A bit hard to find if you don't know what you're looking for, but once you pass Maple (or Foothill, depending on the direction you're coming from), slow down and look for the valet stand, and you're there. Unless you want to hunt down some rather rare street parking. I didn't have too much trouble on a Sunday afternoon during the brunch hour.
Once inside, you are in a veritable rich-folk paradise; pardon my ghetto roots. Plush couches, swanky decor, gorgeous, breezy patio, and elevated menu with a price to match. $18 cocktails, $22 burgers, and $34 steak frites aside, (just warning you about those prices so you come prepared), the food is pretty darn amazing, if a bit overpriced. But hey! It's Beverly Hills.
They have a plentiful selection of cocktails, wines, beer, and straight spirits by the glass or the bottle, depending on the depth of your pocketbook. While a bit pricier than other such establishments, I would recommend starting with either one of their interesting cocktails or a glass of wine, as you won't often find such quality outside of a place like this. I started with the French Can Can, a sweet, smooth, and delicious effervescent cocktail made with Nolet Gin, Peach Vanilla Syrup, Lychee, and St. Germain Charcoal Foam. If you're looking for something more adventurous, and happen to have had a rough night, I would go with their Morning After cocktail made with Bacon-infused Woodinville Bourbon, Blueberry Jam, Egg Yolk, Cream, Cinnamon, and Brioche Crumbs. Yes, it is one crazy cocktail, but great if you need something other than coffee to wake you up and get rid of the sluggishness.
The food menu offers a great variety of options to please every palate; I dare say, there is nothing boring on this menu. Flatbreads, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, fish, and yes, fancy desserts. Since I came for dineLA to get more bang for my buck, my choices were more limited, but the options offered are also on their menu.
I started my meal with the Bianca Flatbread- which smells like BO from someone who's been working in the sun too long. But if you're a cheese-lover, you might like it. I think mine had been sitting out a little longer than necessary because the cheese was harder than melty when it got to my table.
For my entree, I ordered the Croque Monsieur, one of my favorite French breakfast foods. It's basically a piece of toast with melted cheese, ham, beschamel sauce, and if you want to turn it into a Croque Madame, you can add an egg for $4. Unlike some Croque Monsieurs, this one had some heft to it, so I'll forgive them for it being on the colder side of lukewarm. It also comes with a side of crispy fries, which I thought had the perfect amount of crisp to them.
Dessert consisted of beignets, which is a simple fried dough dusted with powdered sugar. These come with three dipping sauces: caramel, strawberry, and chocolate. Tiny though they are, after a meal like the one you're likely to have, no more is necessary. The chocolate one had a saltiness I really liked.
The damage for my meal came out to about $50, including tip, but that's only because I was here during dineLA, which cuts the brunch items down to $25 before tax and tip. You can probably imagine how much more it would have been, otherwise. One downside I would say this place has is the wait times for your food. I waited quite a while for every part of my meal, and none of it came out tasting fresh. Considering there was only one other group in the restaurant besides me, I don't think it was that they were understaffed. read more