Original Pantry Cafe- Los Angeles

Work brought my SO and I to stay about 4 days in Los Angeles. Staying at the Hotel Figueroa, I was excited to see that the Original Pantry Cafe was just right around the corner just 30 seconds walking distance away. I've heard about people lining up just to eat at this "landmark" and couldn't wait to see what the fuss was about.

Maybe I've been spoiled by Omelette Parlor, but after eating at the Pantry Cafe 2x out of convenience, I'm not quite sure why it's so popular.

Our first visit we got lucky and was able to nab a seat right away. All the menus are on the walls and the prices ranged from $3.95 to $14. I ordered the #2 which was 2 eggs, toast, and potatoes.

Eggs were eggs, I rarely have a kitchen that can get my over-medium eggs right. It always comes out over-easy. The potatoes was an odd mixture, it was too chunky in some parts and too mashed in some other parts. I took one bite and left the rest to get cold. The only thing that stood out for me from this was the excellent sourdough toast. Gigantic slices that were buttered and after adding a layer of strawberry jam, it saved my meal. I would order just the sourdough toast.

The 2nd visit, I ordered the Sourdough French Toast since I loved the sourdough so much. Unfortunately that was a bad call on my part as the french toast was WAY too eggy and destroyed the sourdoughyness. The portion was huge, and I was only able to finish one slice out of the 3 or 4 and called it quits. I had also gotten a taste of waiting in line for 15 minutes only to be disappointed with my food.

So overall, I'm not quite sure why people come here besides the fact that it is 24/7 and the possibility of running into a "celebrity."

Another thing that I enjoyed besides the sourdough TOAST, was that the cashier sits pretty much in a tiny closed off closet with protective bars as a window for you to give her your tab and cash.

Original Pantry Cafe (cash only)
877 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 972-9279

Omelette Parlor- Costa Mesa, CA

It's hard for my SO and I to find a breakfast place that we thorougly enjoy and want to come back again and again. The Omelette Parlor in Costa Mesa has seen us 2x in the past 2 weekends.

I'd say that was pretty damn good.

It's located in a plaza where a supermarket is (either Ralph's or Albertson's) and situated in a corner semi-hidden. The name might also be confusing as well since the sign says Chester Drawers Inn and it also says Omelette Parlor.

Walking in, you're greeted by Big Boy's cousin to your left.

And then greeted by this sign:

The interior is very well lit with natural light almost like sitting in your own kitchen with the curtains wide open. Kitschy decor like roosters and carriages suspended from the ceiling decorate the place. If look closely enough at various parts of the wallpaper, you'll find amusing artwork.

Flipping open the menu you'll notice that every dish has a unique name. I ordered an omelette called the Art Center (I think)

Gigantic omelette with chunks of ham and pineapple as well as cheese and mushrooms. A very hearty portion of potatoes is included, side of fruit, and wheat and nut english muffin that comes with an amazing apple butter spread. The past 2 times I could not finish my omelette but everything was really delicious and fresh. The food comes out fairly quickly too. The potatoes had little bits of crunchy skin in it which I love. And oh, the apple butter spread...... a little paper container of dark caramel colored goodness!!

My SO got the Two to the Max dish:

4 slices of french toast, eggs, fruit and either 4 bacon or sausage. He always polishes off my plate when he's done with his. He's gotten this dish twice so far and he enjoys it a lot. I'm not too big on french toast though.

Apparently, the Omelette Parlor does not serve pancakes on the weekends, so if you want them, go on a weekday.

Omelette Parlor, we will be back!

Omelette Parlor
179 E 17th St
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 645-0740

Lucque's- Los Angeles, CA

Once in awhile, I'll loosen up my purse strings, particularly for special occasions. In this case, it was my friend's birthday whom I've known since we were wee little sophomores in high school. She chose Lucque's as her birthday dinner destination and off we went!

My SO and I arrived early and were invited to sit in the waiting area in front of a cozy fireplace on plush black chairs. After waiting a little bit and persuing the menu, other guests of the birthday girl started trickling in and we were brought to the table in the patio dining area.

^ cheers!

It was a very romantic setting with the combination of trees, white table clothes, wired garden chairs, and vines along the walls.

As were given more time to look over the menu, complimentary appetizers were brought to the table. Rustic bread (not pictured) and a plate of almonds/olives in oil as well as sea salt and butter.

^ I call this combination "crack"

Seriously, this was crack. After buttering up the bread, and putting just a little bit of the sea salt on it, it was wonderful. That with the taste of crunchy roasted almonds, and the slight saltiness of the olives, ...wow! I never thought myself to be such an olive fan, but this was addicting.

Trying to not fill myself on the appetizer was hard, and thankfully it did not take very long for the entrees to arrive.

I ordered the Grilled Duck Breast with ricotta gnocchi, squash blossoms, pistachios and roasted figs ($30)

^ Mmm..duck.

I've never ordered duck anywhere else besides a chinese restaurant, so my palate was limited to either roasted duck hanging off the hooks from Sam Woo or Peking Duck from the fanciful restaurants or wedding banquets.

But this, this Grilled Duck Breast from Lucque's, made me very happy.

Slices were thick, tender, and very flavorful with just slightly crisp skin. There was no oily aftertaste. I adored the roasted figs as it lent a slightly sweet taste to offset the otherwise savory meaty dish. The squash blossomes reminded me a little bit of spinach, and the ricotta gnocchi was the added carb that I could've done without.

Random fact: Did you know in chinese, pistachios are literally translated into "happy nut?" They're called that because of the "grin" they have on their "face." I love pistachios :)

My SO ordered the Eggplant and Tomato Lasagna with fresh mozzarella and basil ($24)

^ Mmm... meat..less

My SO is usually a very picky eater and he couldn't find anything on the menu that called out to him so he picked what he assumed was the least complicated sounding dish.

I asked him how it was when he was eating it, and his comment was "it's very soupy." Curious, I took a bite, and it was indeed very soupy, unlike most lasagnas we're used to. However, once he discovered that there was extra rustic bread, he started dipping into it like a happy camper.

The winner of the night however, and what most people in the group ordered was the Country Style Pork Chop with romesco, chickpeas, long-cooked beans and cherry tomatoes.

^ More meat!

My neighbor also ordered this, and we traded bites and wow, this is an excellent dish. SUPER tender, and had the taste of beef instead of pork. A very hefty portion surprisingly at a restaurant where you expect nothing to surpass the size of a fist. The cherry tomatoes were bursting with sweet juice, and the long cooked beans were still pleasingly crispy.

The miss of the night for me was the dessert that someone ordered in addition to the cake we had brought, and it was the Dark Chocolate Donuts with Pistachio Ice Cream. The donuts were very bitter even though I love dark chocolate and prefer the 75% cocoa. The pistachio ice cream was great, but not enough to save the donut.

By the way, if you have a birthday dinner here, don't bring in a birthday cake as they will charge you an arm and a leg for plating fees as we found out later when the check arrived.

All in all, a wonderful dining experience at Lucques and I would come again so that I can have a porkchop dinner all to myself!

Lucque's
8474 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles CA 90069
(323) 655-6277