Restaurant Review #57: Coffeecana, Koreatown

Had someone else not pointed me to this place, I doubt I ever would have visited it, but this is the third strip mall gem I have found in the last month so I should probably get over my strip mall prejudice.

Coffeecana, located on the second floor of strip mall on Wilshire in Koreatown, serves both the usual lattes and cappucinos as well as boba, shaved ice (bingsu), and other exotic treats (which are not-so-exotic if you're Korean). The menu was quite extensive.

Additionally, the place was pretty quiet and had nice tables and chairs, which made it a good place for my book club meeting. On a Sunday afternoon, we were the only ones there. I've only been once, so I can't speak about the overall popularity of the place.

I had a shaved ice with red beans and fruit (served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and a cherry). It was $6 and it was huge--more than I could eat. The shaved ice was very tasty and I enjoyed the treat overall, although I would have preferred that all the fruit be fresh (the banana was fresh, of course, but the pineapple was from a can).

Coffeecana
3959 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 389-2838

Restaurant Review #56: Abbot's Habit, Venice

I love Abbot's! I particularly like their blended mochas and bagels. They also serve baked goodies and sandwiches. Abbot's was a favorite lunch spot of a place I used to work.

The place is extremely casual and very Venice. If you want to get an immediate feel for this part of town, Abbot's is a great place to check out. It's not pretentious at all, and even during business hours is not populated by business types (but of course it's not, this is Venice), but rather by people who look like they're either coming from or going to the beach.

One of the many joys of this not being a corporate coffee shop is that your food may be a bit different each time you order it. The employees tend to do quirky things like make double or triple decker peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I like a place that doesn't roboticize its workers.

Sometimes the service is a bit slow, but not slow enough to stop me from visiting.

Cons: People sit outside with their dogs and take up the whole sidewalk. This is mainly a con because I am afraid of dogs. If you have a dog or like them, this would be a pro. Even though I don't like dogs, I like that the place is laid-back and allows them (inside I'm not sure about).

Abbot's Habit
1401 Abbot Kinney Blvd (at California)
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 399-1171

Restaurant Review #51: Anastasia's Asylum, Santa Monica (now closed)

Poached pear, candied walnut and gorgonzola cheese with dried cranberries

Disclaimer: In the summer of 2006, Anastasia's Asylum became Living Room. Living Room then closed. The original review remains below.

Anastasia's is my other favorite coffee shop (in addition to Literati--they have very distinct personalities). It's date-worthy and very cozy, almost to the point of being cramped (but not quite). The downstairs walls are painted bright cadmium orange and covered with a rotating display of student artwork. The wooden tables are mostly small tables for two, but there is an old (and uncomfy) Victorian couch near the door, and tables can always be pushed together. The somewhat undiscovered upstairs is cozy and has a green and purple vibe, but nightly performers work from the balcony and make it an inconvenient place to sit during those times. I enjoy the performers, but they make it difficult to talk. The small size of the shop offers no quiet corners during shows.

They offer brunch on the weekend, and Sundays seem to be particularly crowded. The coffee is good enough, though not great--they seem to do better on Italian sodas and fruit drinks. They also offer a wide selection of healthy meals, such as hummus or chicken wraps, both of which were quite good. The menu is definitely vegetarian friendly: most of the dishes are vegetarian, and there is a whole list of veggie burgers. The ingredients are fresh and above-average in quality. The service in the past tended to be grumpy, but on my last couple of visits they have been friendly and patient and my food and drinks have been brought to my table promptly. A couple of outdoor tables accomodate smokers, but these are along Wilshire and next to Temple Bar, making them not convenient for conversation.

As far as my thoughts on the salad, above, the pear was a little hard in the middle, and there was only one poached pear half in the entire salad, which was a little misleading I thought since pears were emphasized in the salad's title. The cheese was very good--much creamier and less tangy than all the other blue cheese I've ever eaten. The dried cranberries were the kind that actually look like halved cranberries (but I guess Ocean Spray does call them craisins, after all). I didn't like the walnuts much--several were burnt, and they tasted like cereal. I don't like walnuts or cereal, though I have enjoyed the occasional candied walnut, such as the ones at Warszawa, so I thought there was hope. The salad was a bit awkward to eat, since the spring mix they used contained some unwieldy and in my opinion inedible parts. It came with a balsamic vinagrette dressing. I honestly can't tell you if the dressing was good because I don't like balsamic vinagrette. All I can tell you is that it didn't convert me.

Anastasia's is open until 2 or 3am daily.

Anastasia's Asylum
1028 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA
310-394-7113

Other Area Coffee Shop Reviews:
Cacao
Literati Cafe
Unurban
18th Street Coffee House
The Talking Stick

Restaurant Review #50: 18th Street Coffee House, Santa Monica

This casual, spacious coffee house has both indoor and outdoor seating. It is neither corporately friendly nor independently hostile. The floors are cement, and the wrought-iron tables have mosaic tops. There are also booths and a fountain. I haven't properly experienced this place yet: I ordered an iced decaf (boring) and went on a Wednesday at 6pm (not a time likely to have many patrons). It was pretty empty. The music was a bit loud, and the bathroom was spacious. If I were to take a date to a coffee house, I would not pick this one as it's not cozy or romantic in any way. I believe they had some meal food in addition to coffee and dessert. If I visit again, I'll give you a more in-depth review.


18th Street Coffee House
1725 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-264-0662

Other Area Coffee Shop Reviews:
Cacao
Literati Cafe
Unurban
Anastasia's Asylum
The Talking Stick

Restaurant Review #44: The Talking Stick, Santa Monica

The Talking Stick is an independent coffee shop on Ocean Park that hosts a different event every night of the week. I hate that about most of the coffee shops around here. What if I want to talk, or read, in relative quiet after work? I'm SOL. Literati Cafe is blissfully event-free, but it's not usually quiet and it's too big and shiny to have that authentic coffee shop feel. Cacao is also eventless, but there you might have to deal with hostile, black-garbed smoker types.

One of my friends is a die-hard knitter (and awfully good at it, too) so I went with her to the Talking Stick one night to check out her Stitch 'n' Bitch group. The Talking Stick has a cool pillow room where you can sit on the floor and surround yourself with a mishmash of pillows. Very cozy, if you don't mind that many a person has been there before you.

Pre-event, The Talking Stick was blissfully quiet, except for the buzz of the lights hanging from the installed ceiling. I ordered a Greek salad, which was quite good. It used regular black olives, not kalamata olives. I emailed them about it later, and the guy who responded said he'd never heard of them, but he'd keep it in mind. So if you see kalamata olives there, that was me!

No matter who is working, they're always incredibly friendly, which is so much better than the pervasive rudeness and indifference that we so commonly deal with in LA.

I also had a blended mocha, which I really enjoyed. It had a strong coffee flavor and wasn't overly sweet like the drinks at major coffee chains. Actually, I didn't even realize how insanely sweet those drinks are until I had this one. The latte couldn't stand up to a Seattle latte, though--too much air in the foam and not enough oomph in the brew.

Once the knitters arrived, well, 20 women gabbing predictably raised the volume quite a bit. Had I not been a part of the group, I probably would have been pretty annoyed.

Overall, I adore The Talking Stick. Its friendly employees, quiet atmosphere, and cozy decor transport me out of the chaotic superficiality of LA and into a world where I actually feel at ease. I would go before 7:00 PM though to enjoy the quiet. They also have free WiFi.

The Talking Stick
1630 Ocean Park Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90405
310-450-6052
Talking Stick Website

Other Area Coffee Shop Reviews:
Cacao
Literati Cafe
Unurban
18th Street Coffee House
Anastasia's Asylum

Restaurant Review #40: Unurban, Santa Monica

A true coffeeshop lover's coffee shop, Unurban, located on Pico slightly west of Centinela, offers the funky atmosphere and surly, quirky servers you've been missing on all those trips to the Coffee Bean.

From the outside, Unurban looks tiny and perhaps intimidating. Why was I intimidated by this place? Maybe it was the punk rocker types I saw hanging around--I know how painfully wholesome I look. Maybe it was the neon purple and neon green sign growing in the window. Maybe I suspected that my natural good nature would clash with the natural surliness of the baristas. I am really more of a Literati Cafe type.

Maybe all of these things were true, but it didn't prevent me from enjoying the 3 hours I spent there. Musicians frequently perform here, and last Saturday night was no exception, but the shop is large enough that you can sit in the back room, away from the music, and have a conversation in a normal tone of voice while enjoying some live guitar.

During my visit, I had a lemonade--it was pink, and no more exciting than MinuteMaid; water--tap, room temperature, served in a very unappetizing plastic glass that seemed to say, "screw you for ordering water"--I couldn't bear to drink out of it, and wasn't sure what the source of such hostile water was since my friend and I spent at least $20; two Italian sodas, both vanilla, both quite good--and they let you add the cream yourself (it was from TJ's, but if I were in charge, it would be Horizon, which tastes significantly better than any other brand); and an avocado melt, which was damn tasty. It took them forever to make that sandwich, but the wait was worth it. It was huge, perfectly toasted, and very warm. I had my choice between sourdough and honey wheat, and in between the bread was avocado, cheese, red onion, and quality tomatoes. My sandwich was served with round yellow corn chips, which I suspect were also from Trader Joe's (across the street), which I did not eat because I was too full and I need salsa with my corn chips.

The decor is fantastic. Their seating ranges from several rows of old movie theater seats, to kitchen tables salvaged from the seventies, to furry animal print things. I have never seen so many places to sit in a coffee shop. Of course, the movie theatre seats probably had a lot to do with that. I spent my time in the back room, where I could see into the kitchen/employee area from the back. The current art display was abstract flower photography, which a surprising number of patrons were actually making their way around the room to look at (I wasn't terribly impressed though, and I have a decent eye for art). Unurban also had a couple of tall bookcases full of books. In the ordering area, they sell incense and miscellaneous other stuff--something I'd never seen before at a coffee shop.

I did not actually have any coffee, so I can't comment on that. I can guess that the surly coffee boy might give me a look though, since I'm a decaf-only gal, and Unurban's slogan is "Death Before Decaf." For me, it's more like Death Without Decaf. Maybe next time I'll try the coffee. Yes--there will be a next time.

Unurban

(310) 315-0056 3301 Pico Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90405

http://www.unurban.com/index.php

Other Area Coffee Shop Reviews:
Cacao
Literati Cafe
Anastasia's Asylum (coming eventually)
18th Street Coffeehouse (coming eventually)
The Talking Stick (coming eventually)

Restaurant Review #34Literati Cafe, Santa Monica

Large decaf cappucino-my favorite

Located in that hazy is-it-Santa-Monica-is-it-Brentwood-is-it-West-LA strip of Wilshire, Literati Cafe serves coffee, beer, wine, and standard cafe fare, including breakfast, to quite a few patrons. The coffee is quite good, though it would never stand up to any random coffee shop in Seattle or Portland.

At first I avoided the place because it seemed, from the outside, potentially sterile (I think I based this on the nice sign and valet parking). Once inside, it really didn't strike me that way at all, especially because of the attractive wooden tables.

On my first visit, I went on Sunday night around 8, and it was quite busy, though not noisy. I had a difficult time finding a table where I could carry on a private conversation and not disturb someone who was studying--essentially everyone there was studying, reading, and alone, and the tables are excessively close together. I found what I thought was the one table that fit my bill, but learned that the bench where people sit to wait for their to-go orders backed right up to my table, such that everyone who sat there got to hear me talking about. . . well, I tended to change my conversation to a false topic every time someone sat down. Something like, so, I am thinking of moving to New Zealand, what do you think? One person actually turned around to chime in! Had he been less agreeable-seeming, I probably would have had to give him a swift kick in the pants. I will give him credit though--the excessively honest part of me appreciates someone who won't bother to deny that they are eavesdropping on me (not that he had much choice).

On my second visit, a Saturday night around 10, the place was less crowded, almost everyone was there to socialize, and many tables were pushed together, which took away the claustrophobic feeling. I also realized that they have a fireplace, which I happy parked myself next to.

On other visits, the place has been packed with talkative folks. I guess that explains the "we may ask you to share your table if it's busy" and "please limit your stay to 45 minutes" signs on the table. But that's silly! I'm not leaving! Basically, Literati varies from jam-packed to rather peaceful. It's never less than a third full.


Turkey melt

I've had their turkey brie avocado melt, which comes on focaccia with a side of your choice of salad and is pretty filling and a good deal at $8. The sandwich was quite tasty and was also good the next day, but it could have used a slice of tomato. I was very impressed with the menu selection, and even more impressed by the inclusion of beer and wine on the menu, which is rare at a coffee shop. I suppose it helps that a full restaurant, Literati II, is next door.

I also really enjoyed the chocolate cake I had. It did not taste like display case, in spite of being stored in one. Wow! They have a wide selection of interesting desserts. It is always hard to pick just one (or to pass them up altogether). It would be hard to pick just three!


Grilled veggie sandwich

I've also had the grilled veggie sandwich, which comes with grilled peppers, tangy grilled eggplant, tomato, and peso sauce. It was tasty, and the roll it was served on was flavorful and easy to fit into my mouth. It was still a messy sandwich though because grilled vegetables tend to be squirmy. Some cheese would have been nice, both for flavor and to hold things together.


Caesar salad

Sandwiches some with a side of your choice of salad or fruit salad, and the caesar is excellent. I'm convinced that Literati is a place where you can order anything and have it be good.


Fruit salad

So is this a good coffee shop for socializing? Well, it depends. Literati is a step in the right direction, since it seems like most independent coffee shops in the area insist on having some sort of live event every single evening of the week, which prevents coffee-shop-style socializing (if I want noise, I'll go to a bar, thanks). Unfortunately, Literati has a TV. I really think that TVs belong in sports bars, your house, the gym, and Circuit City. The end. The TV isn't too distracting though, as it's not a focal point.

I'll be back. In fact, I already have been, many times. Literati is not perfect (where are the armchairs?), but it's my favorite coffee shop for now.


Chicken pesto sandwich


Literati Cafe

12081 Wilshire Blvd.
Brentwood, California
(310) 231-7484
http://www.literaticafe.com/

Other Area Coffee Shop Reviews:
Cacao
The Talking Stick
Unurban
18th Street Coffee House
Anastasia's Asylum

Restaurant Review #17: Gaam--Coffee in Koreatown

If you can find this place, you're bound to love it. It's located on the second story of a plaza in Koreatown. You can't tell from the street that it's a plaza, but go around back and you'll discover that it's quite nice and full of other places to visit.

Gaam is the largest coffee shop I have ever been in--it used to be a billiard hall, I hear. The comfortable old Victorian-style furniture, arranged so that you feel like you're sitting in someone's living room, lends a homey atmosphere, although it does mean you are sitting further from your companions than usual. There is a lot (a lot) of open space in this establishment, but filing it with more tables would make it look either emptier or restaurant-like, which would detract from the atmosphere. The window coverings are definitely home-made, but I find that rather charming.

The menu is extensive and has interesting Asian drinks that you can't find at ordinary coffee shops. There is also a nice outdoor patio where the chairs are surprisingly comfortable chairs and umbrellas shade your eyes. The huge private bathrooms are elegant and have couches, plus signs warning you to not flush your toilet paper.

Gaam also sells old used cameras.

My only complaint is that I ordered a decaf coffee and got one refill and my tab was $6, which is awfully pricey. The other people I was with ordered lattes and cappucinos, which were also $6. I can't remember if these prices were listed on the menu--my decaf coffee was not on the menu, but I sure didn't think it would cost $6, even with a refill, which is free or very cheap at most establishments. The coffee was good though: strong and fresh.

Also, the music was a bit loud for a place where people go for conversation, but if you go outside, you can't hear it, and I'd imagine you could ask them to turn it down. Some acquaintances who are not Korean have told me that they have been made to feel unwelcome in various establishments in K-town, but my wholly non-Korean group didn't experience any hostility here.

Gaam
3465 W. 6th St Ste 300
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 383-2297
Map

Restaurant Review #15: Cacao Coffee House, West LA

What is the difference between a coffee house and a coffee shop? Allow me to enlighten you. A coffee shop, as its name implies, is a place where you go primarily to shop for coffee, and a coffee house is a place that actually has atmosphere and encourages making yourself at home to chat, study, or use their free WiFi. Think Starbucks v. Independent.

At Cacao, I felt like the yuppie I may be accidentally becoming. It's a gritty, darkish, smoky place that lies somewhere between depressing and smug. Everyone there, except for the girl making the drinks, was male, which made me feel a little out of place. The customers had the air of being regulars and were clearly edgier and more fundamentally disgruntled than I. I was the bubbly, made-up, dressed-up girl.

The place is very small, with about 8 tables. There were tons of black and white photographs on the wall, indicating that Cacao most likely does the rotating artist show thing. The theme, as they describe it, is retro Hawaiian. I probably would have described it as African, based on the wooden sculptures. They have a fair number of those African masks that inspired Picasso and his contemporaries. (My brain is struggling but not quite recalling the other interesting things I learned about these masks back in modern art history class.)

I had a cup of decaf (the least-toxic thing to put into my body, I figured). You may be thinking that plain old decaf is not the greatest way to judge a coffee house, but I disagree--it's a basic item, and if they can't do that well, the expensive drinks probably aren't that great, either. It smelled excellent and hazelnutty and was freshly brewed; however, its strength was not to my liking. I would be quite happy with a cup of many shots of decaf espresso, so I'm hard to please in the arena of coffee strength. Thank you Europe for six months of amazing coffee. I'll never feel the same way about an Americano.

This is also, for some reason, a place where you can smoke indoors. Frankly, I was weirdly happy about this, non-smoker though I am: a smoke-free coffee shop or bar is not quite the same, and I have many fond nostalgic associations with cigarette smoke (and other damaging odors like car exhaust and gasoline--this is what happens when you travel to certain places).

I'll probably end up at Cacao again at some point, and I will probably enjoy myself, but since the place has a vaguely angry vibe and too much testosterone, neither of which jive well with me, I won't go out of my way for a revisit. Maybe I haven't given it enough of a chance though.

Cacao Coffee House
11609 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Los Angeles, CA 90025
Map
Website
310-473-7283
6pm-3am daily

Other Area Coffee Shop Reviews:
Literati Cafe
The Talking Stick
Unurban
18th Street Coffee House
Anastasia's Asylum