Urth Cafe (LV's LA)

The Urth Cafe is one of the most popular casual eateries in Los Angeles. I have known about it for years, but had never tried it. For the past year a friend and I kept making plans to go and we could never sync up our schedules and then serendipitously another friend invited me out for lunch at Urth Cafe and I finally got to see what my other friends were raving about.

I love this place! Now me and my friends are regular fixtures here. Everything is organic and they have the best green tea and Spanish Lattes. This is definitely a hipster joint. Very Los Angeles and a great spot for people watching. One of my favorite locations is the one in the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles. We tend to bounce between this one and the different locations depending on what mood we are in.

The quiche here is absolutely delicious and they also make some pretty yummy pizzas including a breakfast pizza that is pretty tasty. I  love to enjoy it with a honey vanilla latte.

The cilantro pesto chicken sandwich is full of great flavor and comes with a nice side salad of mixed greens in a light balsamic vinaigrette

Doesn't that look delicious?

 Almost everything on the menu is pretty healthy and even a turkey burger gets served with a side salad

 As delicious as the latte's are, this mango smoothie really hits the spot on a hot day. It was cold, refreshing and delicious

Although this is a healthy restaurant, the dessert case will make you want to indulge. There are lots of options including gluten free. I have loved everything I have tried.

Every location gets very crowded and the downtown location seems to be a spot where police officers love to dine. The downtown locations feels a little like New York

I really have a thing for Spanish Lattes and they always hit the spot. If you have never had one, you are truly missing out.

The green tea Tiramisu (matcha) is delicious and a nice change from the traditional version. If you enjoy Tiramisu this is a great dessert to try when you are here. If Tiramisu is not your thing, I promise there is plenty of other treats to satisfy your sugar fix.

This berry tart was scrumptious and the fruit was juicy and sweet, although my favorite part was the filling and the crust. Delicious!

The pastries are always so good with a great cup of coffee or one of their many lattes. Go ahead have anything you want, I promise I won't judge you

It gets crowded very fast, so it is always best to come early when they first open or non peak hours if you want to get a great seat.

Urth Cafe 

451 S. Hewitt Street

Los Angeles, CA

213-797-4534 

8565 Melrose Ave

West Hollywood, CA

310-659-0628

The Penthouse (LV's LA)

 I recently dined at the Penthouse in Santa Monica for a birthday celebration and even though I have been coming here for years, I am always blown away by the scenery. This beautiful rooftop restaurant located in the Huntley Hotel has 360 degree views of the Pacific Ocean from every possible angle. 

The vibe is chic and hip with white on white decor, beach cabanas with flowing white curtains and elegant chandeliers. The beach vibe is relaxing and the setting is gorgeous.  The food offerings are global and tasty and one of my favorites was the truffle grilled cheese and truffle macaroni and cheese. Two great excuses to cheat on your diet.

This is the gorgeous bar area, which has quite a bit of action after 6:00

This gorgeous lounge is perfect for sipping a refreshing libation before you are seated for dinner

We started off with this fried calamari. It looks better than it actually was. But things got much better as the evening progressed. The rest of the tasty tidbits more than made up for this calamari disappointment

 Thyme and Cucumber Amnesia is a signature cocktail at the Penthouse. I was surprised at how delicious this was. The drink has muddled cucumber and Thyme, Aviation Gin, White Cranberry Juice and Lemon. This was a very refreshing drink and tasted like a very grown up lemonade. The hint of cucumber added a great flavor dimension.

The truffle grilled cheese was a delicious appetizer and so  good that I almost wanted to have another one for dinner. Crispy buttery bread with cheese scented with truffle flavor oozing out. Yes Please!

I just can't tell you how good this was

The Penthouse is light bright and full of sunlight. I had to take this shot by the window:-)

These pre dinner watermelon lime agua frescas were compliments of the chef and absolutely sweet and delicious

A delicious Arnold Palmer to have with dinner

There is nothing like celebrating another birthday because each one is a blessing:-)

 Crispy Salmon with Saffron Aioli

Amazing presentation and just as good as it looks

Truffle mac n cheese. We lost our minds when they brought this out

Nothing like mac n cheese. the ultimate comfort food

And this was our view from the dinner table. So Beautiful! I love California:-) And I love anything by the beach:-)

It is just as stunning in person

No matter what part of the restaurant you are in. You will have a gorgeous view

Just when we thought things could not get better out comes the profiteroles, Hot fudge sauce. And the homemade vanilla bean ice cream sandwiched between the profiteroles was perfection. Yum!

And they were even better drenched in fudge

Creme Brulee with a medley of seasonal fruit. Scrumptious!

This gorgeous fireplace really caught my attention

Sun streaming through the windows. I could come here just for the view. 

I love the atmosphere at the Penthouse and I think you will too. They have a great Sunday Brunch and if you just want to take in the view. Have a drink and a snack and enjoy the gorgeous setting:-)

The Penthouse

1111 2nd Street

Santa Monica, CA 90403

310-393-8080

The Griddle Cafe (LV's LA)

If you live in Los Angeles, you might know about the Griddle Cafe. If you don't live in LA, my condolences to you.  Pancakes the size of flying saucers, Cheesecake masquerading as French Toast.  This is no ordinary breakfast experience. The owner is known as the Willy Wonka of breakfast and you will have a breakfast that gives you a high you wont want to come down from. Back in the day, I worked on the Sunset Strip right down the street from the Griddle Cafe and quickly became acquainted with the breakfast spot that must have the sugar plum fairy working in the kitchen.

So griddle me this? Can you imagine a menu with pages of breakfast descriptions that make you swoon, shift in your seat and stare in lustful anticipation? This is straight food porn folks. Food that looks and sounds so sinfully decadent that its almost pornographic. Expect to stare at the menu unable to make an adult decision.

And then you will want to make out with your breakfast in a dark corner

 Yellow Brick Road, Butterscotch pancakes. Stop playin...

Red Velvet pancakes. Say What?

 Addicted to Noisella, Nutella French Toast. (Oh no they didn't)

 Scotch on the Rocks with pecans, coconut and butterscotch... Damn, c'mere

So many choices. French toast that tastes like cheesecake,  oh the creme de la creme. Yes, the dishes have cool stage names names like "Yellow Brick Road" Butterscotch pancakes with walnuts, caramel and streusel and the "Creme de la Creme" graham cracker crusted french toast with cheesecake topping.

When my creme de la creme arrived at our table. I was speechless. French toast coated in a brown sugary graham cracker coating with a generous helping of sweet cheesecake topping. And then there was the Saturday Morning Fever; a huge stack of Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua soaked pancakes with a huge mound of whipped cream and then it was recess time with a stack of cinnamon streusel topped pancakes, which was like having pancakes and coffeecake all in one. S-WEET! This is the stuff of dreams, especially if yours are made of sugar like mine:-)

Saturday Morning Fever: Baileys Irish Cream and Kahlua Pancakes

look at that whipped cream...

Recess Time: Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

If you come here don't even think you will finish your breakfast. You probably shouldn't even try. It will be like man against food and the pancakes will win. They will taunt you on the way out and you will be in the car all day dreaming about them. Ever had a breakfast like that? You need to. Its good for you. Pancakes bigger than your plate. Yes Please!

The nice jolt of caffeine from your personal coffee press is the maple syrup on top:-) when you order coffee, you get a coffee press with some great and very STRONG coffee. Sugar and STRONG coffee. Watch out World!

The best part of waking up is coffee in my cup:-)

Breakfast potatoes and scrambled eggs to balance out the sweet treats. Would y'all believe they were jealous of the pancakes? They felt like they got dressed and layed on the plate for nothing since the pancakes were getting so much attention. And the potatoes got mad that I barely noticed the onion and bell peppers they were wearing, but were cool now.

And then my sweet dream got sweeter when something cold, sweet and citrusy begged for my attention.

The OJ got my full attention and of course there is nothing like freshly squeezed orange juice, strong coffee and the musical sounds of the lip smacking you try to hide, but the pancakes are so good you can't help it. So why try? Come very hungry and expect to waddle back to your car too full for lunch or dinner. In fact, have someone roll you back to your car in a shopping cart.

The atmosphere is loud, crowded and sprinkled with lots of  Hipster and Hollywood types and good ol regular folk ready for a breakfast fix. It is crowded here all the time and if you don't arrive before 9:00 in the morning, expect to wait in a long line. Even during the week this place is packed.

It is always great to come with a small group so that you can stick your fork on more plates.  The seating is cozy, so expect to be in close proximity to your neighbors and most tables seat about four, so if your group is bigger, you may have to go with adjacent tables. But there are a couple of large booths available if you are able to get one. Crowded and loud for sure, but definitely a great breakfast. 

There are so many great treats to try, but one of my absolute favorites is the Recess Time pancakes. Be sure to try them and try the French toast on the secret menu. (you can only order them with the secret password...shhhh)

The Griddle Cafe

7916 Sunset Blvd

Hollywood, CA 90046

Mon-Fri 7am-4pm

Sat and Sun 8am-4pm