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!