Panini Cafe

Today, a few coworkers and I decided to chance the impending Southern California rain and venture out to Beverly Hills for lunch. The great thing about rain in LA is that there are not many people out and about in it. We decided to eat at the Panini Cafe on the corner of Camedon and Little Santa Monica. If you haven't been to Beverly Hills, there is plenty of public parking (metered) but sometimes you feel like you are driving in circles looking for it. Luckily, we found parking immediately in one of the covered metered lots that sit on Santa Monica and every cross street.

The restaurant, right on the corner, looked very inviting with the impending gloom around us. It had an orange glow coming from inside. When we stepped inside it was nice and warm. Oddly, while there was plenty of parking, there was nowhere to sit. The restaurant was completely packed to the brim. We put our name in for our party of eight and worried about timing. It didn't look like a large enough table would clear up any time soon.

The manager came out shortly after our arrival and asked if we would be interested in sitting outside on the heated covered patio. Now, remember it was kind of cold out for LA and it was raining. We talked it over though and decided to do it. Unfortunately, the tables were attached to the ground so we had to split up into two groups of four. After we were settled other large groups started to come out and sit on the patio with us, we had started a trend! The waitress alerted us that she couldn't do eight separate checks but she could break it down in groups of four. Unfortunately, it seems she only had this conversation with our group of four (this created a riff at the end of the meal by the other group of four).

The menu consists of some kebab and rice dishes, salads, soups and paninis. Even though I had seen one of the gigantic rice and kebab plates and it looked delicious, I decided to order one of their paninis. I ordered the ham, brie, mustard and caper panini. My fellow diners ordered variations on the caprese paninis and a kebab wrap. Each dish came with choice of couscous, fruit or salad. I chose the couscous and the others chose the fruit.

Our food came rather quickly. The cheese on the panini was melted to perfection but the ham seemed a little cold. There was a ton of mustard on the sandwich but that gave it a lovely flavor. The bread was incredibly soft but not as warm as I would have liked. I liked the sandwich but would probably try a different one next time. The fruit that came with my fellow diners dishes was not what I expected. It came with a blackberry and then mostly melon, but I think the blackberry gave it a little hint of gourmet and I would therefore order it as a side. The couscous that I got was actually a cold couscous salad similar to tabbouleh. It had golden raisins and walnuts in it. While I don't generally like raisins, I found it to be quite delicious but not at all what I was expecting.

This restaurants choice of entrees interests me. There is a definite Mediterranean flair that I didn't expect based on the look and name of the restaurant. The kebab wrap wasn't as good as it sounded but as I said, the kebab plate came with a huge mound of rice and looked delicious. I am not sure why they decided to add those dishes to a list of paninis, but it seems to be a good fit.





Panini Cafe
9601 Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
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Jack n' Jill's

The website for Jack n' Jill's says it all "Eat at Jack n' Jills." I went to Jack n' Jill's with a coworker on Wednesday. We went around 12:30 which are peak eating hours in Beverly Hills. This Wednesday, however, wasn't very crowded and we were surprisingly seated right away. The restaurant appears bigger from the front because of the three walls of mirrors. Even still, they pack a lot of people in there as well as on the patio and have a lucrative to-go business. The restaurant inside is a little loud but does have a good amount of people watching because of the crowd that spends time in Beverly Hills.

Since I had had the food from Jack n' Jill's before, I was looking forward to having the macaroni and cheese which I thoroughly enjoyed last time. However, once I opened the menu, I was tantalized by all the choices. The menu is full of soups, salads, sandwiches, and a couple of heavier "dinner" style meals. There is also a long list of bakery items and drinks. I ended up choosing the Brie and Asian Pear panini on their famous bread. When I read the menu the bread sounded like it might be a little weird with the sandwich but actually it was delicious.The sandwich ended up being a little bit sweet for me but it was piled high with thick slices of Brie, pear, tomato, and watercress. The delicious bread and the varying textures made the sandwich delicious despite the sweet factor.

My coworker had a different sandwich and also enjoyed immensely. The sandwiches come with a side salad and your choice of fruit, chili, fries or onion rings. Don't skip the fresh fruit here. Unlike the typical serving of fresh fruit, this fruit isn't all melon and pieces of pineapple. This fresh fruit has blackberries, strawberries and even the occasional blueberry.

I did not have dessert this time, but I have had the cake and cookies in the past and they were delicious--if not a little bit expensive. But what can you expect? It's Beverly Hills.

The service was good. The waiter came by and asked if we had questions, got our drinks and took our order in a timely fashion. The only thing that was a little slow was getting our bill. I think that this is sort of hard for restaurants to time in general. They don't necessarily want to make it look like they are kicking you out, but, they also don't want to take so long that you are bored waiting, or, worse they forget to give you the check. When we left the restaurant they were able to fill our table immediately.



Jack n' Jills
342 N. Beverly Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
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Backstage Cafe

There was a work happy hour last night that I decided to attend. This was the first time I had been to one but they are always held at the Backstage Cafe (their website leaves a little to be desired) in Beverly Hills on Thursday nights. The weird thing though is that the work people don't start arriving until 7 or later--which is after the typical happy hour time--and the happy hour prices.

Between 4pm and 7pm the drinks are $6 wells, $7 wine, and $4 beers. After 7pm the wells go up to $10 a piece but the beers stay $4 all night. The cafe also serves a full menu, coffee, and soft drinks.

From what I saw of the food, it all looked like slightly upscale bar food--this place IS in Beverly Hills keep in mind. The fries looked average but the Caesar salad looked pretty delicious.

The bar/club/cafe has limited outdoor seating roped off from the sidewalk. Large glass windows double as doors allowing people to freely walk in and out--and smoke travels inside too. The bar is in the middle of the room and tables are located in the front and to the right side. On either side of the bar are a flight of stairs. The stairs lead to a lounge area with the DJ/stereo and a couple of cushy tables. If it were up to me, I would have hung out in the lounge all night.

The service was very attentive. There were only two guys working the bar and the serving but there were also a handful of cooks in the kitchen. If you could get through the crowd (I expect Thursday nights are more crowded than most) to the bar, the tenders were quick and friendly. They even stooped down while working the cash register as not to block the musical act. The bar/cafe was also incredibly clean. The bathrooms were clean, the tables were cleaned up quickly, and the floor was spotless from what I could tell.

Around 8:30pm they had a musical guest come in. The singer Quene really made the bar her own. Instead of trying to crowd all the adoring fans into the lounge area, she danced around the room with a microphone and then ended on the stairs which was a perfect place to be seen from every angle. The music and the crowd made the place really fun and enjoyable.

I would definitely go back to Backstage again. If you are a graphic designer, I recommend you try to trade website design for free drinks.





Backstage Cafe
9433 Brighton Way
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
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Mishima

Don't let the strip mall facade fool you, Mishima isn't a Japanese restaurant for the faint of heart. When I think of Japanese food, I think sushi and tempura, but Mishima works to change this standardized view and give diners more variety and choice.

Mishima is in the strip mall across from the Beverly Connection on 3rd near La Cienega. There is parking in the lot, but if you get there during prime eating hours, there is some kind of valet or blockage system. There are also a couple of meters on the street, and I suppose you could always park in the Beverly Center and walk over, in a pinch.

We had a large group of 8 people. They gave us the large center table that is attached to the counter--something like a sushi bar table except huge and double-wide. There were two spots left and they were filled as the restaurant got busier. And busy did it get! We arrived around 12:10, but by 1pm every table was filled. My mom always says that the sign of a good restaurant is when people of the same culture eat there--and this restaurant was no exception to the rule--several Japanese families were dining there.

Like I said, when someone said we should go have Japanese food I was thinking sushi--a nice combination plate with filets of raw fish over rice. There was no such thing on this menu. The menu started with a variety of bento boxes and noodles, moved on to some specific sushi rolls, and ended with some large plate combinations.

I ordered the Wasabi Tuna roll combination. The combination was $3.50 more but came with either hot or cold noodles and salad. I also had an iced barely tea. The tea tasted almost like coffee to me and was very strong, I could barely drink one glass--but apparently it was free! I expected my meal to be small and not very filling--boy was I mistaken! The sushi roll was gigantic. It was eight pieces stuffed with large pieces of fish and avocado and wrapped in rice paper. The sushi came with a healthy dose of wasabi and ginger on the side. The bowl of noodles that came with it would have been enough on its own. I had never had such doughy thick noodles before--but I loved them. The broth was nothing special but it warmed me up on the cold day we were having. The salad was also much larger than I expected. It had the typical Japanese restaurant salad dressing (which I love) and had a variety of greens, cucumber and half a tomato slice.

All the food I had had a lot of flavor. Everyone I was with ordered something different and all the portions were giant-sized. The amount of food for the price was staggering. It was only $10.5o for my sushi combination and I couldn't even finish the sushi roll myself. I heard the Japanese curry wasn't as delicious as my meal--so order that at your own risk. Someone at our table ordered chocolate mousse for dessert and it looked pretty good--although it wasn't made in the restaurant. The presentation for all the dishes made them look delicious.

Mishima is a great value for your money. I went at lunch so I am not sure how it is at dinner, but I suspect the deals are the same. The service was quick and friendly and they even offered separate checks for our big group. I highly recommend Mishima for a casual Japanese meal.





Mishima
8474 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
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Sprinkles Cupcakes

For a while now there has been a buzz everywhere about Sprinkles Cupcakes. If you haven't heard of them--you must not be from LA. It seems like every day I hear people talking about either Sprinkles or Pinkberry. I must say though, Sprinkles is every bit as worth it as everyone says it is.

Sure, paying $3.50 for one cupcake is a little on the pricey side--especially when you can go to Taco Bell and get 3 tacos for just $4...but the cupcakes are, as I said before, worth all the hype.

The Beverly Hills location has a very modern look with the trendy pink and brown color combination. There is just something about pink and brown that reminds me of cupcakes. There is a small window seat with 4 or 5 chairs and two tables outside, but the cupcakes are really a take away item. If you are driving down Little Santa Monica keep your eyes peeled because Sprinkles blends into the background.

You walk into Sprinkles and are immediately greeted by dozens of cupcakes behind a ceiling to floor piece of glass. The cupcakes sit in colorful custom-made wooden cupcake trays, slanting toward every new customer. Check the online flavor list before you go to see what the specials are for that day. They have a variety of constant flavors as well, so don't get discouraged--everything is good.

If you want something to go with your cupcake they have a variety of coffee drinks, sodas, and even milk. If you're anti-cupcake you can get a shot of frosting instead. They have a variety of take-home products including cupcake mix, cupcake holders, and t-shirts.

And lest I forget, the taste. Each cupcake is large enough to be a small meal. The cake is moist and flavorful and rich. The frosting tastes like homemade frosting--not like most store bought varieties. It is creamy and not too sweet. There are toppings such as sprinkles or coconut on lots of the varieties but some are just plain. My favorite is the Red Velvet cupcake, but everything else i've had is good too. Whatever you do, don't eat the classic Sprinkles logo that tops the cupcakes--it is a flavorless piece of fondant and though it may look tasty, it's not. Eat the cupcake, skip the signature logo.

Sprinkles Cupcakes
9635 Little (South) Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
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Le Pain Quotidien

As far as I can tell, Le Pain Quotideien is a small chain cafe that feels local. The name means The Daily Bread--and it is fitting as this bakery cafe is known for pairing fresh baked European style bread with tantalizing spreads and fillings.

I visited the Beverly Hills location and am always impressed with the restaurant layout when I go there. It truly reminds me of somewhere on the streets of Europe. There is a large patio area in front. Inside, there is a bar side where you can peruse their desserts and jarred sauces for sale or order bread or other dishes to go. The dining area is separated from the take-out side by a large compartmentalized shelf holding the silverware, napkins, and various wares for sale. The dining room has several small tables around the edges and a gigantic communal table in the middle. The communal table is perfect for just 1-2 in a party. It is really nice to sit at that communal table as 1 because then you don't feel silly dining by yourself.

Don't let the 1-page menu fool you, there is a lot of variety in their food. They serve both breakfast and lunch. I haven't had the opportunity to try the breakfast yet, but there is a lot of choice--but don't go if you're counting carbs, remember this place is known for its bread.

Usually you can seat yourself, but if you have a particularly large party or a baby or something feel free to stand at the front and someone will assist you. This place really seems to know what you want--even the drinks are unique. Today's special iced tea was pomegranate. They also have a mint lemonade and a to die for apple cider. It tastes as wonderful as if it were fresh from the orchard. The lemonade and iced tea come with their own carafe, but the cider doesn't have refills.

The menu has a variety of salads, tartines (open faced sandwiches), and quiches. This trip everyone in my party of four ordered something different. I got my favorite Chicken Curry Salad Tartine with harissa cranberry chutney. The salad is piled high on a sandy-colored bread. It comes nicely set out on a small porcelain cutting board with a small salad, sliced cucumbers and radishes, and the chutney. The two flavors of the chutney and curry mix together perfectly. The bread has a wonderful texture that only helps the meal.

Another person got the tuna tartine with olive tapenade. I'm not a fan of tuna myself, but she said it was delicious with large chunks of tuna and the tapanade was more of a paste than a minced olive dressing. Another diner got one of the quiches. To me it looked more like a slice of a square deep dish pizza. It was filled to the brim with ingredients including ham. The final diner got the vegetarian salad which was comprised of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a variety of cheeses. Even though I see myself as a beginning cheese contesuir, I wasn't able to identify all the flavors. One may have been thinly sliced irish white cheddar, another one was some kind of blue, and there was for sure brie on that plate. Everyone was sufficiently satisfied at the end of the meal.

We didn't try the dessert this time, but I have had one of the berry tarts before and the berries were incredibly fresh adding to the crisp tart and filling.

The service here is superb. The manager was nearby watching for any disruption and the waitress came by several times asking if we needed anything else.

Le Pain Quotidien is not cheap, my entree was only $8, but altogether with drinks the bill for four came to about $60. However, if you are interested in some delightful flavor pairings and some deliciously fresh bread give it a try as a special treat.





Le Pain Quotidien
9630 S Santa Monica Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
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Fogo de Chao

On La Cienega just above Wilshire there is a section that is referred to as restaurant row. Being in Beverly Hills, the restaurants that reside on this row are not cheap. The restaurant that kicks off this row with eye-catching architecture is Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian meatery.

There is valet parking, but if you are lucky, you may find a meter or street parking nearby, watch the signs for permit parking. In a blue chimney shape window you can view a variety of meats roasting on sticks. There is a waterfall by the oversize doors and a small waiting area, bar, and giant dining room.

I arrived before the rest of my party and was welcomed warmly by the hostess. She offered for me to wait at the table, but instead, I chose to wait outside by the waterfall.

The other guests arrived and we were brought immediately to our table near the windows. The restaurant was relatively empty but I did notice several later reservations on the list and as it was Friday night, expected a later crowd in LA.

Upon being seated we were offered drinks and a choice of 3 waters, sparkling, flat, or tap. We chose the tap which came with a lime for each glass. The host told us we could go immediately to the salad bar, which we did.

The salad bar has a variety of prepared salads, lettuce, vegetables, cheese, smoked meats (like salami, salmon, prosciutto), and olives. My friends warned me not to fill up on the salad bar, as the main course, is what you go for.

Fogo de Chao is a base pay dinner. You pay $53 for all you can eat roasted meats and all you can eat salad bar. Throughout the meal you head to the salad bar, and then turn a card on your table to green and men come around with spits of roasted meat and slice it onto your plate. Using a small set of tongs you take the meat and place it where you like. As long as you have the card turned to green, meat vendors will come by with beef, sausage, pork, chicken, and lamb on sticks offering as little or as much as you please. They also bring platters of loaded mashed potatoes, plantains, and little fried sticks as well as cheesy bread to your table.

The meat is delightfully moist and tender with a smoky grilled flavor. I particularly enjoyed the bacon wrapped fillet mignon, the house specialty Picanha, and the Alcatra. While you can go to the restaurant and enjoy the salad bar, that is one expensive salad bar ($32), and the meat really makes the restaurant.

The service was exceptional, attentive staff member watched for dirty plates, half filled water glasses, and the glazed looks of overfull patrons. On several occasions, waiters brought clean plates when it looked like our plates were spent. We also ordered dessert, not that we were hungry, but only to change the taste and see the menu. While I was interested in the molten chocolate cake, it sounded overly filling and I was already filled to the brim. Instead, the three of us shared the papaya cream which is garnished table side with brandy. It seemed to come only minutes after we ordered and it was a delicious ending to a filling meal.

We didn't loiter after dinner, but it was 8 when we left and the dining room was crowded but still the servers were attentive and helpful. While this is definitely a place to go for a special treat and not just a casual weeknight dinner, the food is delicious and you will not be disappointed by the service.





Fogo de Chao
133 N. La Cienega Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
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Bristol Farms

I'm not sure if an upscale grocery store really counts as a restaurant--but there's indoor/outdoor seating, made to order, and pre-made foods readily available--so I'm counting it. Not every Bristol Farms is as nice as the one on the corner of Doheny and Beverly Blvd in Beverly Hills, but, who goes to a grocery store for the atmosphere anyway?

If you aren't familiar with Bristol Farms, picture this. Gourmet foods lining ever isle. It has the same organic feel as Whole Foods although, they don't advertise themselves to be organic in any way. In the produce section--along with all the regular things, they offer fresh cut fruit, fresh squeezed juices and a large variety of dried fruits and nuts. Across the store at the bakery section you can purchase loaves of fresh bread, rolls, and a variety of desserts ranging from your average cookie to fancy chocolate delicacies. There is a large deli with a variety of meat, cheese, salads and other foods. There are also a variety of samples circling the store.

And the pre-made and made to order section is the heaven of quick work day lunch breaks. There are foods for every appetite--paninis, sandwiches, soups, salads, pasta, sushi, and a large hot food section.

Today, I went to Bristol Farms with 2 others, but this is not the first time I have gone there for lunch. Today I ordered the roast beef grilled sandwich. Unlike a traditional panini, it comes on a fresh hard roll. The sandwich is pre-made cold with horseradish cheese, mildly hot peppers, and succulent roast beef. If you don't have time to wait 5 minutes for your sandwich to be heated, it is just as delicious cold. The different textures really make the sandwich more than the average roast beef. I also got a peach from the produce section--it was perfectly ripe and ready to eat. To drink I found some nectarine mango juice. My meal wasn't cheap, but it was so delicious it didn't matter.

The other two people with me got completely different stuff. One girl got a chicken pot pie and kiwi lemonade. She decided to eat the pie cold and said the crust was perfect and the filling thick and filling. She had enough leftover for dinner. The third diner got a chicken terriyaki rice bowl with broccoli. The portion size was perfect for lunch and the price was equally good. We surveyed the bakery after lunch but were too full to get anything.

However, I have visited the bakery several times in the past. The s'mores bar is delicious and unusual (because when do you ever have s'mores in bar form?). The dark chocolate box--a small box made entirely of thick chocolate walls and filled with chocolate mousse, is decadent but way too sweet to eat alone or in one sitting. The only food I have ever been disappointed with at Bristol Farms is the sushi. It doesn't have as much flavor as you would expect. If you are looking for quick sushi from a grocery store get it from Whole Foods instead.

There is a lot of seating at the Bristol Farms in Beverly Hills. You pay at the counter or in the front and then can enjoy your food on the patio, or inside at one of the fancy booth seats or the French-cafe style tables right in the middle of the store.

The store can get crowded at peak lunch hours, but the line is never longer than 5 minutes and there is ample parking in the free lot. Plus, you can get your grocery shopping done at the same time.




Bristol Farms
9039 Beverly Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
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