365 Places to Eat

From the buzz about Huckleberry, knew that the place gets crowded fast on weekends. One Saturday when we were all up early, we decided to take a chance and walk down for gourmet brunch.

Even getting to Huckleberry before 9:00, the line was to the back door. Credit to Huckleberry, though, their line management is pretty effective. No table sitting until you place your order and the food comes out pretty quick. Plus, truth be told, the pre-10am crowd is usually the family set that is on a tight schedule to get in and out before the kiddies have a meltdown. The post 10:30 hangover set tends to linger as they nurse their cafes…

I couldn’t avoid ordering the signature Green Eggs and Ham: La Quercia prosciutto on
house made English muffin topped with eggs (poached in my case) and then covered with a fresh arugula salad and drizzled with a mild pesto oil. For $12, it seems expensive, but the ingredients and the combination of flavors make it a worthwhile treat.

Being a specialty bakery, the home made English muffin is a gem. Flavor, texture and depth kicks Mr. Thomas’s buns. We also tasted a couple of the sweet breakfast items. The fresh strawberry crostada was so delightful that we practically giggled while eating it. How could something taste so fresh and light and buttery at the same time?

With an expertly concocted Americano on the side, brunch at Huckleberry is a real treat. It’s true that the prices are high and that it’s crowded. The crowds are manageable and the prices are worth the quality and creativity of the menu. Also, most dishes are rich enough to be shared. I would split the Green Eggs and Ham along with a pastry between two people and you can get out of there for a comparable cost as most other local breakfast spots.

Huckleberry
1014 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 451-2311

Arnold Palmer

Snug Harbor is exactly the kind of diner that you want to be able to walk to for breakfast on a weekend morning. Fortunately for me, I can!

Snug Harbor may be the only diner where I don’t always order coffee with breakfast. Their Arnold Palmers are the best of the best. Fresh squeezed lemonade topped with brewed iced tea. Served like a black and tan. Delicious.

The same friendly servers can be found each week, taking care of you at the counter, at one of the few booths or outside on the shaded patio.

Snug Harbor is well liked for their blackberry pancakes when the season is right. I pretty much stick with the huevos rancheros, I have strayed a few times and the huevos are the way to go.

Huevos Rancheros

My wife likes the 2+2+2 with pancakes, egg whites and bacon. Snug Harbor knows how to do bacon how she likes it, a little on the chewy side.

Snug Harbor is no frills, and that’s what is nice about it. Good prices too, around $20 for two to eat breakfast. Sometimes a bit of a wait depend on when you show up. Don’t forget the patio too, I didn’t even know it was there the first few times I went.

Snug Harbor
2323 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica
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Not too far from the Korean Bell of Friendship in San Pedro is a neighborhood joint with great breakfast.

The Lighthouse Deli has breakfast favorites and some specials of their own. The Popeye Special is an egg dish with spinach served on top of english muffins. Enough protein and iron to keep you going for your day. The chicken fried steak was also a hit at our table with some extra gravy on the side.

It’s not all heavy dishes though. There are a range of fresh made smoothies and plenty of vegetarian options. The crowd is very local, but friendly to anyone who shows up.

Make a morning in San Pedro with some breakfast and some (friendship) bell.

Lighthouse Deli/Cafe
508 W 39th St
San Pedro, CA 90731
(310) 548-3354

The light yellow building is easy to miss, on the corner of Washington and Walgrove, just east of the Costco megacomplex. Parking is available, but not abundant, be sure to observe the street signs.

After are short 10-15 minute wait, we scored one of the booths right under the window. Even with the blazing heat outdoors, the open windows and high ceilings invited a cooling breeze — even though we were on a major boulevard, it almost felt like we were in the tropics.

The Maxwell’s menu is extensive, with the standard breakfast fare, as well as unique options such as a number of breakfast sandwiches, a selection of different benedicts, a few breakfast burritos and a range of sausages. I went into selection overload and had a hard time narrowing down my choices. Our incredibly nice waitress was kind and patient as I waffled (ha) over my order.

I finally settled on one of the breakfast sandwiches, the one with the chicken cilantro sausage on rye bread with some Swiss cheese. You can see by the picture above that the thing was massive! It was stacked with tomatoes, the sausage patty, cheese, scrambled egg, lettuce and light mayo. I was actually only able to finish half, but I enjoyed every bite.

My wife had the breakfast combo with french toast, egg whites and two strips of bacon. Thick bacon, cooked chewy, the way that she likes it.

Maxwell’s has a comfortable, local diner feel with the counter and friendly, efficient servers. I saw a number of people who came in to eat at the counter by themselves chatting with other folks seated around them. It’s just that kind of place.

I will note that the prices are on the higher side for a casual breakfast, but not outrageous or out of line for the quality you get. For instance, omelettes range from $8-$14 which seems to be about $2 more than the average joint. I think that my breakfast sandwich was about $10, but easily could feed two people (and lasted me for two meals).

Open for breakfast and lunch.

Maxwell’s Cafe
13329 W Washington Blvd,
Los Angeles 90066
(At Walgrove Ave)
Phone: 310-306-7829

For all of the great Mexican food I eat around town, my quest for the perfect breakfast burrito remains unfulfilled. Admittedly, my search has mainly consisted of driving around in the morning, looking first for an open restaurant, and then to see if the menu offers a morning burrito. I have had some good burritos at sit down breakfast places, but I am looking for a great burrito to go, one that I can pick up occasionally on my way to work. My biggest problem is finding somewhere that is open before 8:00 am.

That’s where Cinco De Mayo Tacos comes into play. Located on the corner of Sepulveda and Washington Pl (not Blvd), sandwiched between Johnny’s Pastrami and Tito’s Tacos, Cinco De Mayo is open 24 hours a day. No matter how early I leave for work, I know that I can pick up a burrito. There are three main offerings for the breakfast inclined, a machaca burrito, a breakfast burrito with your choice of meat and the #19, a burrito with eggs and onions. Shame on me, but I always order diez y nueve, their most basic burrito. For $3 you get what you expect, scrambled eggs and soft onions wrapped in a thick flour tortilla. There is a mild salsa inside the wrap and some spicy salsa on the side to apply with each bite.

The tortilla is what makes this burrito for me. It may be because I don’t eat it until I get to work, but it is soft and chewy, like a steamed tortilla and probably made with lard to give the thick consistency that I enjoy. The chips served in the bag are greasy enough to coat the top of your mouth and salty enough to make you salivate.

I haven’t tried anything else at Cinco De Mayo other than the #19, which I have enjoyed maybe a half dozen times. Surely, the Tito’s Taco cabal will poo poo the idea of eating at Cinco De Mayo. It’s obvious that there is a rivalry, with warning signs in the parking lot and entering the restaurant about using Cinco’s property to enjoy Tito’s gut bombs. Tito’s isn’t open at 6:30am though, and eggs aren’t on the menu, so give Cinco De Mayo a chance.

Cinco De Mayo Tacos
11204 Washington Pl
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 391-5354

My wife and I figured out that there are four places where we love having breakfast, and that we have a hard time branching out. One of those four places is Hugo’s in West Hollywood We go to Hugo’s the least out of our favorites, simply because of geography, but quality wise, it is one of the tops.

I’m not a creature of habit. When I go out to eat, I like to try different things. I’ve never thought it would be “cool” to be able to go into a place and order “the usual”. To me, that would mean going to the same place too often and ordering the same thing every time. Who wants that? Hugo’s, however, drives me to break my rules. I simply cannot go there and order anything except for the Desayuno Fuerte. Good god, just writing about it makes me crave it.

The Desayuno Fuerte has four basic ingredients. Starting at the bottom: potato pancakes, veggies, eggs and cheese. If only it were that simple, I would whip it up at home. Starting at the top. The cheese is fresh shreds of Parmesan, flavorful and robust. The eggs are two perfectly poached mini globes of goodness, with solid whites and runny motlen yolks. The veggies, a mix of spinach, tomatoes, onions and garlic are sauteed until slightly soft, but not mushy. The potato pancakes, well the potato pancakes are the very specific reason why this dish is so tasty. The first time I tried them, I thought that it was some sort of sausage patty. There was simply too much flavor to be tubers. In truth, well, they are potato pancakes, but the flavor and consistency is like no potato pancake I have had anywhere else. They are amazing, basically.

There are other options on the menu. Obviously. They used to have some great potato taquitos, but those aren’t always on the menu. Hugo’s also serves chilaquiles, although I will have to leave it to someone else to sample those.

In addition to the terrific food, Hugo’s has an extensive tea list. It was at Hugo’s where we learned that if you steep tea for about a minute then throw out the water, you can remove about 90% of the caffeine. It is for that reason that Hugo’s doesn’t serve non-herbal decaf tea.

Free two hour parking in the structure across the street from Hugo’s.

By the way, the other three in the top four? Jinky’s, Amandine and John O’Groats. Feel free to through darts at that list.

Other Hugo’s Write Ups (leave yours in the comments):

• Quarry Girl
• Snag Wire Media
• VegGuide
• Gourmet Pigs

Hugo’s Restaurant
8401 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, Ca 90069
323-654-3993