Last week my morning routine fell apart after my coffee grinder died. During the interim of finding a replacement, I decided to venture out into Brentwood for breakfast. As you can see, my venturesome spirit ended shortly after walking outside, because I ordered the same breakfast at two different restaurants on two different mornings. Two Eggs Any Style.
BOTH. Delicious.
Remember The Clay Pit? The Indian restaurant that once was in Brentwood by the Brentwood Court across from the Brentwood Tavern? — It was in the episode of Millionaire Matchmaker where Patti meets one of those lonely millionaires to condescendingly and hypocritically discuss the flaws of the millionaire? No? Not ringing a bell? Probably not because (1) The Clay Pit was practically always empty; and (2) No one watches Millionaire Matchmaker.
It doesn’t matter anyway because it has been replaced by Lemonade, the modern and adorable eatery that is “part lemonade stand, part grade-school cafeteria.” There are several Lemonades in Los Angeles. I had only been to the one on Abbot Kinney in Venice prior to walking into the Brentwood stand-eria.
The only purpose of my visit to the Brentwood chain was for lemonade. As you can see, they have quite a few options for lemonade. However, I daringly opted for the sugar-free peach lemonade that wasn’t listed on the menu nor visibly out in the open but had known about from my visit to their Venice location. I had also learned from my Venice experience that their sugar-free lemonade is the equivalent to drinking lemon juice straight from the lemon. Before the Lemonade employee even entered my order into the register, she gave me a warning about how incredibly tart the drink was, asking me if I wanted to sample it first. I laughed in her face said it was okay — I knew what I was in for.
As expected, the sugar-free peach lemonade was puckeringly tart. (In some ways it is an excellent option for me because I often drink as if I am dehydrated.) I added some Splenda to make it more pleasant. I didn’t choose sugar because the whole purpose was to avoid a sugar beverage bender like the one in the episode of The Simpsons where Bart and Milhouse drink a super squishy made entirely out of syrup. Overall, I think the sugar-free is great. But, I can understand why many would not agree. Especially when the regular lemonade comes in more flavors and tastes delicious.
Lemonade
145 S Barrington Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone 310-471-9700
Twitter: lemonadela
Brentwood is not the same as it was when I first moved here. And that is a good thing. For quite a number of months, I have watched the slow transformation of a Hamburger Hamlet (a restaurant I have never been) turn into a beautiful hot spot, Tavern (a restaurant I want to go to everyday). Tavern (and Larder) is the product of renowned restaurateurs Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne. Their other amazing restaurants include A.O.C. and Lucques. Also, Suzanne Goin and her husband, David Lentz, own the delicious Hungry Cat.
A few weekends ago, my roommate and I decided we would go for drinks and appetizers at the bar. We went around six, which was early enough to avoid the dinner crowd. The stools at the bar counter were full, but the chairs and tables surrounding the bar were still available. The bar is beautiful. The design of the bar (and everywhere else) is well thought out; fluidly chic from the lighting to the upholstery on the chairs. The service was also excellent and consistent even as the place progressively became more crowded.
First drink: I had a glass of Cabernet. Instead of writing down the exact wine or trying to memorize what I ordered, I thought I could just go online and check their wine menu. Sadly, they don’t have it up. So I don’t know exactly which one I ordered.
Second Drink: Lucques Gimlet - Hangar One Vodka, fresh lime juice, and mint. Delicious. In my humble opinion, I prefer the cocktails to the wine. And in no way is that a criticism to the wine list, but instead a compliment to the cocktail menu. All their cocktails are creative and delicious. I would order any of them and be satisfied.
While I was there to just have a few drinks, my roommate ordered some bar food which I was fortunately able to sample:
Steak tartare with quail egg - It is hard to believe that I was a vegetarian for eight years, because I could eat this perfectly seasoned tartare with quail egg everyday. And part of me wants to only to catch up on the lost carnivorous years.
Gougères with french radishes - A gougères is a choux pastry (light pastry dough made from butter, water, fllour and eggs) filled with cheese. I think Tavern follows tradition and makes their gougères with gruyere cheese, but I could be wrong and plan to return soon to taste again. A French radish, also known as French Breakfast Radish, is an elongated red-skinned and white root base. I only had one, but that is all I needed to fall in love. It’s a cheese pastry in a ball form that you can pop into your mouth. What’s not to like about it?
The Tavern and the Larder (marketplace/café) are wonderful additions to my neighborhood. I love that in a short walk I can be consuming tasty drinks and amazing dishes. I plan to go back in the future, repeatedly.
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Unfortunately, I have had a “cold” for almost a week now. It sucks. It just won’t go away. My best friend is Sudafed Severe Cold.Thus, there was very little Easter celebration other than taking a stroll through the Brentwood neighborhood. It’s okay though, I don’t really enjoy ham and don’t need the chocolate in my life. I did make this Bunny to send to my parents though!
Hop, hop, hop.
Caffe Luxxe finally opened in Brentwood! Although it is sad that Dutton Bookstore is no longer, it is nice to have a coffee shop in the area that isn’t Starbucks. Although not as big as the original Luxxe on Montana Ave. in Santa Monica, it still maintains a relaxing, hip atmosphere with plenty of windows and also offers outdoor seating. The baristas were attractive, friendly, and cool. The majority of customers that came in while I was there all seemed to be regulars or at least well on their way to becoming a regular.
I ordered the Shakertino which is espresso, milk, and ice - shaken. Delicious. Although those muffins in the picture were not for me, I know first hand they they are tasty (I think they come from the Bread Bar). I really savored my experience there by sitting down, reading the newspaper, and feeling the friendly, hip vibe.
Maybe I too will become a regular…
Caffe Luxxe
11975 San Vicente Blvd.
Brentwood, CA 90049
310-394-2222
Daily Hours: 6:30am-6:00pm (Brentwood goes to bed early)
In the past 2 years, I have never walked down the road to the Brentwood Farmer’s Market on San Vincente (and Gretna Green) on Sunday. I have definitely ran past it quite a few times, but never thought to myself what a great idea it would be to stop in. Last Sunday, I made a point to wake up extra early on my day off to beat the crowd, heat, and find some good vegetables. I noticed I was falling into quite the stereotype as I made my journey there:
And I’m sure many others…
I got there at 9:15, but the place was already filling up with the yoga pant wearing yuppy moms and their children common to Santa Monica. Since it was early, everything went swimmingly. I came home with these goods:
I’ve only tried one of the eggplants and it was a little too ripe, but I have hope that the others will be better. The broccoli is good. I loved these bell peppers, but am afraid they might not be organic (they look too good to believe they are organic :P). I am used to getting apples from Whole Foods and for the most part they are much bigger than the ones I have been seeing at Farmer’s Market, but I took a chance with a few of these and they seem okay. I was only able to find fuji and pink lady apples, which is great because I enjoy both (especially the latter). However, I wish I could find some that are in better condition. I might have to continue shopping for apples at WF (although that can be expensive), I’m not sure though - I’m still searching for more local options.
One stand that I fortunately was able to try samples from was the Moon Pillow stand. Moonpillows are mochi truffles - rice pastries with chocolate ganache centers. Exactly like mochi ice cream, but not with ice cream in the middle - but chocolate (the mochi exterior is a little softer). I was able to try the Chocolate Peanut Butter and it was amazing. They are handmade in small batches, so you won’t be seeing these sold at Starbucks anytime soon. In fact, I think the only place you can get them in Los Angeles is at the Brentwood Farmer’s Market (or you could order them online). The flavors rotate. Right now their website states there are Thanksgiving flavors (French Roast, Maple-Pecan, Passion Fruit, and Pumpkin Spice) which will be around until December 2nd. The picture is of the Maple-Pecan.
If I had had more cash on me that day, I probably would have bought some because they are fluffy, chewy, and delicious. Sadly, I had only planned ahead for vegetables and good chocolate is never cheap: $23 for a box of twelve, $12 for a box of six, $6 for a box of three. If you get a chance - check them out, buy a box, and then come over to my apartment to share.
Brentwood Farmer’s Market: 9am - 1pm
Sunday morning I was faced with a delicious coffee dilemma: Iced or Hot coffee? Fortunately, I did not have to think too hard about it now that there is a website that answers the simple question: Is it Iced Coffee Weather? You type in your zip code and in big bold letters it tells you either Yes or No. On Sunday in this area it was a Yes. My boyfriend and I headed over to Caffe Luxxe (not a great website) on Montana. It’s a small, classy coffee shop.
I ordered the iced espresso drink with milk. I forget the name because it is Italian and their website doesn’t list their drink menu (!) and nobody picked up the phone when I just tried calling. My boyfriend ordered a simple Mocha. My drink looks creamy and milky, but it maintained a dominate espresso taste - which I loved!
We also got some cookies because that is a staple in my boyfriend’s diet. We chose the Dulce de leche cookie, vanilla and walnut cookie, and a little bag of muffins. All the pastries Caffe Luxxe come from the Breadbar, of which I have never had before. My boyfriend really enjoyed the muffins, but I preferred the dulce de leche cookie. It was a soft cookie and the caramel melted in my mouth. Yum. It paired perfectly with my drink.
While we were sitting, the place got a little crowded and a rather long line formed. I couldn’t help but think how lucky I am going to be when the new Caffe Luxxe takes over the old Dutton Bookstore Cafe. (It’s supposed to open in a few weeks). Although I am still sad to see such a great bookstore gone, I am happy that a great place is coming into the neighborhood. With a Starbucks, a Coffee Bean, and a Peet’s Coffee all zigzagging across from one another on San Vincente, it’s nice to know that we will have a non-corporate option. And it’s even better for me because I can walk there. I will no longer have to travel to Silver Lake area for good coffee beans! (Especially when an Intelligentsia opens up in Venice).
Caffe Luxxe
925 Montana Ave
Santa Monica CA 90403
(310) 394-2222