall in love with Yeats, that I’d be so excited to churn out a twenty page paper on Chinatown theaters, that I’d have learnt all that I did.

("Daisies are the friendliest flowers" - so I bought a bouquet today)

I know this has been an incoherent post but, I guess, all I’m trying to say is: If tomorrow sun doesn’t shine…at least I’ll have my Clementine. And I hope you will too.

FOOD: 3.75/5
SERVICE: 3.5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

CLEMENTINE ($/$$)
1751 Ensley Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 552-1080
http://www.clementineonline.com

THE MAJESTIC CREST
1262 Westwood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 474-7866
http://www.westwoodcrest.com/

Griddle Cafe: It’s cheesecake…no wait, it’s French toast…no wait…

There are only two things in the world that can make me wake up voluntarily at 7am on a holiday. One is to go on vacation (I prefer morning flights) and the other is...

Breakfast. I love breakfast food (and not only just during breakfast time. I love breakfast at any hour of the day). I will wake up at 7am and take a bus across the city if that’s what it takes to get good breakfast. No joke – Kenji and I used to always meet up for breakfast at the Flying Pan back home. And the Flying Pan was #1 on my list for breakfast. That is, until today where it’s dropped to #6 on the list. The first 5 spots are now taken by The Griddle Café.

(The magic begins with the Creme de la Creme French toast)

I. LOVE. THE. GRIDDLE. CAFÉ. Really. I love it more than I love daisies and little puppies. You know how there are some places which are really hyped up and you go with high expectations only to find that it’s really not as good as everyone says it is? Well, the Griddle Café was NOT one of those places. The Griddle Café was 100% genuine, down-to-earth, KICK-ASS food. It’s no wonder this place is such an institution.

When we walked in though, there was a mildly attractive but horribly rude waitress to greet us. She cleaned the table for us and when I smiled and said ‘thank you’, (note: though I am usually an unpleasant person, I am strangely really nice to strangers) she just looked at us, and in an impatient and pretty demanding tone, told us to “sit”. She was probably an aspiring actress who was working at the Griddle to pay the rent. I guess she was being bitchy because she didn’t get a callback…probably because she gave the audition panel attitude as well.

Bernard and I were pretty put off…that is, until our serving waitress came up to our table. Hmmm…how should I describe her? She was like the love-child of a rainbow and a beam of sunshine…not to mention, she looked like a (pretty version of) Cameron Diaz. She flitted to our table and sprinkled her magical good-service fairy dust over our heads and we were all happy again. I was soooo glad bitchy-girl wasn’t our waitress! So if you ever go to the Griddle Café and get shitty service, don’t write it off just yet – you were probably just unlucky and got the bad-egg server.

After looking through the menu (which has a huge selection…with everything – seriously, EVERYTHING – sounding really good), I decided to go with the Crème de la Crème French toast ($10.95) and Bernard got the Golden Ticket pancakes ($10.95). My French toast was amazing…like cry-worthy amazing. I’m not even being over-dramatic – I definitely felt some small tears welling up at the back of my eyes. I mean, I’m no stranger to French toast – I’ve had a fair share in my time – but this was definitely something special. Two slices of thick French toast covered with graham cracker crumbs and then topped off with powdered sugar and the magic ingredient – the Griddle Café’s cheesecake topping. It’s a cheesecake disguised as a French toast! And what I’m about to say next is completely honest – not only was this French toast better than all other French toasts I’ve had, it was also better than most cheesecakes I’ve had! Bernard’s Golden Ticket pancakes were light and fluffy, yet every bite was packed with brown-sugared bananas, caramel, streusel, and walnuts. I would’ve taken more of Bernard’s pancakes but I was just too enamored with my own French toast. I also ordered a pot of their dark roast French-pressed coffee ($3.35) which came in a French-press to keep at the table. The coffee was so friggin’ awesome and was especially good for washing down all that sweet sweet sugar. If you like coffee – DEFINITELY try their French-pressed coffee. Yes, it’s a little pricey but you get a whole pot to yourself (with complimentary refills).

(The MONSTER-sized Golden Ticket pancakes could hardly fit on the plate!)

Word of warning: portions are big large huge FUCKING GARGANTUAN. There should be a law against the sizes they serve up. Just one slice of my toast was bigger than two slices of what they serve at most other places. Even with that, the size of the French toast didn’t seem that ridiculous anymore when compared to the pancakes. The pancakes must have been at least 10” across…and there were THREE to a plate. The food here is dirt cheap when you consider the portion sizes (seriously, we could live off the leftovers for the next 3 days). You can tell that the restaurant EXPECTS people to box up their food because there was a giant shelf of white take-away boxes near the kitchen. A couple sitting near us grinned when they saw Bernard admit defeat to his pancakes and told us, “we’ve been here a few times so we’ve learnt to only order one to split”. Smart people. One of their pancake servings could probably feed a family of 5.

The atmosphere was great. Some reviews said the place can seem a bit pretentious, since it’s a popular hangout for scenesters but we were there at around 9am on a weekday morning so the scenesters were still probably in bed, passed out from last night’s partAy. Instead, the place was filled with people who genuinely like good food (my favorite kind of people) and if you enjoy the blues (think Robert Johnson), you’ll extra-love the Griddle Café. There was no wait when we got there but by the time we left the place (around 9.45am), a line was already beginning to form outside. I also heard crazy stories about the lines at weekends. So, take a tip from me – go before 9.30 on a weekday and you’ll have a ball.

Our final bill came out to $30 for two people (plus a big tip for Cameron Diaz-waitress, NOT bitchy-waitress). Again, dirt cheap for the amount and quality of food we got. Bernard and I could have ordered something to share and that would’ve probably cost less than $15 between us. Oh well, at least we’re educated for when we visit again (and you can be sure as hell we’ll visit again!)

FOOD: 5/5
SERVICE: hit-or-miss
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

The Griddle Cafe ($$)
7916 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046


*Random note: I bought some yellow roses today and they are B-E-A-UTIFUL!! They should be in full bloom in a day or two...I'm so excited :)

(All you need is love...and a bunch of yellow roses to brighten up a room)

City Bakery: Who Needs Men When They Make Cookies THIS Good??

(Soup bowl sized latte + Molten Chocolate Cookie)

I never visit New York without first compiling a “places to go” list. And, of course, by “places to go”, I mean “places to eat”. Last summer, I made most places on my list (Eleni’s, Fat Witch, Grand Central Oyster Bar, Ciao Bella, etc.) but of course, without wanting to drag my family into my crazed eating-around-the-city tendencies, I had to give up hopes of going to every single place on my list.

One of the places I missed out on was The City Bakery. Since I had managed to satisfy my desire for baked goods with the magic of Eleni’s (the patisserie right by my hotel helped a lot too), I didn’t think too much of it back then. Recently, however, I heard that they opened a branch right here in LA at the Brentwood Country Mart.

I knew that I HAD to go.

I’ve wanted to visit the Brentwood Country Mart for some time now but the trouble with living in LA is that it’s next to impossible to get anywhere without a car. I don’t drive, and after a few not-so-pleasant episodes with the Los Angeles public transportation system, I’ve become really reluctant to venture anywhere that’s beyond walkable distance. So it’s a good thing that Bernard came to visit because I’ve been using his visit as an excuse to “go out”. So, on Tuesday, I worked out the bussing route (OK, I admit it – even with my extensive planning, we still got a little lost…but only a little) and I finally got to visit the red barn, and…the City Bakery!!

After a quick browse of what they had to offer, I settled on the molten chocolate cookie ($3.00) and a latte ($3.50). Bern got the chocolate chip cookie ($2.50) and their famous hot chocolate ($4.00?). Sure, it was a little pricey, but it was OH-SO-WORTH-IT! I ordered the regular-sized latte and found myself sipping my coffee out of a soup bowl! Bernard’s cookie was also HUGE…you could definitely fatten a small child with one of those. The hot chocolate and my cookie was a little on the small side for their prices but what they lacked in size, they made up in taste. Their hot chocolate is creamy and crazy-rich…an absolute Chocoholic’s wet-dream! It was definitely a good thing that their sizes were relatively small…I’m sure Bernard would have keeled over and died of a chocolate overdose if the cup was any bigger.

And I’m going to start a new paragraph for my molten chocolate cookie…because it deserves a paragraph of its own. At first glance, it looked like a normal, simple, chocolate cookie. But when I tore a little piece off, I was introduced to a beautiful molten chocolate center. There are really no words good enough to describe the first bite…all I can say is that, at that point, I wished I were a cookie too…so I could marry that chocolate wonder. What I felt at that moment must be what people call “love”. Without exaggeration, the City Bakery’s molten chocolate cookie is pure genius. It’s basically a rich and gooey chocolate brownie housed inside a chocolate cookie exterior. Two desserts in one portable package? You bet!

Needless to say, the City Bakery ROCKS!! Yes, I live near a place where I can get half-a-dozen of pretty damn good cookies for 2 bucks, but after trying the molten chocolate cookie, I just know that, from now on, I’ll be bussing out to the City Bakery to get my cookie fix. In fact, Bern and I have already made plans to go back again some time this week! Thank God for this little slice of New York in LA!!

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: n/a
ATMOSPHERE: 3/5

The City Bakery LA ($)
Brentwood Country Mart
(Intersection at San Vicente and 26th)


**Word of warning: Unless you are an experienced and certified chocoholic, do NOT attempt to order the molten chocolate cookie with the hot chocolate. Your arteries will not be able to handle it.