Royal/T Cafe: Fusion Cafe, Shop, Art Space – CLOSED

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Stoli The Foodie

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Royal/T Cafe is a restaurant/art gallery that celebrates Japan’s tea culture and is inspired by Tokyo’s maid cafes with the waitresses dressed in maid uniforms. A wide variety of teas are offered alongside Japanese influenced food with a California touch. The multi-purpose space is in a large warehouse with exposed trusses, wooden beams, industrial skylights and full-length wall display cases which create a unique vibe for the cafe as well events and art exhibits.

The five-year project is concluding and the Culver City space will be closing its doors sometime in Summer 2012. Fortunately, there will still be upcoming roaming special events, exhibits and pop-ups in the Los Angeles area. The venue’s final show, “The Art of Cooking,” will run April 27 through Aug. 1, 2012.

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La Provence Patisserie & Cafe– Casual French

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Stoli The Foodie

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La Provence Cafes bring a quaint French village culture to Los Angeles. From French macarons to paninis, you can’t go wrong with a visit here. The ambiance is casual and non-pretentious. It’s order at the counter and find an available seat style. The baked goods here are delectable (more on that later). The food is consistent and great. I’ve been coming to the Beverly Hills location since I was in middle school, nearly 15 years now. The portions are a good size at very affordable prices. I can generally get lunch for less than $15 which is great for Beverly/Brentwood.

I love the sandwiches and paninis at La Provence, they are served on baguettes that are nicely toasted on the outside and a bit soft on the inside–a nice crunchy panini. There is an option to get half a panini with soup, chili or salad so that’s what I usually go for. They also have one of my favorite soups in town, the country vegetable. It’s a pureed soup and tastes more like tomato soup, but that’s just how I like it. One of my favorite paninis is the Autogrill Special [pictured here], with prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato, basil and black olive tapenade ($10 + $1 with soup). My other favorite panini is the prosciutto with sauteed mushrooms, goat cheese and arugula.

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Larchmont Bungalow

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Stoli The Foodie

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Breakfast all day, like music to my ears! Larchmont Bugalow is located in the charming Larchmont village. The cafe is set up like a little country home with an antique coffee grinder displayed in the front window; an old school stove where you can get water and fix-ins for your coffee; a living room area with a fireplace and couch; a patio area in the back with additional seating. At the counter you see the delicious assortment of muffins and other baked goods they offer, such as macarons, cupcakes, cakes… You order at the counter and sit wherever there is room available.

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Bird Pick Tea & Herb

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Stoli The Foodie

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With the closing of two of my favorite zen tea places in LA– Zen Zoo & T-Salon– I’ve been on the lookout for a new tea destination. I recently tried the tea at Bird Pick and it definitely fits the bill, though it does not have the organic food options like the Zen Zoo once did and is not quite as close to West LA as I would like. I visited the location at the Westfield Culver City Mall (the old Fox Hills Mall).

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