Diner Week: The Fountain Coffee Room...hidden for a reason

(Inside the Beverly Hills Hotel)
9641 Sunset Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90209
(310)276-2251
Everyday 7AM-7PM

To finish up this week, I'll be posting about a place that I have visited many times and have always wanted to write about. The Fountain Coffee Room at the Beverly Hills Hotel is a place that will remain as long as the Beverly Hills Hotel is around. It is also a place that some would describe as "where the locals go". Now, the locals in that neck of the woods are, as some may put it, "well to do". Do not let this discourage you. The food may be on the pricier side but rest assured it is food that is better than average by a good amount AND it's a small price to pay for some who love to eat amongst the stars... who eat here all the time. I have yet to show up and not see at least some actor, model or musician hanging out and chatting about. In fact, can you spot the actor in this picture above? He's there I promise.

First let me get to the nitty gritty. Their silver dollar pancakes are the junk. They don't play around when it comes to these hot cakes. They are some of the most consistent pancakes I've ever had in my life, and somehow I don't really know what makes them magical. They're fluffy and yet have some weight to them. I'd be hard pressed to find better batter to go with the syrup they serve it up with. By the way, the sausage in the background is veal sausage. Can you say, "Oh My"?

A classic breakfast that I enjoy treating myself to is hash and eggs. But, when I really want to treat myself to this dish I come here. Their hash is out of this world. Most people's hash is on the saltier side and lacks a tremendous amount of character or something that you can walk away remembering as special. Their's defies normalcy. It could pretty much be put between two pieces of bread and eaten straight up. The spices are a mystery to my palate, but if you're looking for something kick butt you should give this a whirl.

Small menu things to mention. The coffee is awesome, they have their own signature blend, and they always make sure you're getting the good part of the pot. "How" you might ask? They thow out the last quarter of each pot. The eggs with salmon caviar are an acquired taste but are great if you feel like waking up to fish. And, the shakes are classic, some of the best in town. You know how in Pulp Fiction they talk about the "Figh-dolla shake"? Well, their's is $5.50 and worth the extra 5o cents.

Parking is at your discretion. You can either feel rich and go the valet route, or you can just park on the streets surrounding the hotel which are 2 hour parking spots (not metered). When you go in the hotel's main entrance it's to your right and down the stairway. The Fountain Coffee Room will be right at the end of the small flight of steps. It's hidden from the prying eyes of most of LA, and the residents (that's right, people LIVE there) who usually go there love it that way.

This week has been fun. We've looked into a small window of diner culture in LA that has hopefully reminded many of you that the diner age has yet to completely be faded away by the trendy "impress me" attitude of LA.

PS. Apparently, I'm not the only one wanting to talk about diner love in LA. Here's this weeks article from Jonathan Gold on Du Par's.

Free Refills: No, get the coffee which IS because it's a mighty fine cup o' joe
Entree Price Ranges: breakfast plates start at $8.50 and can hit $22 if you get extravagant, for the 2 of us we put out about $35 or a little more + tip