Coffee Lovers...clear your schedule!

I would've had this post up earlier if not for the fact that blogger wouldn't let me put a picture up. I still can't and such is life. But the real news is this Thursday night at Intelligentsia in Silverlake, they'll be offering a free tasting of the golden glory of this years coffee, that being Hacienda la Esmeralda's Geisha Coffee. I myself have only heard of this legendary stuff that went for $130 a pound at an auction (which just so happens to be the most ever paid for at an auction)!

The info is as follows:
Time: Thursday the 15th at 7PM
Where: Intelligentsia Coffee House, 3922 W. Sunset Blvd.
Cost: Free
What you get: Free samples of freshly brewed legendary Geisha Coffee

There'll also be a limited amount for sale after the tasting for the true lovers of coffee. Prices will be $99.00 for a half a pound and $55.00 for a quarter pound.

For those who just want to come and enjoy the experience with others there'll be wine and hors d'oeuvres as well.

The Coffee Table

2930 Rowena Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323)644-8111
Everyday 7AM-11PM

Sorry about the short delay in posting...things have been super busy lately. Busy in a good way though as lots have been happening in my life, as well as the lives of my friends. New jobs, new pets, anniversaries, new homes, end of school, finishing of recordings of albums... just lots of things! Thankfully almost all of it has been wonderful and very positive.

One such new thing was a friend of our's got a new dog and he's so insanely adorable! So cute is he in fact that Celeste and I are now pondering adopting one ourselves. Good chance it will happen as we've seen "this" adorable fella and we're in love! We dropped by our friends place on Saturday morning to take her and her dog "Andy Slater" out to breakfast and decided on The Coffee Table as our destination. Tucked away up Silverlake on Rowena, this cozy cafe reminds me of something out of "So I Married An Ax Murderer" era...don't know why, it just has that 1990's cool-air vibe. I could see sitcoms filmed there.

Though they serve breakfast through dinner, you can bet you'll feel more at home ordering breakfast or lunch. I like this place for it's chill vibe. It really is perfect for weekend wakeups to read the paper and bring your dog out for a walk (just a reminder to hang on the back patio if you bring your dog). We got a varied mix of plates consisting of their "burrito from hell", chopped chicken salad and the chicken rice bowl. Got the burrito from Hell cause I was in the mood for something spicy...I was thankful that it wasn't overbearingly hot but was still enough to make some serious beads of sweat form. It was basically a egg and cheese burrito with some seriously spicy sauce. Once again I repeat it was hot but it was flavored with what seemed like habanero minus the carrot sweetness. Oh yeah the pico de gallo with it was the perfect addition and complimented the burrito nicely. I dug it and the potatoes that came with it were awesome as well. Very downhome flavored without the dryness.

The chopped chicken salad was first of all huge and a good value for what you get ($8.75). Most salads don't give you enough meat when it has meat in it. This thing was packed...each bite made sure you had a good chunk of chicken in it. So much sometimes that you almost forget there's lettuce in there as well. It had a creamy texture thanks to the avocado and bleu cheese they used. It was very fresh tasting and was just a well done salad.

Last was the rice bowl that also had a lot of chicken and was just a huge freaking bowl! Our friend described it as "scrumptulescent". I needn't say anymore.

Here's a view from the dog friendly patio in the back.

Before I forget, this place is called the Coffee Table and their coffee is indeed top notch... worth going for that alone. A very full flavored but not bitter cup of coffee and might I also mention that their chai is also pretty happening.

The Coffee Table is one of those suburban-like hangs where you can feel the sense of community inside the room. It's very Californian and typifies the friendliness of Silverlake.

Free Drink Refills: no but what do you expect at a coffee shop (though I can't recall about refills on coffee)
Entree Price Range:$7.50 to $8.75

King's Road Cafe

(This pic courtesy of King's Road Cafe.com)

8361 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323)655-9044
Mon-Sat 7:30AM-10PM
Sun 7:30AM-7:00PM

I come to King's Road Cafe for the location, the amazing simple food and the fabulous coffee. This is another one of those places that I have brought all my friends to for the experience and often for impromptu magic shows (more often than not these happen because I'm always prepared to entertain). At first look from the outside you go "ah another trendy breakfast/coffee spot" but not so. Their coffee (roasted daily and each cup made to order) has been quoted by many a person I have taken here as "one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had"...this is not an exaggeration. The coffee is flavorful and lush, never harsh and very well balanced. Just a great cup of coffee. The great kicker is this, a refill is only $1.00 for the drink you just had, be it coffee, mocha, latte, whatever. Not too shabby, especially when you're talking about such an exquisite cup of coffee.

The food there has always been top notch and comes out quickly even on the busiest days. Might I mention before I forget, this is another one of those places where you see celebs just coming in for a bite and to read the paper. Back to the food...their paninis are exceptional (of note are the Steak with Garlic Aioli (shown below) and the Black Forest Ham with Fontina Cheese and Garlic Aioli), the pasta is very flavorful (try the Lobster Ravioli in Shrimp and Chardonnay Sauce), the burgers I'll just take the word from everyone else that it's a darn good piece of meat as I have yet to experience it, and last but not least the breakfast plates. The breakfast plates are where they shine the most in my opinion. For starters, if you're a health junkie, try their Oatmeal or Homemade Granola with fresh fruit, both are very satisfying. They have impressive scrambles such as the one that is shown below, which is the Chicken Cilantro Sausage and Fontina Cheese Omelet(so absurdly good), or the Spinach, Goat Cheese, Avocado and Shiitake Mushroom Omelet which is a work of art to look at. And, to top it all off, their french toast with strawberries and real maple syrup is a safe bet if you can't decide between all the delicacies.



The great thing about King's Road Cafe is that you can sit down for a meal, or you can sit down for coffee and dessert, and the wait staff doesn't get annoyed with you for sticking around for a long time, or for ordering so little that a 40% tip would still only be two dollars (granted though tip them well... you'll see very quickly that their service merits it). Then, if you don't feel like sitting down, or know that you'll be sitting for such a short period of time that you'd like to pay up front, simply go to their second door from the corner and you'll find yourself in the cafe side. You can get all their coffee or food to go there, or even stick around at the counter or other tables inside and have a couple bites before you take off. Whenever we stop in like that my wife loves getting either a Mocha with their Chocolate Chip Pecan cookie, or a Chai Latte with their Oatmeal Raisin cookie.

A special note should also be made about their Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee as well as their Chocolate Ganche Torte, which are so yummy. Both of these sweet tooth pacifiers are delightful as a perfect way to end your meal or on it's own on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Come on down here and if you see a guy with a small crowd of people around him performing magic on a Sunday afternoon...you'll have spotted me.

Free Drink Refills: $1.00 for the coffee drinks, but soda's by the can
Entree Price Average: $7 to $10

George's Coffee Shop (For those early morning runs to LAX that I do so often)

5439 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 737-4238
Mon-Sat 6AM-3PM
Sun 6AM-2PM

As I hustle off from my desk I wanted to let you guys in a on little spot I hit when I have to head towards LAX. George's Coffee Shop has been at the same spot for about 30 years or so and the prices seem like they've barely changed.

It's owned by a cool older Korean couple that just serves up great breakfasts to the regulars who seem to have been going there for quite some time (most of the people chatted with them). Such a small thing to mention as well, but I loved the counter in the center of the room. Just cool.



What you are looking at above cost us $12 and some change and came out in record time (another plus for heading to the airport). Their 2+2+2 (shown above as well) was only $3.65 and was as close to home cooked as you could make it. My eggs and spam (I grew up on it... so sue me) was tasty and not too heavy either. Something about this place just makes me want to go back. Probably a culmination of price and homeyness. Possibly due to the fact that I grew up on the East Coast (Connecticut and New York) and places over there like this flourish so widely and are super affordable... just like this place. You can quote me as saying this place is a little "Nostalgic". My post wouldn't be complete without saying that they also bring some Korean plates to the menu that are very welcomed such as a Bulgogi Omelet and stir fried veggies. They also have a pretty darn good cup of coffee. Now, after all isn't that what should be pretty darn good at a coffee shop?

Free Drink Refills: No (unless of course you get the coffee)
Entree Price Range: Thinking off the top of my head I remember that nothing was over $6...how could I forget something like that?!

Yonni's

1714 N. Wilcox
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 962-1020
Mon-Fri 9AM-9PM
Sat-Sun 10AM-9PM

Yonni's was a great find for a couple of reasons. One, for the fact that it's so close to Hollywood Blvd where we catch lots of shows, from standup and improv at the IO, to small theatre such as the Paul Gleason theatre, [Inside] the Ford and some other random small theatres that pop up around the area. We just so happened to catch one such play that was lots of fun at [Inside] the Ford called "The Defenders" (basically a wild spoof on The Avengers show from the 60's) that evening. Two, is that for as many places as there are to eat on or close to Hollywood Blvd., most of them are just downright bad for you to the point of being a little scared to eat or too expensive. Yonni's is a safe haven from all of that. So if you're close to the Capitol Building end of Hollywood and you don't want to cripple your colon or are tired of sushi, here's a good (and good for you) place to go.

Looking like your small run of the mill coffee shop but with a little more love in it and a hint of Pari, Yonni's has a lot to offer in great simple flavors. Great coffee and tasty sanwiches are their specialty but they also have personal size pizzas that are awesome and pasta if you want something a little more hearty. Their burgers are somethign special as well as they have a bit more flavor and high quality ingredients to them than just your average everyday burger. Take the turkey burger which has barbeque sauce in it. The burger, the tomato, cheddar cheese, romaine lettuce and this super tasty sauce...some how it would seem that each item was picked to blend in harmony with each other. Top it off with their side salad with vinaigrette and you have a small way to break up the day and to save your stomach. They also have healthy breakfast items that will also help pop those tired eyes right open.



While parking is always an issue on Hollywood Blvd. I would say go here if you're already in the neighborhood or work near there. When I was inside of this place I was just reminded of just how the attention to details really steps up such a common thing as a cafe. Yonni's is a small place in a very big town and in perhaps the largest part of it...hopefully this underdog will stay afloat.

Free Drink Refills: Coffee is .50 for a refill and sadly soda by the can
Entree Price Range:$5 to $7