The Creperie by Jack n Jills

Who doesn't already love Jack n Jill's? The owners of the Beverly Hills/Santa Monica favorite have a new, more upscale endeavor in Beverly Hills. The Creperie doesn't feel all that fancy, and really the prices are reasonable too (about $10-12 a plate), but the quality of the food is exponentially higher than that of even Jack n Jill's cafe. I came for brunch (personally my favorite time for crepes) with a couple of friends, and I think everyone really enjoyed it. Even though I'm not that much of an egg enthusiast I ordered the Big Easy (ham & mozzarella with scrambled eggs in a wheat crepe under a blanket of sherry cream sauce). The eggs weren't even a problem for me. The cheese was melted just right and the sherry cream sauce was a little sweet and just really gave the dish some umph. A friend had the Healthy and Happy which was a sweet crepe filled with nonfat yogurt, fresh berries & banana, walnuts and a little honey. From the bite I had, I thought it was really good and she liked it as well, but she thought it felt a little like eating dessert. Our other friend had been recently for dinner and had such a great experience she was ready to go back within a week. I can't quite recall what she had, but I know it was something other than a crepe. At any rate, I can at least remember that she liked hers as well! Parking on Sunday wasn't a problem with ample free street parking on Beverly. It was such a cute, fun, delicious little place - I highly recommend it if you are looking for a place to brunch!

http://www.creperiebyjacknjills.com/menu.html

King's Road Cafe

So maybe August isn't back with as much of a vengeance as I thought, but hopefully there'll be plenty more to come because I have lots of new places to tell you about! Let's begin with King's Road Cafe down the street from the Beverly Center. Parking is a bit of a hassle and you're likely to see several hobo's hanging around, but for the breakfast at least, it's worth it. When Chase and I tried this place, we didn't have to wait long for a table, but once we sat down, service wasn't great. They normally have an hibiscus tea, but unfortunately they were out the day we were there. Chase was trying to order a coffee drink we'd seen go by several times, but the waiter wasn't much help in figuring out what it was, and Chase had to go in and ask the barista what it was and get a new drink. As for the food, I opted for the whole wheat blueberry granola pancakes. I can't tell you how good these pancakes are. If you like pancakes, you've got to try them! I didn't use a drop of syrup and they were truly phenomenal. Chase ordered the chicken cilantro sausage, fontina cheese, avocado, and sour cream omelet. I took a bite and it was really good, but I decided I'd rather eat my entire plate of pancakes. Really, SO GOOD! Atmosphere is average for a cafe, and price is pretty standard as well. Try it folks!

http://www.kingsroadcafe.com/menu.htm

Quality Food & Beverage

Quality Food & Beverage had quietly been on my radar of places in my area to try, but I believe they close pretty early, so Chase and I recently went for breakfast and it was a bit of a mixed review. I had the German pancake, which is pretty much a gigantic baked pancake with lemon juice and powered sugar, and Chase had the breakfast burrito. I was really happy with both, and I ate off of his while we waited for mine (it takes about 20 minutes to make). I'm not sure what he didn't like about the breakfast burrito, but I thought the salsa verde on top was just the way I like it, a little sweet and a little tart. I'd also never had a German pancake before and he had a German guy live with him for a while that used to make them for all of their roommates. Chase didn't seem to think there was much of a comparison, but I really liked it. There was a high crust kind of thing around the outside, which was the best part. The interior got a little soggy and I have a weird thing about soggy bread. Nevertheless, the interior had the most lemon taste to it, with was the other sparkling feature. Other than our entrees, we really didn't try much else. They do have a pretty big menu though, and I think it was certainly worth going back. It wasn't terribly expensive either, about $15 a person with a drink (the homemade lemonade was great). We were lucky that we didn't have to wait more than about 10 minutes, but I can see how this place would get as crowded as Doughboys or Toast and with equally as mediocre parking.

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/81678/

Pasquale's Cafe & Shoe Repair

So yeah, it's a strange combination, but both Pasquale's Cafe and Pasquale's Shoe Repair could stand on their own merit. The location is in a crappy strip with a 7-Eleven, a laundromat, and a Baskin Robbins, but the physical space is entirely charming. It feels like stepping into a family owned business in a small town in the South of France. A small tree-covered terrace with small wicker tables stands between the shoe repair shop and the cafe. On the left, the shoe repair, which is actually quite good and friendly. On the right, the cafe. It's wood about everywhere you look inside, with several wooden shelves housing gourmet groceries for sale across from the cash register. The shop is open breakfast through dinner (9:00-6:00), but so far we've only tried the breakfast. When I first read about the place online, I kept reading that they had Montreal bagels, which I really have no idea what that means. Wikipedia tells me that Montreal bagels smaller, sweeter, and denser than their New York counterparts and are always baked in a wood oven. I have to say that I didn't really taste a difference between the bagels that I am used to, but some people swear it's different. Their breakfast menu also boasts several different specialty coffees (hot, blended, or iced), smoothies, and freshly squeezed juices. If you are looking for something of more substance, there are gourmet omlettes with your choice of smoked salmon, smoked ham, eggplant, or turkey served as sandwich on a croissant. You also have French toast, poached eggs, granola parfaits, a breakfast sandwich on an English muffin, or of course a bagel (you can even get a bagel with nutella!). Outside of breakfast, Italian salads, pasta and paninis. We are yet to try it though, it's rare that we make it home by 6:00. I think the lesson here is if you need a pair of shoes fixed or polished, stop in at least for a coffee. Plus, there's free street parking all around.

Sorry no online menu this time.
http://www.aboutcitysearch.com/review/42543112

Jack N Jill's

In honor of their new restaurant opening, I wanted to pay homage to Jack N Jill's. With one location in Beverly Hills and one in Santa Monica, there are certainly rich families filling the seats, but it's not due to high prices. It's all about the great food, great location, and great atmosphere. Chase and I have come here a couple of times and really enjoyed it both times. For one of the first times since the creation of this blog, I am having a hard time remembering what I ate here. I do recall once having the California pear salad (pears, peppers, feta, raspberries, walnuts in a citrus vinaigrette), which I remember being good. Looking over the menu again, everything sounds great, especially the breakfast goodies. I believe the second time we were here is was for breakfast, and I tried the Savannah Strawberry Oatmeal Pancakes. Yum! Good reason to believe that their new restaurant, The Creperie, on Robertson will have superb breakfast! Other intriguing dishes on the Jack N Jill's menu include the Malted Belgian waffles, country fried steak sandwich, chicken ponzu wrap, and last but not least, the Louisiana Banana Pudding. The atmosphere is very relaxed and family friendly; don't expect anything fancy here. Free 2 hour parking is available up the street and you can do a little shopping on the way back to the car.

http://www.eatatjacknjills.com/home/bh_menu.html

Mani's Bakery & Cafe

One of Fairfax District's gems is Mani's Bakery & Cafe. Chase and I have been here a couple of times between breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Mani's is a little bit hippie, a little bit hip, and all really good. For breakfast, I've had the breakfast wrap with Yukon gold potatoes, salsa, and turkey bacon and I've also tried the multigrain pancakes. Both were really good, but I always remember thinking that the lunch menu sounded a little bit better. My favorite thing on the menu is chicken mango salad. It's a really full salad with grilled marinated chicken, avocado, mango, tomato, and red onion with a really yummy lime cilantro dressing. It's one of the best salads I've ever had and Chase and I can get full pretty much just off of the salad. Their burgers are also really great and I've always wanted to try their turkey chili. One of the most unique things about Mani's is the 400 calorie menu featuring a couple of egg white breakfasts, a turkey/basil/artichoke wrap, another wrap that is almost like a variation of the chicken mango salad, and last but not least, a veggie burger on pita. To wash down your hippie burger you can enjoy one of the teas (hot or iced) or juices, then to finish it off, grab a pastry from the bakery. I haven't tried much out of the bakery, but what I have had is really good! Eating inside Mani's is nothing special and the tables can fill up pretty quickly on weekend mornings and afternoons, so you might prefer to do take out, though if you don't get a dessert, you may find yourself wishing later that you had. Mani's is definitely a must try spot for people in the area, as it's a viable option for any meal.

http://www.manisbakery.com/

Eating Out the Northwest, Part II

On to Portland! The town reminds me a lot of Austin, with it's artsy little downtown, chic uptown area, and loads of great restaurants in between. Our first night there we ate dinner at Jake's Crawfish, not to be confused with the much fancier Jake's Grill, which is about 2 blocks away in downtown. Both were around our boutique-y and ultra hip lodgings, Ace Hotel. Jake's Crawfish felt a little bit like walking in to a Steak n' Ale, but the food was still pretty good. We, once again, had oysters, trying 6 Sunset Beach (my favorite) and 6 of another kind the waitress picked, which were a little too briny for me. Our second dish was a Dungeness crab cocktail, which was only okay due to the coleslaw-type preparation. I much prefer an order of crab claws, but they were a little out of our price range. We then had a cup of Jake's Famous Clam Chowder, which is cream based unlike the tomato-based New York Clam Chowder they also offered on the menu. For our main course, we split the braised Halibut that came with mashed potatoes and asparagus. This was by far the best part of the dinner. For dessert we had a hard time choosing between the chocolate bag (pretty much a hollow box of chocolate with berries in and around it) and the Jake's Trio which came with small portions of creme brulee, three berry cobbler, and an extremely dense chocolate cake. All were good, but the cobbler was phenomenal. Personally I wished that we had ordered a huge plate of it instead. When we got the bill, we weren't surprised to learn that we'd easily spent another $100 or so.

http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.display&pageid=96&id=1
(I had no idea until just now that this restaurant is owned by McCormick & Schmicks)

The next morning we got a bit of a late start and had intended to go to Mother's Cafe for breakfast, but discovered once we walked there that they aren't open on Monday's. We asked the concierge at the hotel what they recommended and they sent us to Bijou, which ended up being perfect. I had the pancake special with rhubarb apple compote on top. Now THESE are the the best pancakes I've ever tasted in my entire life (no offense Mom - they weren't in cute shapes like yours!). Chase had an omelet with goat cheddar cheese, which neither of us were aware existed. His was really great too, and neither was too expensive. I think we slid out of here in under $30. Another great thing about this place is that everything is organic, if that's the kind of thing you're into. I'd definitely eat here again and wish they'd open an LA location!

http://portland.citysearch.com/profile/8456458/
(Sorry, no menu)

Unfortunately, that was really the end of our culinary adventure in the Northwest. Now back to LA!

The Waffle

After waiting about an hour to get a table at Katsu-ya Hollywood (with a reservation that is), my family and I abandoned the pretentious Hollywood hot spot and wandered down the street to Hollywood's new breakfast shop, The Waffle. Like a gourmet diner, we had no complaints, and they even serve alcohol! Since we were there at dinner time, there was a pretty even split of people having dinner food and those having breakfast fare, but no one was disappointed. I tried the mac n' cheese with fontina, cheddar, and gruyere all with baked breadcrumbs on top. I also tried a bit of my sister's whole grain waffle with fruit and it was also pretty good, but very healthy tasting. Griffin had the eggs and bacon and my brother had the burger and everyone seemed pretty impressed. It wasn't too costly either, about $10 a person. The atmosphere was really casual, a nice change for Hollywood, and reminded me a bit of my old pediatrician's office with the varying shades of orange and the oversized booths. The servers were all really nice and happy to offer up suggestions of what to eat. Though we didn't get dessert, the table next to us got a hot chocolate concoction with whipped cream and berries on it that looked really good! Overall it was a really relaxed dinner and we got to enjoy each other's company and some good food without spending a fortune (which we defintely would have at Katsu-ya). My only complaint is the limited parking in the area, but it's close enough that you could park at the Arclight and walk.

http://www.thewaffle.us/Site/Menu.html

Doughboy's

Despite the love/hate relationship I currently have going with Doughboy's, I've decided to blog on it anyway. When I first went here a couple of years ago, I fell in love with the place, but lately it's more like I love it, but I'm not in love with it. The dish that became the apple of my eye was the after school special, comprised of an outstanding grilled cheese sandwich with fontina, emmenthal, and white cheddar on two slices of buttery French bread with a creamy tomato soup. Time after time I went back and was impressed by the breakfast, sandwiches, and pizza. Particularly enjoyable on the breakfast menu was the breakfast quesadilla. I'm not sure what's in the salsa they give you with this, but it's a little sweet and absolutely delicious. Also good are the fiber-packed blueberry flaxseed pancakes and Griffin loves the breakfast sandwich. They also have a rice krispy pancake with a marshmallow sauce that sounds delish! Additional sandwich highlights include the french dip and the roast beef. The pizza's are good too, and the extra soft crusts are like only a bakery could make. The meals are quite large so plan to share or take half home for later. If you are just going for bakery goods their bread is great and their red velvet is supposed to be fantastic (it's Ellen Degenerous' birthday cake of choice). Here's the problem, however. The 3rd St. location closed down once they opened the Hollywood location (I think the cross street is Willoughby?). The Mid-city shop closed reportedly due to a rumor of rats, but El Carmen, the tequila bar that shares a kitchen, is still open so I either they are dealing with the rats, or the rumor isn't true. Unfortunately the Hollywood location hasn't lived up to it's predecessor so far except in decor (think industrial chic) and the degree of difficulty to find street parking before having to wait for a table on a busy street corner. The last time I went to the Hollywood location I had my usual after school special, but the sandwich was all different and the tomato soup was far too chunky with huge pieces of tomato and onions. I wouldn't say it was bad, it just wasn't as good as what I was used to. It looks like they are finally making some progress on the 3rd St. location, so hopefully it will reopen soon and I'll give it another try.

http://www.doughboys.net/

Cafe Verona

I had debated going to Cafe Verona for a couple of months now because while it looked so cute and charming, it got several less than stellar reviews on the web. At last this weekend though, Griffin and I gave it a shot. The atmosphere feels very much like being at an actual Italian cafe with virtually all of the tables on one of two patios and ivy covering the entire thing. Each table is adorned with a singular sunflower, which brought a bit of sunshine to us over the cloudy weekend. As far as the food goes, we were pretty impressed. Griffin ordered the French Toast Al'Italia, which was really not much like French toast at all, but uber-delicious nonetheless! The plate came with two good size portions of a soft brioche with bananas, strawberries, and cream cheese near the center and then topped with more strawberries and Trader Joes maple syrup. Truly one of the best breakfast dishes I think I have ever had. It tasted like banana bread with cream cheese and strawberries, yum! For my dish, I ordered the Frittata Aphrodisiaca, or the potato and truffle oil omelet in laymans' terms. The first one I had to unfortunately send back due to the glaring short, black hair laying on one of the potatoes, but the kitchen staff didn't complain about having to remake it and sent another one out promptly. This is different than a typical omelet, and even from many frittatas I have had in that there was a thin egg omelet on the bottom, topped by long, slender potato slices and then drizzled with truffle oil. It was really great, but extremely rich, as most truffle dishes are. My breakfast came with a dollop of sweet potato smash and all breakfasts come with a huge slice of melon. The sweet potatoes were just right for me, though Griffin didn't care for them. As we were technically there during brunch time, I almost ordered a panini and have to say that many of them sounded great. They also offer pastas and a few bigger entrees for lunch and the largest bagels I have ever seen for breakfast. Cafe Verona is only open through lunch, but the serve their breakfast menu until they close. Menu prices are pretty standard for LA at about $15 a person, but unlike so many places in the area, Cafe Verona does have a free parking lot in the back that it shares with its neighbor, EZ Lube. Despite the hair on my dish (which still makes me nauseated to think about), I'd still go back, especially on a sunny day when you could really appreciate the out-of-doors surroundings.

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/63920/
Sorry, no online menu!

BLD

Next door to the still newish and popular Hatfields on Beverly stands BLD, though the logo makes it a little hard to read. In fact, the first time Griffin and I went here we had to ask the hostess what the name of the restaurant was (only slightly embarrassing). After seeing couples and families enjoying a nice meal and the California summer weather, Griffin and I tried this place for breakfast. It's been almost a year since we first visited BLD, but it's never left our minds. It was still pretty new when we went and we didn't have to wait, but now I'd recommend making a reservation, whether you are going for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (all three are served here, hence B-L-D). The brunch menu is really great with a wide selection of cuisines. You can even get cheese plates if your palette can take them that early in the morning. To accompany the cheese (or not, up to you) are several types of Spanish meats, ranging from chorizo to Serrano ham, to Spanish salami. And it's not just a mini trip to Spain, the meats and cheeses come from all over the world, though most are from Spain, Italy, or France. If you are in the mood for a more traditional breakfast entree, they've got that too. French toast, Ricotta blueberry pancakes, and crepes are all served with an adorable tin cottage full of the most delicious maple syrup, warmed. Popular egg dishes like frittata, eggs benedict, juevos rancheros, and scrambles are all great choices too, but no matter what your entree be sure to try the bruleed grapefruit. That's not a mistake, it's a halved pink grapefruit with thick sugar crystals melted with direct heat on top. Even if you don't like grapefruit that much give this a try. It's not only inventive (way to go BLD!) but extremely tasty. Brunch costs are about what you'll find anywhere, around $10 an entree, give or take, and the meats and cheeses are about $6 a pop if you go for that. We've also been to BLD for dinner and I have to say the dinner menu is pretty disappointing. While the food is still great, the menu items are better suited for lunch, majority of which are sandwiches, burgers, and salads. They've got the meats and cheeses for $6 each for all meals, so you know you are at least covered there. I had the grilled chicken sandwich with bacon, butter lettuce, avocado, tomato, and garlic aioli on a sourdough roll with a side salad and Griffin had the short rib sandwich with fries. Everything tasted great, it's just a meal we'd normally get at lunch. We usually try for something a little heartier and with more zing than a sandwich for dinner. Not to mention for dinner sandwiches, BLD's are a little pricey, averaging at about $15-20 each. It seems like the lunch menu is a little bigger than the dinner perhaps and has more of a sandwich selection, though unfortunately with no price break. BLD does have a fun little wine section and they offer a full bar where you can eat if the wait's too long for a table. They've got a few tables outside too, so if it's a nice day (which it usually is in SoCal) go for it. Like everywhere else in LA, BLD has valet, but if you are lucky you'll find a spot on the street. We haven't gone back to BLD since moving back over the hill, but we need to. Just thinking about it makes me hungry!

http://www.bldrestaurant.com/
The site isn't built out yet, so in the meantime here's a link to the Citysearch page where the menu is available.
http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/42940063/los_angeles_ca/bld.html#

Food Court LA

Food Court LA resides along the same stretch of 3rd St. as Sushi Roku, Wokano, and Electric Karma and is pretty much on par with the quality of it's neighbors. I ate here with a group of 10 or so friends about a month ago and the experience was a good one, though the food did not quite live up to my expectations. Either other people have thought the same way, or people just don't know about this place, because we were able to get a reservation for 10 only a couple of hours before we walked in, which don't get me wrong, it's a good thing, but for a place that small, it seemed kind of strange. When we got there, the space is really cozy with circular dashes of color, dark wood benches and booths, and mirrors furnished by Ikea. They do offer a full bar here, so we all started off with a few cocktails. Some of our favorite specialty drinks were the white wine sangria and the Fruit Loop cocktail. When ordering appetizers for the table, we were really interested in ordering the sashimi and fried onion, but were disappointed when our waiter informed us that this item was no longer available. We then wanted more details on the taco/spring roll appetizer that changes contents nightly (choices range from carne asada to mahi mahi to pancetta & Monterrey jack to goat cheese and fig). We weren't interested in the nightly special and ended up ordering the mac & cheese with bacon and sun-dried tomatoes, which was good, but not really anything to write home about. For the main course, Griffin and I shared the Latchino steak and a house salad. The salad was great with goat cheese and vinaigrette, and the steak which was served as a skirt steak with chile, cumin, and ponzu spread on top of a bed of potatoes was pretty good, but a little blander than what we expected. Another friend had a burger, and said it was good, though it didn't seem that he was that impressed. The meal that looked the best and had the best review came from my friend who ordered the steak and eggs (yep, breakfast served all day!). I have to say that everything on the menu sounded like it might be the best thing you ever had in your life, but nothing really delivered. Luckily, nothing on the menu is more than $16, so even if you don't love it, you're not out an arm and a leg. We didn't save room for desert, but the chocolate cheesecake marbled brownies sounded pretty delicious! Like all of the other restaurants in this area, there is some street parking available occasionally, but the valet is cheap enough that you won't break the bank if you can't find a spot on your own. I'd be interested to see what this place is like at brunch. I bet it's a little more crowded, but probably serving better food, which might be worth the trip back.

http://www.foodcourtla.com/

S.K.'s Donuts

We tried SK's on a hunch about 2 years ago and have tried to go back as much as possible. From the outside SK's looks about like any other donut store, but the goodies inside are out of this world! I don't normally care much for donuts, but the real gem at SK's is the croissants. Being from Texas, Griffin and I were used to having kolaches available at the corner donut store and SK's croissants are about as close as we'll come to the Czech delight in kolache-less Los Angeles. Flavors range from sweet strawberry and cream cheese to savory ham & swiss. If you opt for the ham and cheese croissant, be sure to ask for it warmed up. It's so much better! The donuts are pretty exceptional for fried bread too. They also have sandwiches and ices cream, but I've never tried any of it. SK's is open 24 hours, so you can enjoy it anytime!