The Great Los Angeles Cappuccino Project

October 20, 2016 by Veronica Kablan in Los Angeles Coffee Shops

If you know me at all, you probably already know that one of my absolute favorite things in life is coffee. I find many excuses to enjoy a cup, usually at least two or three times a day: beginning with a cup of fresh pour-over Stumptown coffee when I wake up, then typically something creamy like an almond milk cappuccino in the afternoon, and sometimes (if I’m feeling like having ‘dessert,’ but not really) a little decaf espresso after dinner.

Over my ten years here in Los Angeles, the coffee scene has changed drastically. Just a few years ago, visiting a cafe in Portland or San Francisco that really took coffee seriously was an unexpected delight - and finding a place like that in LA was very rare. Now, you can’t seem to turn a corner without running into a hip, minimalist, Instagram-worthy coffee shop tended by bearded men slinging shots of espresso from gleaming vintage-looking machines. Baristas are held in high esteem now, and are gaining just as much fame and notoriety as some of our best chefs and sommeliers. People are finally realizing that Starbucks coffee really isn’t that good, and are seeking (and finding) a better alternative. Oh, and almost every place is serving up almond milk (I mean it is LA, after all).

*Almond Milk Cappuccino at Urth Caffe, Beverly Hills*

This abundance of deliciousness has led to one unfortunate side effect: coffee-seeking laziness. Because good coffee is so easily accessible in all parts of town, it’s easy to lean on a small handful stand-bys out of sheer convenience. Lucky for you, my FOMO has finally overtaken my laziness, and I have decided to embark on an exciting adventure that I’ve been dreaming of for quite a while now…

I’m going to try all the “BEST” coffee shops in LA.

How are the “best” coffee shops determined, you say? Fear not, my caffeinated friend, I have done my research. In fact, I probably overdid it a little bit. I scoured the interwebs for lists of LA’s finest java joints (and goodness, there are a LOT of lists - everyone’s a critic now, right?), then chose the most reputable sources and created a spreadsheet comparing which shops were on which lists. I have compiled a list of 54 coffee shops that are considered “great,” even if they only appeared on one of the eleven most reputable lists. Note: Names in bold indicate that they appeared on at least five out of eleven “best of” lists that I referenced.

For consistency’s sake, I plan to order a simple, whole milk cappuccino at each coffee shop. If house-made almond milk is available, I’ll also try that - because having a list of the best almond milks in the city really can’t hurt anyone, right? - but I plan to skip it if the almond milk is boxed. Nothing ruins a good shot of espresso like an overly sweetened and artificially flavored non-dairy beverage, so we’ll use classic cow’s milk for this experiment.

Are you with me? Follow my adventures using the hashtag #veronicascoffeebreak, and I’ll update the blog regularly with my progress and my favorites. And please, leave us a note in the comments with any coffee shops that you think are missing from this list! I’m open to suggestions.

Get cozy, ‘cause this might take a while… 54 coffee shops, here I come!

A Harvest Brunch with Friends

October 11, 2016 by Veronica Kablan in At Home

As is clearly evidenced by the title of our blog, we are very serious brunch enthusiasts. We love going out for brunch at restaurants, cooking brunch at home, and sometimes even eating brunch for dinner. What may not be known is that we are also very enthusiastic about entertaining. We love sharing a meal with friends, and sometimes the coziest place to do that is at home!

When entertaining guests, it’s always nice to have something to celebrate. It doesn’t need to be a major holiday, either; sometimes something as simple as a change in season can be cause for celebration. In this case, we wanted to host a brunch for some close friends in honor of that most nostalgic and heart-warming of seasons: autumn.

I use the term “nostalgic” for a number of reasons; mainly that here in Los Angeles, fall doesn’t really exist. The past few years, it’s been so hot that September through November have really just been an unwelcome extension of summer. We grew up on the East Coast, in cities up north where boots, thick socks, and scarves are actually useful. So, every year we find ourselves looking longingly at our East Coast friends’ Instagram feeds full of freshly fallen leaves, cozy sweaters in pretty autumn colors, and apple picking in cute flannel shirts and knit caps. We each separately even tried out that apple picking bit, and we just wound up sweaty and sunburned with a bunch of apples we didn’t know what to do with (it was too hot to make applesauce). Folks, you can’t force cute and cozy fall clothing here in Southern California; trust us. You’ll just wind up a hot mess.

I digress.

In honor of this nostalgia - of flannel and apples, of actual seasons and new beginnings, of cider and freshly fallen leaves - we celebrated the best way we knew how. With brunch.

There were yummy treats a’plenty. To sip, a simple spiked cider with bourbon and hot coffee (we turned on the A/C).

For the creative souls, a build-your-own toast bar with endless possibilities. Perhaps the most exciting topping was Johnna’s homemade ricotta in its perfect creamy glory. Paired with simple oven-roasted tomatoes and some fresh basil, it was heaven. Meanwhile, fresh farmers’ market figs and local honey satisfied those with a sweet tooth (me).

The centerpiece was a homemade quiche filled with roasted sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, baby kale, thyme, and gruyere.

Hearty accompaniments included chicken-apple sausages and simple roasted potatoes with garlic. And because we love to have greens with just about every meal, we couldn’t forget a big beautiful salad with arugula, roasted beets, candied pecans, pomegranate seeds, and avocado.

No brunch is complete without something sweet, so we celebrated the fruits of the season with some beautiful pastries that are deceptively simple to make: apple and cream cheese rosettes, hand pies with plums and thyme, and mini peach galettes.

More photos and event details in the gallery below!

Pretty Place Settings

Johnna hand-calligraphed the guests' names on to dried apple slices, and used twine to make a simple napkin ring. To get the color scheme just right, we chose fabrics from our local craft store and sewed the napkins and table runner ourselves. To add a touch of luxe and offset the deep green tones, we used gold flatware and chargers.

Seasonal Treats

We picked up a lot of the ingredients for our brunch spread from our local farmers market. It's always so exciting to see the produce selection change with the seasons!

Autumn Salad

One of our favorite fall veggies to add to a salad is delicata squash - unfortunately they hadn't arrived at the markets yet on the day of our party. Instead, we roasted up some golden beets, which added their own unique sweetness to the salad that we really enjoyed!

Autumn Salad with Spiced Maple Pecans

For a sweet and crunchy addition to any salad, try adding some simple candied pecans. We tossed ours in a little maple syrup, sprinkled them with salt and cayenne, and put them in a 375 degree F oven for about 3-5 minutes. Delicious!

A Quiche for Fall

This quiche was a riff on Smitten Kitchen's version; it's easy to customize a recipe like this to make the most of the flavors of the season.

Mini Nectarine Galettes

These are hands down the easiest to make, especially since we used store-bought puff pastry rather than making it from scratch. This shortcut saves tons of time, and still tastes great!

Plum and Thyme Hand Pies

These hand pies are super simple and have a really lovely flavor. We added elderflower liqueur to add a floral note to the filling.

Apple Cream Cheese Rosettes

These rosettes are so. pretty. And believe it or not, they're incredibly simple. Check out this video for step-by-step instructions (the narrator is pretty entertaining)! We edited the recipe a bit by spreading some cream cheese inside the pastry before rolling it up.

Homemade Ricotta

With just a few simple ingredients, you too can make delicious homemade ricotta! It's easier than you might think, and the results are absolutely delicious.

Toasts for Days

With just a handful of simple toppings, guests could make a variety of different types of toasts! We offered a few types of bread to choose from as well - these were made with a par-baked loaf we picked up at Trader Joe's.

A Sweet Twist on Toast

Depending on which toppings were chosen, guests could go sweet or savory with their toast! This one is built on a sprouted sourdough bread with ricotta, figs, and local honey from the farmers market.

A Pretty Plate

Looking at this plate still makes me hungry! We chose simple white plates for this brunch because we knew the food would be bright and colorful, and we wanted it to really pop!

A Simple Bar

To keep things easy, we chose to serve just one simple cocktail, along with the basics: water, coffee, and tea if requested. This made for a simple, no-fuss bar area! We decorated the window with a garland we made out of dried apple slices and twine.

To Spike or Not to Spike

We wanted our guests to have the option of having alcohol in their cider or not, so we added bourbon to the drinks upon request. And since my family's from Kentucky, I of course always keep more than one type of bourbon in the house - so guests could pick their poison!

A Spicy Garnish

To add a bit more flavor to our cider, we floated cinnamon sticks and apple slices in the glasses and in the serving pitcher.

Keeping it Cool

We wanted to make sure that the cider stayed cool throughout the brunch, so Johnna made ice cubes with some extra cider the night before. This way, our drinks were cold and undiluted even by the second round!

Gold Straws and Mason Jars

Yes, Mason jars used as glasses are a perennial hipster favorite. We couldn't help ourselves. To add a little shine and tie the jars in with the rest of the color scheme, we added some adorable gold straws that we picked up on the cheap from Target.

Recipe Index:

Homemade Ricotta
The sweet potato, caramelized onion, and gruyere quiche was created using this recipe as a guide.
The hand pies were an amalgamation of this preparation method mixed with a riff on this filling (plums instead of peaches; elderflower liqueur instead of bourbon; addition of finely chopped fresh thyme... what can I say? I'm a baking rebel).
Apple Cream Cheese Rosettes
The salad was greatly inspired by this one, with a few additions and subtractions.

A Smörgåsbord of Donuts in Portland, OR

October 07, 2016 by Veronica Kablan in Travel

I’m going to come right out and say it. My husband and I chose the destination for our weeklong vacation solely based on the food.

Sure, they have other things in Portland. Really wonderful things! Gorgeous gardens and art museums, breathtaking scenery along a wide variety of hiking trails, and some of the most magical bookstores I’ve ever visited. But the food in this city is fantastic. Our itinerary was basically built around our meals. We started with a huge wish list of restaurants and coffee shops, and filled in the “normal” non-food-related activities around that. Even with a “bang-bang” (have you seen that episode of Louie where he and his friend eat two big meals back-to-back? That’s a bang-bang), we didn’t make it to the end of our food list. Shameful. Guess we’ll just have to visit again.

I have a lot of things to say about Portland food. I ate a lot in Portland. I probably gained 10 pounds (and I’m totally ok with that). But I’m going to tell you about the donuts, because this is a brunch blog, and Portland takes their donuts very seriously.

Another admission I need to make is that it’s been a while since our Portland trip. In fact, at the time, many of the Portland legends didn’t have the Los Angeles presence that they do now: Blue Star Donuts hadn’t yet opened on Abbott Kinney, Voodoo Doughnuts hadn’t started building an outpost at Universal CityWalk, Salt & Straw hadn’t established their Southern California empire, and Stumptown was still new to downtown. So that will give you a sense of the timeframe. But this should also give you a sense of how legit these Portland eateries really are – all of these companies are expanding to great success. So, finding all these wonderful treats was a bit like finding a unicorn, which made them that much sweeter.

Entering the Voodoo Doughnuts on SW 3rd Avenue, that unicorn analogy felt like it hit the nail on the head – even the brick walls outside were coated with glitter. Inside the shop felt like pink frosted mayhem, perhaps exacerbated by the early morning hour in which we chose to visit (an attempt to avoid the famed hour-long lines).

The doughnuts themselves were equally over the top; the decadent options spinning around in one of those old-fashioned glass dessert cases that house pies and cakes in east-coast diners. As difficult as it was, I was able to narrow my choices down to four – totally reasonable number, right? – and went with the McMinnville Cream, Captain my Captain, Old Dirty Bastard, and Blueberry Cake. As fun as the more over-the-top doughnut options were, the winner for flavor was the Blueberry Cake. It was a simple, well-executed doughnut with just the right amount of moisture and sweetness.

(clockwise, starting at top left) McMinnville Cream, Captain My Captain, Old Dirty Bastard, Blueberry Cake — (clockwise, starting at top left) McMinnville Cream, Captain My Captain, Old Dirty Bastard, Blueberry Cake

In stark contrast, Blue Star Donuts on SE Hawthorne (where they spell it “donut”) offered a much cleaner, simpler vibe, with an open kitchen and white tiled walls. The space is open and airy, and you can watch the masters at work while you contemplate your flavor options.

The donuts are displayed like art behind glass, with the few flavors delicately arranged on white plates and bowls with little cards announcing their names. The flavors we sampled here were both excellent. The blueberry bourbon basil had a light, delicate texture and real blueberry flavor, and the dulce de leche cake donut was sinfully rich and complex in flavor. It’s clear that Blue Star takes their donut craft seriously; they make their French brioche dough daily and change flavors often to celebrate the flavors of the seasons.

Both establishments have shops scattered around the Portland area, so no matter which corner of the city you’re staying in, you won’t be too far from some delicious doughnuts/donuts. And the good news for us Angelenos is that both Voodoo and Blue Star will have an LA presence before we know it. In the meantime, I think we’re going to have to stop by Abbott Kinney very soon to get our Blueberry-Bourbon fix.

Happy Donutting!

Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe | Santa Monica, CA

October 01, 2016 by Veronica Kablan in Los Angeles Restaurants

Yes, there’s a line out the door. No, that didn’t scare us away!

Fear not, fellow line-o-phobes. The line at Huckleberry in Santa Monica moves quickly, and you’re going to need a little bit of time to sort out your fomo issues from the tempting menu anyway. This place has the brunch operation streamlined beautifully – as soon as your order is placed, the staff is working to help you find a perfect table.

The décor is bright and airy with hints of vintage nostalgia in the form of chalkboard menus, mason jar water glasses, classic leafy wallpaper, and old family photos on the walls (cue ukulele music). There are vibrant little succulents in tiny red pots lining the center of the communal table, offering another pop of color to offset those golden yellow egg yolks you ordered.

Huckleberry’s menu offers brunch classics but presents them in unique and flavorful ways. We especially loved the bright, crunchy, and satisfying Caesar Salad with Mary’s Chicken, which paired well with the classic Fried Egg Sandwich on country toast. As a decadent treat, we shared the bread pudding in all its rich, caramelly, creamy glory.

The drink menu is robust and tempting, as well. In fact, Huckleberry gets that rare special star for homemade almond milk! The addition of dates added a welcome touch of sweetness to our iced lattes.

Huckleberry is a charming spot that lives up to the hype with flavorful food and well-crafted coffee. It’s definitely worth a visit, even on a busy weekend!

Akasha Café | Culver City, CA

September 16, 2016 by Veronica Kablan in Los Angeles Restaurants, Los Angeles Coffee Shops

To begin our brunchventures, we bring you to one of our very favorite spots, Akasha Café.

clockwise from left: two eggs, side of fruit, almond milk cappuccino, iced coffee, breakfast sandwich, avocado toast

It feels like a fitting place to start, as it’s our classic choice, and the place where we first started brunching together. Ok, ok, technically we weren’t brunching, we were breakfasting. But that’s a minor detail I feel we can overlook. It all started with our coworker, actually, who invited three of us to meet for breakfast before work. The whole idea sounded pretty novel – most people “do lunch” these days, but you don’t often get an invitation to “do breakfast.” It feels special. There’s good coffee. There’s awesome food. And, once you get to work, you feel like you’ve got a leg up on everyone else because you’ve already done so much before actually sitting down at your desk.

We liked this little ritual so much, we started having breakfast together monthly, almost always at Akasha. Akasha was the perfect spot for our little Breakfast Club for many reasons, including of course the sweet discount they offer to employees of our company. But most of all, the food and drink.

Let’s start with the coffee. It’s Intelligentsia, one of my favorites. Yes it’s a wallet-buster to brew it at home, and maybe that fact makes it taste that much richer (yeah). Here at Akasha, they offer pour-over coffee in several varietals (usually 3-4 options, including a decaf option) as well as a wide variety of espresso drinks. I waffle between the pour-over and the cappuccino made with almond milk. Did I tell you about how much I love this almond milk? They make it in house. Have you had homemade almond milk? It’s not at all the same as the boxed stuff. It’s 100% better. It’s smooth and luscious with the most lovely and delicate flavor, and it’s delicious hot or cold. It foams beautifully (don’t get me started on the myth that almond milk doesn’t foam) and it doesn’t overwhelm the flavor of the coffee. Why can’t all almond milk taste like this? I’m not sure, but I assume it has to do with shelf life. Anyway, it’s a rare and blissful little treat and if you’re a fan of nut milks, I recommend you treat yourself to a latte at Akasha toot sweet.

On to the food. We come here a lot and we’ve tried almost everything. In fact, I can tell you about the menu without looking it up right now. Is that sad? I don’t care.

My stand by is the three-egg scramble. Endlessly customizable (ok, not endlessly, but you have several options), this hearty breakfast will suit almost everyone. I usually go for kale and mushrooms, and if I’m feeling rebellious, some cheese. On the side you can have multigrain toast or greens – if you’re not as obsessed with leafy greens as I am, you’ll love the toast. They’re both great. In fact sometimes I order both. I have an appetite, ok?

Johnna and the boys like the breakfast wrap or the breakfast sandwich. They’re a smidge similar in terms of flavor, but we’re not complaining. They have a kick from this delicious spicy basil mayo and a nice freshness from the arugula and tomato. If you’re lucky the egg will be really runny and get everywhere. You’ll need a few extra napkins but it’ll be worth the embarrassment of having egg yolk all over your face. Trust us.

If you’re into a sweeter breakfast, the acai bowl is a really nice choice. With homemade granola you really can’t go wrong. Or, if pastries are your thing, you’ll be happy here too. On display are gorgeous croissants, muffins, and breads, all made in house daily with organic ingredients. Oh, and the cookies! There’s one with hemp seeds, which sounds weird, but is SO good.

A new and delicious item on the menu this summer is the avocado toast. I know what you’re thinking… really? More avocado toast? I hear you. We laughed a bit at first too. But this is not your run-of-the-mill avocado toast. Nor is it your over-done-can’t-taste-the-avocado-because-there’s-too-much-other-sh*t-on-it avocado toast. It’s a perfect meeting in the middle with flavorful bread, crisp radish slices, and a very welcome squeeze of lemon. Not fussy. Really pretty; just right.

Some other things in Akasha’s favor include:

Use of sustainable and local ingredients. Folks, full disclosure, we’re pretty predictable for LA girls in our age group - we care about where our food comes from and are somewhat health conscious (read: we don’t have donuts EVERY day, just SOME days). So we get excited when a restaurant cares where they source their produce, and especially their proteins.
Dining options. Akasha’s space is mostly used for the restaurant and bar, which is an upscale spot for lunch and dinner, and even brunch on weekdays. They have a great wine list, top-notch service, and fantastic gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options (the house-made vegan ice cream is unreal). We love visiting the restaurant for date night or for entertaining out-of-town guests (between chef Akasha Richmond’s days as a personal chef to the stars and the occasional celeb sighting, they love it). Meanwhile, the café side offers a more casual and budget-friendly option for breakfast and lunch. If you come for lunch, try the Wild Planet Tuna Sandwich. Soooo good.
Gorgeous space. Akasha resides in a beautiful historic brick building in the middle of the very walkable downtown Culver City. Also, fun fact: the building was actually used as Flynn's arcade in Tron. They have outdoor patio seating, but we prefer the vibe indoors – it’s really comfortable and has an industrial feel.

Finally, one of the most important LA details – parking. We suggest parking in the garage just north of the restaurant. It’s very convenient and affordable.

So did we sell you on Akasha? Are you going to check it out? You really should! You’ll like it. We sure do!