Alcove Cafe & Bakery

The Alcove Cafe & Bakery in Los Feliz is as Aegean described, "a perfect date spot". Intimate and charming, you could definitely spend a Sunday afternoon here enjoying a cup of coffee with a book, or a Saturday night (as we did) eating delicious foods and people watching.

You order at the counter, then grab your own table as you wait for them to bring your food. The inside is a bit cramped, but there are plenty of tables outside. The servers were very friendly, which is always a plus.

The food took a little while to come out, but that was probably due to the large crowd and the small kitchen. Unfortunately, their fryer was broken when we went, so we didn't have a chance to order their fries and onion rings.

The portions are HUGE. I ordered the grilled salmon salad (thinking it would be a lighter meal), and was completely stuffed by the time I finished my fish. I thought all the food was well presented and very tasty. Everyone else also enjoyed their entrees. I would definitely return.

Since their fryer was not working and Aegean's salad was supposed to have something fried on it, she got her dessert half off. (Excellent customer service!) She got the whipped strawberry cake, which was heavenly. The whipped cream was super soft and the strawberries were fresh. Surafel got the chocolate souffle which was decadant and the perfect amount of chocolate.

Below you can see pictures of what we ordered. Sorry for the harsh lighting. We were sitting outside so I had to use the flash.

Veggie burger with brie

Tiger shrimp salad

Scallop salad

Grilled salmon salad

Whipped strawberry cake

Chocolate souffle



Overall, I recommend the Alcove Cafe & Bakery. B+.

1929 Hillhurt Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323-644-0100
(Valet is $3.50)

Rebuttal

In regards to Surafel's last post on Gyu-kaku, I feel that as a Korean-American, I must respond.

Please note however, that I have not been to Gyu-kaku, and the Japanese version of this restaurant style could be different than the Korean. But it sounds pretty close.

The experience of Korean BBQ (galbi house) is one that every true foodie must go through. Yes, you have to cook the meat yourself, but I believe that is part of the charm. Really amazing cuts of meat, marinated to delectable perfection while you have good beer, good side dishes and good conversation. You can control how cooked you want the meat, and it's pretty impossible to ruin it. Also, waitresses walk around to make sure the meats are cooked properly, and help out when needed.

Many of these restaurants also feature coal grills (YOM) which provide a distinctive flavor to the meats. By cooking it yourself at the table, you will be able to eat the meat right when it's ready and hot. Lukewarm BBQ is whack, and anything short of sizzling meat is unacceptable.

Plus, cooking it yourself gives you a feeling of accomplishment. I like to believe that since most Korean people are fairly stubborn and think they do everything right, they like to do things on their own. Especially the men, with that whole, machisimo thing. They don't want no waitresses cookin' their meats for them. I think that's why my family always shoos them away. Or bosses them around. It's the Korean way. (Also note, if you have a rude Korean waitress, you have to be rude back to get the best service. This has been tested time and time again).

So, please don't write off a restaurant because you have to cook the food yourself. You go there BECAUSE it's part of the experience. Kind of like going to an Ethiopian restaurant and eating with your hands (or alternatively, Medieval Times).

Gyu-Kaku

{Forgive me, but I'm gonna try to be philosophical for a moment. I may even go meta on you, although I don't really know what that is. It just sounds intellectual.}

Gyu-Kaku (a Japanese BBQ chain restaurant) seems to challenge the conventional wisdom regarding the purpose of eating out at restaurants. I was always under the assumption that we eat out to experience new foods, new flavors, new settings, etc. It's a chance to get away from the often mundane foods we have at home. And most importantly, it's a chance to avoid having to cook for ourselves. It's this last part that Gyu-Kaku seems to be at odds with most, and it's ultimately the restaurant's fatal flaw.

A quick blurb about the decor, etc.: The atmosphere was strange, to say the least. The restaurant was trying to create a pseudo-Japanese/industrial vibe, but it was a little clunky.

Anyways, onto the food, and the restaurant's fatal flaw: you cook the meal yourself. There is a little fire pit/grill in the center of every table, and you do the cooking. Everything we ordered needed to be cooked at our table (there are a few "pre-made" dishes). I ordered the green onion pancakes as an appetizer, and they were rather tasty. They reminded me of latkes, but with a stronger onion vibe to it. As a table, we ordered the Shrimp Garlic, Salmon Miso, Harami miso, and the Nakaochi Kalbi (miso). The shrimp was pretty good, and the salmon (which was steamed) was tasty as well-- we did a good job cooking these dishes (seafood is easy to cook). As for the beef, I couldn't taste the difference between the two dishes. None of us wanted our meet raw, so we tried our best to cook it pretty well. The sad thing is that we kinda sorta burned many of the pieces, or at least charred them, essentially nuking whatever flavors may have existed. Beef is much harder to cook, and our failure put a damper on the meal.

And that's the problem with Gyu-Kaku. The quality of the meal depended on us, moreso than it normally would at any other restaurant (even if you were to "build" your own meal, like at bld). Even worse was the fact that cooking isn't necessarily a great task to do when you're trying to have a conversation with people. Our table was silent at times as we concentrated on the food (constantly flipping and checking if everything was done). While it was certainly a unique experience, it wasn't necessarily a good one.

We also ordered dessert... s'mores! This was by far the best part of the meal, even if the graham (sp?) crackers were a little stale. It was the first time I made s'mores on an open fire. It was lots of fun.

If you go to Gyu-Kaku and you want good Japanese BBQ, you better be good at cooking beef, because it all rests on your talent. If you go for the above average seafood, and great s'mores, then you'll probably enjoy yourself a little more. C+

Gyu-Kaku
10925 W.Pico Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Newsroom Cafe

I have finally completed the triumvirate of the most accessible celeb hotspot eateries in West Hollywood. First there was the Ivy, then Urth Caffe, and now, Newsroom Cafe (Mr. Chow and Koi are a little more exclusive, and also a hecka lot more expensive). This was probably the most disappointing of the three, and it wasn't just because I didn't see any celebrities (I did see some paparazzi taking pictures of someone, but I didn't recognize who it was, and since it was only two people, I figured I wasn't supposed to care).

I went pretty late in the day/early in the evening, so in terms of atmosphere, there wasn't much of it. Although, to be fair, the layout is pretty nice, with ample seating inside and outside. There are also entertaining posters inside the bathroom. And if you're dining alone, there is plenty of reading material (there's a newstand inside... Newsroom Cafe... get it?).

Onto the food... It's hard for me to go to any restaurant and not order bruschetta. It's a simple appetizer, but it's still quite different (and often pretty tasty) everywhere I go. So there was no way I would turn down the opportunity to try the Tuscan Bruschetta, which had all the bruschetta prereq's, along with kalamata olives. I was pretty underwhelmed by what they gave us. The bread was slightly toasted, but relatively bland (I'm not sure what kind it was). The tomatoes were nothing spectacular, and the olives seemed out of place. There were very few olives, and their flavor was overwhelmed by everything else.

As for a main course, I ordered the Fresh Ahi with Fusili (with a sun-dried tomato marinara). I was expecting the ahi to be scattered in smaller pieces throughout the pasta... that wasn't the case (it was on the side). I was also expecting the pasta sauce to be a little lighter... that wasn't the case either (it was very thick). Though the fish was well cooked (perfectly grilled, and for the most part, relatively juicy), the taste wasn't memorable. It seemed a bit bland without any sauce alongside it. The pasta was also rather mediocre; I enjoyed the sun-dried tomatoes, but overall, it seemed like an average dish that I could make at home.

There should be an asterisk beside this review because I was starting to get sick (I was starting to get a stuffy nose and a fever), but I wasn't at the point where I couldn't differentiate various flavors. So I can't ignore my thoughts entirely.

The food was average (esp. considering the price), but I'd certainly give Newsroom another shot (maybe with Aegean so I can see another celebrity), because there were a few other menu items that I was interested in (and I also think that you can't make a decision on a restaurant in one sitting unless it is truly horrible). An average meal gets an average grade: C+/B-.

Newsroom Cafe
120 N Robertson Blvd,
Los Angeles 90048