The Griddle Cafe [4] and Schulzie's Bread Pudding, Los Angeles/Santa Monica CA

Time to revive a classic – and steal an intro from myself…”When I travel I make it a point to eat at different places every single time. I scour Zagats, Gayot, Frommers, Chowhound, and Yelp for opinions and eventually glean my list down to a few great choices for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks - I am rarely disappointed, despite never going back to the same place twice. Never, that is, aside from places that are simply too amazing, affordable, or unique to pass up. For me, Hollywood's Griddle Cafe is one of those places. No glitz, no glam - just amazing food in a super casual setting with some of the most down to earth and friendly servers out there....and let’s not forget the great prices, absurd selections, and portions!”

My fourth trip to LA in four years once again brought me to The Griddle during the day of my annual pilgrimage to Staples Center for a Kings game and once again by arriving early we were met with a minimal wait…as a matter of fact, given the crummy weather and early hours this was the first time we arrived at The Griddle Café to find half the restaurant empty – no worries though, by the time we left there was a line. Greeted promptly by our server, a somewhat curt but efficient fellow named Sergio we were given menus and drink orders were taken – water all around, tea for two, and that lovely French Press for mother and I. Browsing the menu while listening to cheesy 80s music overhead I commented that this was the first time I could hear the sounds of the kitchen – again this didn’t last as the place filled up.

Browsing the menu and seeing options both old and new our decisions were easier than usual as we all wanted to try new things. As a new twist, Sergio actually inquired as to whether the persons ordering pancakes wanted one, two, or three – essentially a two dollars off per pancakes short of a full stack. With orders placed service would be swift with coffee and tea being refilled before they were even empty (resulting in two tea pots and two French presses on the large table at once;) busy or half full the service at The Griddle has never been anything less than impressive. Waiting a mere fifteen minutes while chatting and watching Sportscenter it would be no time before our desserts – er, breakfasts – would arrive.

Ordered by my sister and far better than its humble origins would suggest, a stack of two BLUESberry pancakes would arrive fluffy and light, jam packed with fresh blueberries and topped with a puree of blueberry juice and sour cream. Fearing the sour cream would be too tart I was duly impressed by the manner in which the powdered sugar and juice tempered the creamy sour cream and even my sister, a maple syrup fanatic, took it easy with the syrup on this dish allowing its natural flavors to shine.

For my mother, another fruited option – Barry Yellow. Similar in texture to the fluffy yet filling Blueberry option, this selection was loaded with pureed raspberries (complete with seeds) and lemon juice. Topped with merely butter and powdered sugar the buttermilk cakes were slightly more dry than I would have preferred, but with the pockets of jammy raspberry breaking up the dough the key was making sure to get both pancake and raspberry in each bite – then it was quite excellent.

My selection would be a result of my aunt choosing the newest menu option – the “Red Velvet” panCAKE, the dish I’d originally targeted. A single cake, both in title and in texture, this monstrous cake was mildly sweet, bright red, and loaded with subtle cocoa tones. Topped with a thick swirl of cream cheese icing with a slight acidity suggesting a nondescript citrus the cake was quite good, though not as successful as the version at Larchmont Bungalow. Dense and heavy compared to the standard pancakes a single cake was definitely enough for one, or to share.

Having already tried nearly all the pancake options on our multiple trips my selection would once again come from the French Toast section of the menu – this time Crème de la Crème with Griddle Café’s signature egg dipped Griddle Bread subsequently dipped in Graham Cracker crumbs before frying and subsequently loaded with slightly unsettled cheesecake and more graham cracker crumbles. Three thick slices, perfectly custardized inside and golden and buttery on the exterior I found the cheesecake topping particularly pleasant in its mildness. Adding only a drizzle of The Griddle Café’s pure maple syrup was a good, albeit unnecessary, decision as it worked quite nicely with the graham crackers and cream cheese both.

Honestly, there isn’t much more I can say about the Griddle than what has been stated in my previous three visits – the fact that I keep going back, from Ohio, says all you need to know. Obviously I cannot comment on the savories, but if you like sweet breakfasts this is the place for you and will continue to be a place for me on Kings game days (which would clearly be a health hazard if I lived locally.)

Continuing my traditional trajectory on leaving The Griddle it was time for some walking – this time the Hollywood Walk of Fame, then some driving around Beverly Hills, and finally a trip to Venice Beach to stare at the Ocean. Of course given my gluttonous nature the trip wasn’t without a food agenda – I’d heard rumor that there was a Bread Pudding themed restaurant right on the beach – Schulzie’s Bread Pudding – and that they served Blue Bottle Coffee. My favorite dessert style and my favorite coffee producer seemed like a can’t miss.

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Having walked up and down the beach for an hour or so in the only sunny weather of our trip the tiny shop was easy to find – tucked in next to a Middle Eastern place called Sabba and close to an empty Muscle Beach. With no bread pudding in site on arrival I asked the young man what time they started serving and he said “whenever ya like” – little did I know the Bread Pudding was pre-made in a tiny refrigerator. With eight total options including Brilliant Blackberry, Celestial Chocolate Chunk, Luba’s Peach Cobbler, and Biggie’s Figgie Pudding I opted for the Fig and Almond option, served with an ice cream scoop and drizzled with a balsamic sauce along with a drip brew cup of Single Origin African Dark roast. Paying the surprisingly modest tab of $5 I made my way back to the family to share.

While I will note that the coffee was superb – as good as all my previous Blue Bottle experiences had etched in my mind, the bread pudding was rather boring. Perhaps due to the storage, perhaps due to the temperature, perhaps due to the ingredients – everything about it was just sort of bland – without the small chunks of fig and balsamic reduction the bread itself was almost flavorless. Sharing around everyone agreed – homogenous and sub-par, especially from a place claiming it as a specialty. Disappointing for sure I’d perhaps consider a repeat visit for other flavors if I lived locally, but I’d not waste the stomach space or calories as a tourist when Los Angeles has so many wonderful bakeries.

Molly's Cupcakes, Fox and Obel, Chicago IL

Fresh and made with high quality ingredients will get you far in my assessment of your cupcakes – but so will flavor and texture. Sprinkles cupcakes may be made of all organic substances by the hand of Thomas Keller himself (they’re not, in case you were wondering) but that doesn’t make them delicious, worth the line, or worth the price. On the other hand, who can argue that those cheap and entirely low quality hostess cupcakes still make you think “wow, those are pretty damned good?” Those things in mind, during our daily snacking in Chicago my family and I opted to stop into two high end cupcake shops and compare Chi-town to others across the US.

Our first stop admittedly wasn’t just for cupcakes – having been there once before we went into Fox and Obel because A) The parking is free, B) They have a great stock of vinegars (something I can never have enough of,) C) They sell Intelligentsia by the 12oz bag, and D) okay, yeah, the cupcakes. Shopping around and first grabbing coffee, some cheese samples, and a bottle of fig balsamic we next proceeded to the bakery where we bought two cupcakes – one chocolate with chocolate ganache and one red velvet with cream cheese frosting.

Starting with the Red Velvet – and ending with the red velvet. Dry and dense – nearly a biscuit as much as a cupcake – this was bought at 10:00am on a Saturday, I can’t even fathom as the day went on. Mild airs of cocoa and an admittedly mild (Albeit not very ‘cream cheesy’ in texture) frosting were just about the only thing notable in this stale cake. As disappointed as I was I actually only had 1 bite before handing it off to my aunt, another red velvet fan, who also noted it was pretty bad – odd since she enjoyed the F&O Red Velvet Fatboy last time. With the Red Velvet that bad I can honestly say I didn’t even try the Chocolate cupcake, but my mother and sister said it was pretty dry and boring. The intelligentsia coffee was excellent though – so was the free cheese.

Following F&O we made our way North to Molly’s Cupcakes – a small shop on a college campus that reminded me of Dessert Club: Chickalicious in NYC. Utilizing fine ingredients, supporting a good cause, featuring a “sprinkles station,” and allowing you to design your own cupcake in addition to their daily selections seemed like a can’t-miss combo – largely it was. While cupcakes were pricey and the lack of parking was a tad annoying, the customer service was great, the store was kitschy, and the selections were unique – blending the same Intelligentsia I experienced at Alinea that evening (at $3 instead of $8) I regret not getting a cup.

Selecting our cupcakes, 6 in total, only one was consumed right away while the others were eaten throughout the next 24 hours. An overarching theme of all the cakes is the fact that the quality of the ingredients DEFINITLEY shined through – much like Kara’s in SF. Each cupcake had great frosting to cake ratio, the cakes held up well to bite and knife, and the cake itself was moist without drying out despite the delay in eating. The first cupcake tasted was the Cookee Monster – a wonderful vanilla cake filled with raw cookie dough and topped with a mild buttercream frosting and small cookie. I ate it solo and was glad to do so.

The subsequent cupcakes were eaten as a “tasting” of sorts after a post-lunch nap…sort of a pre-Alinea snack, if you will. With each divided into quarters we sampled first the Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting –Easily a top-5 Red Velvet option with a significantly sour cream cheese frosting that really set off the cocoa in the cupcake. While not quite as good as the version at Bouchon, I’d place it on par with the choices at Two Little Red Hens or Grandma Freida’s as second best – the frosting REALLY worked.

Following the Red Velvet was Boston Cream – good texture and flavor but really not all that memorable, lemon-meringue – I demolished this attempting to cut it but found the extremely intense lemon cake very well balanced against the creamy and airy meringue, and Peanut Butter Nutella – excellent but so Peanut Buttery that the Nutella was largely overwhelmed – had I gone into it with different expectations I’d have thought “Damn, that is an AWESOME peanut butter cupcake.” The final cupcake, the Ron Bennington, I actually did not taste as my family finished it while I was at Alinea – but I am told it was good too.

All told I quite liked Molly’s, but found the price to be just a tad excessive. While the cupcakes at Bouchon are similarly priced, they are larger and for about 1/2 the price of Molly’s a place like Grandma Freida’s or Two Little Red Hens serves an equally good if not better cake. If I lived in the area I’d definitely return to try more, though – they are a darned good cupcake.

Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, San Francisco CA

I will fully admit I was curious – how could a farmer’s market garner so much hype? I’ve been to the North Market in Columbus, East Market in Detroit, West Market in Cleveland, the Grove Market in Los Angeles, and any number of small town markets throughout Ohio, Michigan, and the Midwest – I’d also been to the Ferry Plaza on my previous visit to San Franciso and, while impressive I wasn’t “blown away.” Eating breakfast at Canteen and making my way through Chinatown on my way to the Ferry Plaza on a rain-threatening Saturday I first stopped into ABC Café for an Egg Custard since A) I’d never had one and B) The Chinese man at the hotel desk told me they made “really good ones” when I asked. Buttery, crispy, and egg-y with just a hint of sweetness I’d say the 80 cents was well spent, but it isn’t something I’d crave. Continuing my walk and snapping pictures I was yelled at by three women not to take pictures as I was amused by dried sharks fins, fruits I’d never seen, and all sorts of hanging meats – we don’t have this in Ohio, sorry to be such a tourist!

Arriving at the Embarcadero I could already see a difference from my past visit to the Ferry Plaza – about 30 booths on the west side of the street (Arts and Crafts) and 40+ on the East side (yay, food!) Raised by crafty ladies I browsed the Arts and Crafts section, but being so early and the weather being so bad there really wasn’t much to see – some fine Metals, but my sister does better. Making my way across the street the first booth I saw featured all sorts of Organic produce at prices that undersold many/most non-organic sellers in Ohio – I shed a couple tears (or was that rain in my eye?) Sampling some wonderful Jonagolds, Blood Oranges, and Quince I walked along past the outdoor Blue Bottle, Bruins Farms Tomatoes (never seen this many varieties in one place), and found myself in front of Marshall’s Farms Honey – where I proceeded to sample about 15 varieties including a sublime almond and pumpkin honey…the nuance of each was simply mindblowing. One of my biggest regrets of the current airline “charge for luggage” system is that I can’t buy liquids over 2oz without having them confiscated – I’d prefer just order online than buy, pack, and find a place to ship home.

Wandering a bit more I stopped by Hare Hollow where I tried some interesting olive oils and a particularly sublime 7.5% acidity ginger-blackberry and date-fig vinegar that, despite being pricey, will be in my cupboard soon. Next up, making my way North, was Saint Benoit Yogurt with their interesting stone-ware containers and deposit system – if I lived locally their honey yogurt would be replacing Dannon plain on a permanent basis. Browsing some beautiful orchids, eating some more fruits (more quince and some plumellos,)and tasting some interesting chutneys and baba ganoush it suddenly began to pour thus necessitating I duck into the market itself for a bit – just like the other 500ish people.

Warm, moist, and crowded – the inside of the market actually reminded me of a crowded concert venue – wandering along I spotted the new indoor Blue Bottle and thought about stopping…until I saw the 50+ person line and realized the last thing I wanted was something warm to drink.

(Wanting at least 2lbs to take home and needing a Blue Bottle that took credit I later stopped by the awesome Mint Plaza location to see the glorious $20,000 Halogen roaster and was appropriately wowed – and the India Jasmine Estate is the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.)

In my walk to Blue Bottle, however, I did pass in front of Miette and the smiling lady behind the counter actually asked me if I wanted a sample – given their awful service on my last visit I must admit I was shocked. Stepping closer I asked her what I was being handed and she told me a Rose Geranium Macaron. Biting into the crispy exterior and sensing the wonderfully moist and fragrant interior I must admit I was amply pleased – this was a VERY good Macaron. Adequately impressed I decided to give in and make a purchase, buying another Rose Geranium as well as a Pistachio Macaron and a “Classic” Cupcake. While the Pistachio didn’t quite hold up to the superb flowered cookie, it was actually quite good and nearly on par with my favorite Pistachio Macaron ever at Pistachia Vera in Columbus. The cupcake, on the other hand, didn’t fare so well in that while the cake was quite moist and delicious in texture, the frosting was actually quite gummy and bland – as though there was simply too much xanthan or guar gum and too little liquid.

Walking into Boulette’s Larder I was handed a small chocolate chip cookie by a tall man in a chef’s garment and told it was fresh baked – amazing in its texture and featuring (I was told) Sharffen Berger chocolate from the stand just down the way the cookie was still warm and on its own made up for the averageness of the $3.00 cupcake I’d just purchased at Miette. Watching a short cooking demonstration I noted it had stopped raining and made my way out past the incredibly crowded Frog’s Hollow to the back half of the market.

Larger than the front and featuring even more prepared goods (and samples) my first taste occurred at Spring Hill Jersey Cheese where I tasted somewhere between 8 and 10 wonderfully accented artisanal cheeses that escape my mind at this time aside from a truly superb lemon and chive feta – the staff was wonderful and actually encouraged “as much sampling as you like” and I felt bad not buying anything. I next made my way further along where I enjoyed more fruit (never realized there were 3 types of blood orange – let alone 11 varieties of heirloom strawberries,) some Meyer Lemon Marmalade and Black Mission Fig Jam ::drool:: and a myriad of dried fruits at Blossom Bluff.

Making my way along the path past the Gandhi statue and a garden of herbs, mounds of organic meats, and other delectable artisan goods I spied a man eating what appeared to be a fantastic chocolate croissant and drinking some of the liquid hot chocolate from near the back door – asking him where he got the croissant he told me Della Fattoria but “I think they’re sold out.” Pointing me in that direction I made my way to Della and indeed they were sold out of the croissants – what they weren’t sold out of, however, was something far more divine – caramelized brioche bread pudding. Organic, natural sea salts, extra virgin olive oil, pure caramelized organic cow’s milk – sold! Served in a small tart wrapper and still somewhat warm I was handed the treasure just as it once again began to rain – heavily. Nestled under the umbrella I dug in and once again was mesmerized by how such simple ingredients can make something so wonderful. Not overly moist like the bread pudding at Ad Hoc or Jeanty the day before the texture was more donut like (like Keller’s at Bouchon Bakery in Vegas) and absolutely excellent with hints of cinnamon, sweet, and salty all in great balance.

Feeling quite stuffed (and soaked) I made my way back to the indoor area past Prather Ranch and a large rotisserie chicken outfit with a long line standing in the rain. Stopping in Sur La Table I realized there was at least one thing in the Market that we do have in Ohio – similarly priced, too. Entering the market again I watched a young man next to Tsar caviar form perfect crepes for a group of onlookers and walked past another long line of customers waiting for fresh Italian Pastries that had apparently just arrived via bicycle delivery man. Realizing that if I stuck around any longer I’d be incredibly full (and broke) and unable to eat lunch I made my way to the street where I watched a few performers play the drums and a saxophone – quite impressively, I must say. When the rain finally ceased I started my walk towards my hotel only to get caught in yet another storm at which point I opted for the Westfield shopping center for a movie and some digestion time.

All told the market absolutely lives up to its hype in every conceivable manner. What exists at a 9 out of 10 experience on any day of the week literally becomes a 15 out of 10 on Saturday. If I lived in San Francisco I really can’t imagine myself shopping anywhere besides the Farmer’s Market and the Berkeley Bowl for fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and breads. Stunning – and quite honestly, you could eat breakfast and lunch nearly for free if you were so inclined!