Review: Huckleberry Cafe

I've been dying to try Huckleberry Cafe, the bakery and cafe that opened a few months ago in Santa Monica. Today I had the pleasure of eating breakfast there with my friend Marla, who was visiting LA for a few days. It did not disappoint!

Huckleberry Cafe is owned and operated by husband and wife Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb, who fell in love while working together at their nearby restaurant Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen (so cute!). Huckleberry offers homemade artisan breads, morning pastries, breakfast items, soups, salads, sandwiches, rotisserie chickens, and deck oven flatbread pizza. All of their produce comes from the local farmer's market, and they only use free range hormone and antibiotic free meat, poultry, and dairy. Although this organic and local focus is not necessarily unique in LA, it always appeals to me.

Huckleberry Cafe has a happy, light, airy, and clean vibe. I would love to sit in there and read for hours. All of the employees were cheery, even at 8AM. More importantly, all of the food looked and smelled fantastic.

The homemade dessert pastries looked simply divine. You can choose from so many delectable treats - cookies, eclairs, mini chocolate cupcakes, chocolate vanilla layer cake, fresh fruit tart, lemon cream tarts, chocolate pudding, ginger cake, banana caramel pie, lemon pousett, chocolate pudding pie, lemon cornmeal bundt cake, layered carrot cake with mascarpone cream, flourless chocolate walnut torte, seasonal crostatas, lemon pistachio cake, and chocolate tart with toasted almonds.

The homemade breakfast pastries were also very tempting, although I did not try any this time. It took all of my power to not order a slice of the old-fashioned coffee cake. Other offerings included: plain croissants, Valrhona chocolate croissants, specialty croissants, Niman Ranch maple-bacon biscuits, whole wheat fruit slices, muffins, crostatas, teacakes, bread pudding, scones, frittata, and donuts.

For breakfast I had the fried egg sandwich with sunny side up eggs, Niman Ranch bacon, gruyere, arugula, and aioli on country bread. It was perfect - sweet and savory, with great textures from the different ingredients. I especially loved the eggs, which began to run once I bit into the sandwich. I was able to use the bread to sop up the yolk. Yum :) Marla is vegetarian and wanted something simple, so they made her a tomato and cheese sandwich on a homemade English muffin. Very tasty.

There were so many other items that I wanted to try on the menu... I guess I'll just have to go back!

Review: BLD

Although BLD is one of my favorite restaurants, and has been around for several years, some of you may not know it. BLD stands for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and this place does each meal perfectly. BLD is located in the Beverly Corridor, and is owned by Neal and Amy Fraser, who also own Grace, another great restaurant that is located just a few blocks east.

We went to BLD for dinner last Saturday night, and as usual, had a delicious meal and a wonderful time. To start, my friend Luis got his standard cheese plate, which comes with an assortment of self-selected cheeses, toasted raisin walnut bread, baguette, fig cake, quince paste, fresh fruit, and spiced marcona almonds. We got two bottles of tasty Syrah for the table. Jamie and I shared a special salad, which had shaved artichokes, fava beans, frisee, and manchego cheese - so yummy. Jay had tomato soup with herbs. I honestly don't remember what anyone else had as an appetizer... I was already a bit tipsy by then!

For entrees, Jamie had a veggie burger with grandma's piccalili, homemade pickles, and fries. Andy had a grilled beef burger with cheese, homemade pickles, and fries. (BLD has an assortment of fancy, unique burgers.) Jay and I both had seared scallops with fresh pea risotto, pea tendrils, and carrot nage (which, in my opinion, is the best entree on the menu). Sadly, I don't remember what Amy and Luis had for their entrees, but I know they enjoyed their food.

On a sidenote, one of BLD's most innovative offerings is the self-constructive dinner. You choose a protein from the following: grilled free range half chicken, grilled flatiron steak, grilled salmon, and hemp seed crusted tofu. Then you choose two sides and one sauce from the following options: fresh polenta, roasted fingerling potatoes, french fries, garlic rapini, kale, brussel sprouts, wild mushrooms/ basil pesto, lemon butter, red wine sauce, garlic nage.

For dessert, I always get the same thing - it is so divine that I must order it every time I go to BLD. So I shared the homemade crepe with nutella and bananas with Amy, Jay, and Luis... although, of course, I ate the vast majority of it myself!

In sum, BLD is one of the best restaurants in LA! You should definitely try it... especially for brunch and for dinner :)

Food Sites

Here are some of my favorite websites about food. I subscribe to all of them... I get weekly blasts from Food Network and Epicurious, while I get daily blasts from Tasting Table LA. These three sites are exclusively about food; the former two focus on recipes while the latter site focuses more on restaurants, food festivals, and other local openings and events.

I'd also recommend subscribing to Thrillist, Urban Daddy, and Daily Candy. These three sites, while not exclusively about food, keep me up-to-date about local happenings involving, among other things, food, fashion, entertainment, bars, and spas. Many of the daily emails from these sites focus on restaurant openings. These blasts help me keep my list of "new places" updated, mostly for whenever my parents come to visit :) Enjoy.