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There are very few places I will gladly frequent several times a week, but Sixth and Pine is one I would happily return to on consecutive days (and I have). Sixth and Pine is the new concept cafe inside the Westside Pavillon’s Nordstrom’s department store which features a more complete restaurant experience, including a hostess, wine list, tablecloths, and daily specials.
Every table receives an inventive crudite of pickled vegetables.
The chicken noodle soup includes not only a comfort factor, but a delightfully robust and complex flavor.
The chicken “pot pie” is basically a creamy chicken soup with a rosemary biscuit. I found this less appealing than the chicken soup, but once you broke up the biscuit in the soup and added some salt and pepper, it was a fair version.
The best wedge salad I’ve ever had was here! I’ve actually ordered this at least three times as of this writing and every time it has been spectacular. The quality of the blue cheese, the sweet crunch of the candied pecans, and the perfectly ripe roma tomato wedges, make this a stellar salad. You might want to order extra salad dressing on the side because the portion is so big, you will probably want more. The picture is a HALF order, which came as a “side” to our entree!
On the regular menu the roast chicken is the ultimate comfort dish. This version had tender moist meat and crispy skin, seasoned with only salt and pepper; simplicity at its best! The grilled vegetables were perfectly done, and the portion was so big my friend only ate half and took the rest to go.
One of the daily specials is the flank steak, served with fries, a cilantro chimichurri sauce and horseradish sauce. We ordered it rare, and it came that way (always a plus for a piece of meat this thin). The fries were perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Both sauces were complimentary to the meat and the meat was good enough to be eaten without any need for either sauce.
The fish and chips was less of a success, with a fairly thick batter and fish that smelled slightly “fishy”.
The braised short rib daily special was a good effort, with marvelous jus and perfectly fried onion rings, but the meat was not as tender as it could have been. The sauteed spinach side, mashed potatoes, and the roasted carrots were all decent, but nothing stood out as exceptional.
The chocolate chip cookie sundae was as good as it looks. The cookie was tender and freshly made, the ice cream was a quality brand, and the whipped cream was fresh.
Wines from France, Argentina, and CA are all offered ranging from $7-$14 per glass and all the entrees range from $10-$16, so this is truly a quality find for the price. Everyone on the staff is professional and has a great attitude.
What more could you wish for except perhaps a bigger stomach so you could fit in more menu choices 
I love good bread, it’s my comfort food and finding a place in Los Angeles that serves good bread is the equivalent of finding a treasure buried in my backyard. A place which uses good bread to make good sandwiches is as rare as finding gold coins in a backyard treasure.
The venerable Bay Cities, in Santa Monica, has lines around the block because they bake their bread daily and make their sandwiches with fresh ingredients. For those who want something a bit more sophisticated inland, Ink Sack is your go to destination. For anyone who doesn’t know who Michael Voltaggio is, think of dining at Charlie Palmer’s or Jose Andreas’ Bazaar, both places where Voltaggio showcased his talents. Ink Sack is the casual affordable lunchtime spot for those who have limited time and or limited budgets, but who still have voracious appetites for impeccable food.
Nothing on the menu is over $6, and while the sandwiches are not monstrous mile high mounds of meat, they are filling and flavorful. One is enough for most people, but if you are starving, you might want to indulge and get two.
Everyone gets a black lunch bag with your name written on it with your sandwich tucked inside.
I ordered the “Reuben”, with Corned Beef Tongue, Appenzeller Cheese, Kraut, Russian Dressing for $5. This was my favorite of all the sandwiches I tried.
The ratio of meat to Kraut, cheese and dressing was perfect. The quality of all the ingredients from the bread to the kraut was outstanding. It was deli the way I always wished it could be in every deli.
I had to try the Banh Mi, made with Pork Butt, Pork Belly, Chicharrónes, Pickled Vegetables for $5. It was a beautiful presentation.
Each bite gave me a taste of the crunchy fried Chicharrónes with the fatty pork belly and the fresh vegetables which became addictive. If you have never tried Banh Mi, this sandwich will set the paradigm for future sandwiches.
The first item which caught my eye on the menu was the Cold Fried Chicken, with House Made Ranch Cheese, Gindo’s Spice of Life for $4. This was probably my least favorite sandwich.
Although the flavors were all good, the ratio of cold fried chicken to bread was too heavy on the bread side and I found the lettuce and dressing bland and boring after tasting the Reuben and the Banh Mi.
While waiting for my sandwiches, I ordered a Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookie for $2 and thought the crystals I saw on the top of the cookie were sugar. Once I unwrapped and tasted this treat, I realized they were SALT crystals and they added a wonderful counterpoint to the sweet chocolate!
If you are in West Hollywood or want a wonderful quick bite, get your name written on an Ink Sack filled with some of the best sandwiches Los Angeles has to offer. There are only a few stand up tables in this tiny place, but West Hollywood Park is only a few block away, and what could be better than spending your lunch time in a green space with a black bag full of delectable goodies?
The time between 2-5pm is usually when when restaurant employees eat or when the lunch shift goes home, but before the dinner shift begins, so finding a good place to eat during these hours can be a challenge.
Thankfully, Cube Cafe is open all day and serves up a varied menu from small bites to full plates until 11:30pm. I met some friends for a 3:30pm meal and was surprised to find the restaurant was half full in the middle of the afternoon! I guess we weren’t the only ones who eat at “odd” times.
Still or sparkling triple filtered water is offered gratis to all tables, and it tasted as clean and fresh as any bottled water. They offer teas, coffees, and wines, and house made limonata and aranciata (lemon and orange sparkling sodas). We were offered a taster plate to start with Nicasio cheese and candied pecans that was an unusual combination of pungent cheese with sweet crunch that worked perfectly together.
I chose the Charred Baby Romaine with olive oil croutons, shaved red cow parmesan, cherry tomatoes, anchovy vinaigrette for $10 that had enough anchovy to make me happy. This was a nice light bite for anyone who wants something green and fresh with some flavor.
I also had the Braised Baby Octopus, served with charred radicchio, cipollini onion marmelata for $8. I loved the accompaniments and the baby octopus was tender, my only note would be that some of the octopus was not as tender as other pieces, but overall the flavors were well balanced.
Kerry ordered the Margherita pizza and was shocked that it was so big (about 18″ x 12″). Made with buffalo mozzarella, basil for $13, this passed Kerry’s pizza taste test (she is a Margherita expert) and she loved the thin crust.
Marian chose the Italian tuna paninni with basil pesto, market tomato, and an argula salad as her included side for $12. She was thrilled with the basil pesto accent to the rich tuna,
Brendan chose the Piedmontese burger for $15 with blue cheese, charred shallots, heirloom tomato, arugula. He is a burger aficionado, so his thumbs up was a good sign. He became addicted to the home made ketchup and was dipping every scrap he could into it (including bits of Kerry’s pizza crust).
Finding a good place that is open all afternoon and late into the night is more difficult than it may seem here in Los Angeles, but finding Cube Cafe proves that there are food treasures if you look for them.
I drove past La Petite Creperie last week and made a mental note to try it because it looked like a place run by people who cared about food and their clientele. I was thrilled to discover that not only were my initial instincts correct, but their fare is also as authentically French as Benoit, the host.
This small cafe is welcoming and comfortable, but they also pay attention to small details like using Le Creuset containers on the tables for their sugar, and Laguiole knives in their place settings. These kind of French touches make me swoon because like any love affair, it is the authentic attention that counts the most.
One day I stopped in for lunch and chose the Confit de Canard salad made with baby spinach and walnut vinaigrette for $14. I was delighted to find a crispy skin on the confit leg of duck, while the meat was tender and succulent. The salad was lightly dressed and a perfect counter point to the rich meat. Even though I was full after eating about half, I could not stop working my way through the salad until I had nothing left on the plate but the bones.
When Benoit showed me the dinner menu I knew I had to come back to taste more dishes (especially since I had not yet tasted a crepe). Somehow I worked it out to come back the same day for dinner with Mika. She wanted the Pork Belly as soon as she heard it was on the menu, so we decided to split it as our appetizer; it was splendidly presented with house pickled baby carrots. The pork belly was crispy and decadent with melting layers of fat that made bites of the meat juicy; if you have never tried pork belly, try it here.
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I chose the house smoked trout salad special and reveled in the smokiness of the fish. The trout perfumed my mouth with an earthy taste that lingered after my meal and the house cured pickled carrots were perfect acidic notes in this appetizer.
The special entree of the night was the swordfish, which Benoit was eating for dinner, so the best recommendation is when the special of the night is the host’s dinner. It was done with a light hand so it was juicy and not overcooked. The fiddle head ferns, shittake mushrooms, and peas added a nice contrast to the fish and everything tasted as fresh as the plate looks.
Mika is a tea drinker, so even though I had my organic coffee in a French Press, she also got her organic tea in a press and thoroughly enjoyed every cup.
We somehow made room for a crepe (after TWO meals here on the same day, I HAD to try at least one crepe at a Creperie), so I chose the Crepe au Citron (lemon) for $6.25 as a dessert to split. It was the best crepe I have eaten in Los Angeles! Beware the decorative slices of lemon on the top if you are not a lemon eater:-)
Being a wonderful host, Benoit gave us a Creme Caramel for dessert ($6.25) on the house and it was so good that *somehow* we managed to eat it all.
La Petite Creperie is open for breakfast/brunch & lunch everyday except Monday & Tuesday and they are open for dinner Thursday-Saturday, so find some time to take a trip to
Mar Vista for a marvelous meal. They announce their specials on their facebook page, so follow them if you want to check out their menu before you go. Bon Appetit!
I love introducing my old friends to new places; it’s like watching kids discover a new toy hidden in their closet. Even though Cindy only lives about one hour away, coming to “The Big City” offers possibilities her bedroom community does not, and some of my neighborhood favorites, like Huckleberry Cafe, are exotic tantalizing experiences for her. Since she is a pescatarian (eats fish, but no other animal), a place which offers vegetarian choices automatically gains a spot on my list of places to take her.
Being an omnivore, my choice was the asparagus salad, made with arugula, Jidori chicken, fried prosciutto, roasted red peppers, feta, red wine vinaigrette, and of course asparagus for $12 (normally farro is also included but they were out). This was an incredibly luscious combination of crunchy prosciutto, tender greens, and juicy Jidori chicken. The light dressing enhanced the salad without overpowering it, and the tender asparagus was perfectly cooked. I would order this salad any day as a hearty meal.
Cindy chose a trio of salads for $12 from the deli, with brussel sprouts, squash, and the best quinoa salad she has ever eaten (her words) made with pistachios.
She adored the soft slice of bread that came with her salad so much she took it home.
She also ordered a cup of the pureed vegetable soup for $4 which was a symphony of fresh goodness in a cup.
I had to order a doughnut ($2.50) since Huckleberry makes my favorite fluffy yeast doughnut (but I did share it with Cindy).
I would have ordered some of the best beef brisket I have ever eaten to go, but we were going shopping and I wasn’t sure it was cold enough to leave it in the car for several hours. Oh well, that just means I have to come back (again)!
>I miss France and whenever I am not there I look for places that remind me of France, especially the food. Since I brought back some macarons from Paul (a French Bakery) for a friend here in Los Angeles, he suggested I try the macarons at La Provence in Brentwood to contrast and compare the authentic ones from the Brentwood version. The motto of the cafe is “local, fresh, and organic” so if you care about where your food is sourced, this place will put you at ease.
This cute bakery/cafe has a beautiful display showcasing their macarons and pastries as you enter, and it is a very casual place where you order at the counter and they deliver the food to you, so it’s perfect for a quick lunch (they also serve dinner).
We decided to make a lunch of it with two other friends on a warm day when sitting out on the patio in March was not only pleasant, but preferable to sitting indoors. Shelly chose the Turkey Club Sandwich, served with a side of fries or salad for $10.95, and she enjoyed the oven roasted turkey, baked bacon, avocado, tomato, muenster cheese and mayo on fresh french bread.
Both Wendy & Jessie ordered panninis, made with avocado, mozzarella, tomato, arugula, and aioli pesto for $10.50; they both were cafe habitués and this was one of their favorites.
I chose the Nicoise Salad with Ahi, made with green beans, tomatoes, hard boiled egg, and kalamata olives served on a bed of greens in a mustard vinaigrette for $14.95; it was a decent version, with medium rare ahi and a nice balance of classic ingredients. I would probably order one of the sandwiches or specials next time, but I wanted to try my standard for lunch and see how they fared (passing).
We came for dessert, and particularly the macarons, so I got their chocolate ganache cupcake and a chocolate macaron to go. The macaron was a good version of the classic French ones, but I found them a bit too big and sweet for my taste, however most Americans would probably love them. I also found the flavors a bit artificial and the coloring a bit bright, so although they are fresh and delicate, they fell short of my requirements for excellent macarons. My friends all loved them, so I must note that I am simply pickier than most when it comes to a product I know from its place of origin.
On the other hand, the chocolate cupcake was THE BEST I have EVER had! I would come back to eat the cupcake alone! It had the perfect balance of frosting to cake, a wonderful texture with just enough moisture and crumb, and just enough sweetness to make you want to eat the entire thing (and not get a toothache). I can not rave about this cupcake enough, so you will just have to go and taste one for yourself. If you don’t like deep chocolate nirvana, there are other choices, like a red velvet and a salted caramel.
La Provence is a full fledged bakery, making full sized cakes (think a party version of the chocolate ganache cupcake), so if you fancy a white chocolate strawberry shortcake, or a hazelnut mousse cake, or a lemon caramel meringue brulee cake for a party (or dinner), order one and delight your senses.
With decent food, a varied menu, reasonable prices, and a nice atmosphere, La Provence may not be the South of France, but it is a nice place to stop by for lunch or dessert in Brentwood (or Beverly Hills) until you can get to Provence, France.
>The best advertising a restaurant can have is a line of potential patrons waiting for a table. I first noticed Porta Via while walking around Beverly Hills because it has a very inviting sidewalk patio and there was a line of diners waiting for a seat.
When Cindy came to town for lunch, we decided to try it even though we waited for nearly 20 minutes for a table at 1:30pm. I would suggest reserving a table if you want to eat during the height of lunch or dinner rush times to avoid a wait.
The hostess and waitress were both very friendly and professional, a refreshing way to be welcomed in attitude-centric Beverly Hills. The hostess even took our drink order and had it delivered before we could decide what we wanted to eat!
I chose one of the daily specials, a seared sesame encrusted tuna salad, with avocado, daikon sprouts, shaved red onions, pickled ginger, and green beans in a ponzu vinaigrette that was so delicious I literally cleaned my plate of the last sprout. If this is ever offered as a special, order it!
Cindy ordered a half sandwich and half salad combo with a Tuna Sandwich made with white albacore tuna, homemade lemon mayonnaise, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, on honey wheat bread. For her salad she chose the chopped version, made with organic beets, organic chopped lettuces, green beans, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, shaved parmigiano champagne shallot vinaigrette. She adored her salad, but not the tuna sandwich as much. I tasted the tuna and found it fine, but Cindy found it a bit boring.
Using fresh organic produce and quality free range products, this is a great choice for anyone concerned with pure ingredients in their food. The biggest reason to come here is the tasty food and the range of options, for vegetarians and carnivores alike (even the daily special soup always has a nondairy version). With warm service and very reasonable prices (we paid $46 for both meals, including one non alcoholic drink, tax and a 20% tip).
Porta Via will become a regular stop whenever we are hungry in Beverly Hills.
It was a cold and gray day in LA (hey that rhymes!) when my friend Mika & I got together for our meal at the Little Next Door. Even with the outdoor heaters we opted to sit inside rather than on the patio because it seems some restaurants still have areas that are deemed “smoking”. It seems like an upside down world to me that a French influenced restaurant in Los Angeles has more smokers on the patio than cafes in Paris.
Since it was so cold (here in Los Angeles that means 50 F), Mika ordered a hot tea and received this unusual Tea Forte silken tea bag in the shape of a pyramid. The flavor was White Ambrosia, and Mika liked it so much she had refills.
I chose the grilled calamari salad, made with roasted bell pepper, shaved fennel, spinach, lemon-caper dressing for $15. This is now tied with the grilled calamari salad at Toscanova as my favorite. The calamari was tender and the young spinach held up well to the slightly tart lemon caper dressing.
Mika wanted meat, so she ordered the Hambourgeois, made with top sirloin ground beef burger with onion confit, harissa mayo and pommes frites $15. She requested it medium rare with Gruyere and reported that it was juicy and cooked exactly as she had requested. She especially loved the harissa mayo which added a spicy creamy topping to the fresh bun.
Somehow we found room to split the coconut cheese cake $6 topped with fresh berries. It was too thick for Mika’s taste, but I loved it and we both agreed the taste was sensational.
Since Mika had never had a French macaron, I recommended that she try the pistachio $1.75 since it would compliment the cheesecake. She finished it in (literally) two bites; I think I may have introduced her to a new addiction…
Although service was wonderfully friendly and efficient during our meal, the hostess could use some more training with customer service because she was obviously very annoyed to change our seat from the patio to indoors even though there were many open tables in both areas. Fortunately the warmth of our waiter made up for that bad first impression and we left with smiles in our stomachs and on our faces.
My friend Mika saw the cover of this month’s issue of Los Angeles magazine and said, “We HAVE to go get this hot fudge hazelnut torte dessert at Forage!” So we made the trek out to Silverlake, after all, who am I to deny anyone their dessert?
There is a small parking lot behind the restaurant, but we found easy street parking and grabbed the daily menu. I immediately zeroed in on the marinated flank steak and the couscous with peppers, onions, and chickpeas in a sherry vinaigrette. The baby broccoli, sauteed with garlic and onions also looked too good to pass up, so I ordered the combo plate of one protein and two sides for $14.
The flank steak was too well done for me, and even though it was marinated, it was not very tender or flavorful. I literally bent my fork while trying to cut it with the knife. I loved the couscous; it was fluffy, tender, and tasty. The baby broccoli was fresh, lightly cooked, and a good accompaniment to any protein.
Mika tried to order the hot fudge hazelnut torte, but they said they stopped making that particular dessert, so she settled for the banana bread with cream cheese frosting and as her main meal she ordered the Pork Belly Sandwich for $10.25. the Pork Belly Sandwich came on a lightly toasted baguette, with pure pork belly, cabbage, tomato, jalapeno and aioli. It was definitely the hit of our meal. The bread was tender and crunchy, the pork had a perfect meat to fat ratio, and the fresh tomato with crunchy slaw added a perfect counterpoint to the rich pork.
Since we were in Silverlake, we walked around a bit to some of the very eclectic shops, like Pull my Daisy, which carries locally made clothing and accessories; I loved the sweater with a removable scarf and Mika loved the funny painted blocks of celebrities like Martha Stewart in a Darth Vader helmet. Since Mika is a comic book geek, we also stopped by the Secret Headquarters.
After walking off some of our lunch in the unseasonable cold, we decided to stop in Intelligentsia for something hot to drink. Since I had not eaten my dessert, I had a buttery croissant; it was a bit dense and rich for my taste, but a good accompaniment to any strong coffee or tea.
Mika had a hot chocolate and I had a latte, which both come to us in beautiful porcelain cups with designs like this:
Intelligentsia is in gorgeous space with floor to ceiling windows and plenty of chairs, tables and stools for the never-ending streams of customers; even though there is nearly always a line, it moves quickly. Considering how rich and delicious their coffee is, it would only be the intelligent thing to come here after Forage for your caffeine fix (they serve tea as well).
A day in Silverlake having lunch and shopping with a friend is the best antidote to holiday hoopla hangovers.
L’Epicerie recently opened only a block away from the Culver Plaza Theater, so I went in for lunch. There are a few shelves of culinary goodies in the center of the space, along with a long communal table/bar area that would be very cozy for drinks.
The cafe and take out section is to the right and the restaurant section is the to left as you enter, but since I didn’t know the system, I walked up to the cafe section and placed my order for a grilled vegetable crepe. They handed me a number and told me the seating area was only the small space to the right of the door. If I had known, I would have sat in the restaurant section (which also has a larger menu) for table service.
The grilled vegetable crepe ($10.50)came with a small side of arugula lightly dressed in a vinaigrette.
The inside of the crepe was stuffed with grilled red and yellow peppers, onions, tomatoes, and various earthly mushrooms, including shittakes. I was pleasantly surprised by the filling, which had a nice ratatouille flavor, but I was less impressed with the crepe itself. The crepe was bland and a bit too thin and soft to provide anything other act as a tissue paper holder for the aromatic medley interior.
Since I was off to see a movie, I had no time for coffee or dessert, but perhaps that would be a better food experience here. The breakfast choices of steel cut oatmeal and morning pastries also looked enticing. They do serve wine, so for anyone working in the area (Sony is across the street), this would be a good place to come after work for their 4-6pm Happy Hour.
