Ritz Bites

Plenty of Grist for LA Mill Coffee

LA Mill will get people talking. To locals who dread the gentrification of Silver Lake, there's plenty to loathe. To folks who love top notch, exactingly made coffee and tea with simple honesty and sincerity, it offers reason to celebrate and a few things to be confused about. To people who love killer eclectic design matched with great drink and food, they -- o.k., WE -- will be excited. The national food press will inevitably be all over it. 

Think hybrid of Boule, Whist, Intelligentsia, and the long-gone Velvet Turtle coffee shop at the Beverly Wilshire. In contrast to the coffee salon at Sunset Junction that's awash in plywood, this is all slick polished expensive surfaces territory. The counter and faux-skin puffy chairs reference the comfort of 50s coffee shops, but I'm curious to see just how far that ethic goes. So far no wifi to encourage people to linger longer. Yet on opening day, customers were slowly soaking in the atmo and slurping down goodies from the extensive menu.

Andy might be onto something when he suggested a striking writer was hired to flesh out the very elaborate copy. At LA Mill you can order an espresso knowing exactly what it is, and read all about the subtle nuances of the teas and coffees, or that Thomas Keller-esque concoction you are about to enjoy. It's a wordy kind of place.

Lesley posted a good roundup of the decor. Honestly, though, aren't people going to tire of Regency soon enough already? Maybe the gorgeous sheets of floor-to-ceiling glass and action behind the counter will continue to dazzle when the appeal of French Poussin-inspired gray toned wallpaper and Dutch style brass chandeliers lose their kitschy cool.

Eager customers who showed up on Friday were lucky enough to get free stuff. Those of us who got there late missed out on food, save for the lone baguette, and a couple of Smurf blue colored macarons. But the cappuccino was silky smooth, with less acidity (in a good way) than Intelligentsia. To make sure that tea is steeped just so, an hourglass is placed in front of you so you can plunge the leaves into the pot at the right moment. Coffee also comes prepped via the Clover, Eva Solo, and Chemex apparatuses.

Though some might fear it, Intelligentsia won't get usurped from its rightful place within the Silver Lake hipster habitat. With its plentiful uniformed staff, use of words like "couture" and "boutique," and grown-up crowd, LA Mill could be as far west as La Cienega. At least. But with a much more down-to-earth, relaxed vibe. Expect to see bridal and baby showers happening beneath the baroque mirrors any day now.

LA Mill Coffee Boutique
1636 Silver Lake Blvd., 90026
323.663.4441

Quick Bites: Comme Ça, Oinkster and Seven Grand

For afternoons when it takes me forever to get out of the house and we miss lunch at most restaurants, Comme Ça comes in handy. Daylight is kind to the space. White vinyl tufted booths and high contrast decor elements demonstrate the waning yet persistent influences of the Hollywood Regency revival trend. There is not a single remaining trace of Noura, the Middle Eastern place we'd go for yogurt Push-Up pops almost every day after elementary school.

Very limited offerings at 3:30 meant just sandwiches and salads were available, plus amazingly smooth Malpeque oysters served with a perfect tangy mignonette sauce. I would've liked the $12 frisée aux lardons much, much more if all the bacon pieces were crispy. Instead I wound up with a pile of mushy pig fat. Who wants to eat that? But like everyone says, this is a restaurant L.A. has needed for a LONG time, so I'll inevitably give it another shot.

For less than half of what we spent on a modest lunch/snack at Comme Ça, we stuffed ourselves with meat sandwiches, salads, and fries at Oinkster in Eagle Rock. An apples and oranges comparison, but let's say Oinkster is far better suited to an early Sunday dinner for two families with young kids. James kept screaming for more aioli -- so much so that the other patrons were glad when we left. I didn't know that would be so popular with the tot set.

And last but not least: After the research I did about the history and previous tenants of 515 West 7th Street,  it was exciting to finally see the quirky new inhabit the old at the Seven Grand Bar.

Black, white and red all over: Murano on Melrose

The days of ticky tacky newspaper decoupages that plastered the walls at 9010 Melrose Avenue near Doheny are a distant memory.  That's because the large space has been a revolving door of restaurants since the West coast outpost of Cafe Figaro closed sometime in the late 80s or early 90s.  The latest incarnation, an urbane bar/lounge called Murano, is the most extreme design tabula rasa yet.

All the major elements get a check in the "it totally works" box: thin metal alloy piers that modulate the facade, contrasting spotless white surfaces and ebonized floors, a few silver glitter-slathered walls, comfy chairs, and Lucite bar stools.  Best are the dramatic scarlet and black glass lighting fixtures that honor the restaurant's namesake.  Think upscale South Beach and Palm Springs -- a smattering of alter-kakers included.  But the ten lively WeHo boys in our group who were there to celebrate a friend's birthday (plus me and the hubby) were more the target audience. 

A panzanella centered around polenta with heirloom tomatoes, cubes of cucumbers, plus a bit of burrata topped with microgreens needed streamlining.  (On a related note, I must stop confusing panzanella with anchovy-dressed Roman puntarelle!)  In an effort to bring all our main courses at once, the flat iron steak arrived lukewarm; the meat was a little tough and even for me too salty, but the potato galette and pile of spinach were extremely satisfying.  Both dishes, however, seem like they're stuck in the time when Balsamic vinegar was the most exciting Italian ingredient to hit our shores since Parmesan and olive oil, and kitchens everywhere were reducing it by the gallon.  I liked the clean white fish served next to a generous pile creamy leeks.  Murano's portions are generous, plus the Veuve and pinot grigio were flowing heavily enough to somehow eliminate interest in dessert.  We all took small bites of a cute little flourless chocolate cake.

There's a nice specialty cocktail menu, but the wine list isn't terribly interesting.  We're also in $14 cocktail territory here.  Really?  $14?  When did that price become OK outside of a hotel bar, especially for drinks without fresh squeezed juices?

Criticisms aside, it was the most fun group dinner in recent memory (which, admittedly, I generally hate), mostly because of the company.  But I can't discount the setting.  If we go back, it'll be to enjoy the slick-as-a-mofo room in daylight for brunch. 

Murano
9010 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood 90069
310.246.9118

Photo from Citysearch.