Kat's 9 Lives

Poilane is a Parisian landmark full of rich history.  The original location is close to Saint-Sulpice.  It's a must for anyone who goes to Paris.  I often think about the pan au chocolat!
Be sure to go early in case they run out.  In the past, they would run out of the croissants but I feel that now they have established themselves further that even if you go later in the day you will be able to find some goodies.  Having a tasty treat while you prepare to spend the luxurious day in Paris is the only way to live!
Normally I come down this way when I want to hit all the goodies in this area.  I come out to shop at Le Bon Marché for their high end groceries.  You can find many splendors from all over France in one place.  Don't forget Pierre Hermé near Saint-Sulpice for the delectable French sweets.  I love their macarons and the mille fueille.
Originally Poilane is known for their bread.  Ms. Lin Guide has had the bread before and only think they are okay so I never bothered to try the breads.  The designs on their bread often changes and I find it endearing that they call them "cushions".
They had me at their buttery flaky croissants.  Be sure to get one or a couple of each.  We always bring some on the plane and home.  It's rare that you get them fresh and hot out of the oven because I like to toast my pan au chocolat for the melty goodness.
The reason I knew about Poilane was from a fellow blogger and he recommended me to try the shortbread cookies called punitions.  They are light in taste but nothing I would say that blows my mind.  I come back often for only the croissants.  Of course there are many items to check out and maybe one day I will try everything.
All in all Poilane is a must.  If you are true foodie, then you must come here for a taste... and bring me back something! lol

Poilane
8 Rue du Cherche-Midi 
Paris, France 
+33 1 45 48 42 59

After hearing all the hype about Little Skillet, I thought it was about time I ventured out and tried Little Skillet. It's literally across the street so I was hoping to find a new favorite spot that's convenient and delicious. At least that is what I hoped. Maybe I had too high of an expectation, which led to a great fall. I thought they had huge potential when I saw the line waiting for their food. As you walk down the alley to a quaint window that was just so picturesque. It almost feels like there should be a pie cooling on the window sill. The staff were very friendly when they took my order.
Couldn't miss the chance to snap a quick pic of the inner works. You can clearly see they have a very clean kitchen and work with the small space they have. I love their little sign that points to where you should order. If you have never been down this little street, you just might miss them.
The first sign that this meal might not turn out the way I had hoped was the Hibiscus drink. Everyone online raved about it so Ms. Lin definitely wanted to buy one to try. Maybe it's just personal flavor but I didn't quite like the flavor. It was more bitter and had that dry after taste than anything else. I have had hibiscus before but not pure juice, so maybe I don't like it so potent.
They were out of some specials, which I guess was a blessing in disguise. I decided to only get the 3 pc Chicken & Waffles. Here they use free range petaluma chicken. I thought the chicken was a bit dry and that there was nothing special about their batter. Since the apt is really close, it is convenient to walk back and dig in without losing the essence of the food. Maybe the few mins it took to get back made a difference, but the chicken wasn't that crispy and the waffle was a little soggy. Sure, hot food can make a big difference but there really isn't any place people can sit and eat on the spot. The walk back is so close that the food was still hot but apparently it can't hold up? Or maybe it just comes that way. Either way, not worth the $9.50 I spent.
Another thing that people rave about here were their Angel Biscuits with Sausage Gravy. This was the worst thing IMHO because that is not a good biscuit! I expect biscuits to have layers that really melt in your mouth. Here, I felt it was tough and chewy. Having just been to Animal in Los Angeles, I can't help but compare the difference. At Animal they offer a delicious biscuit with maple sausage gravy and a nicely seared chunk of foie gras on top. **drool drool** A million times better! For $5, their biscuit was sorely disappointing. I would rather use that money to eat a nice flaky biscuit at KFC.
All in all, I definitely won't be back any time soon. When people ask me where is a good breakfast place in SF, I make sure to say not here. Sorry, there are many better places to eat in SF and this is definitely not one of them.

Little Skillet
360 Ritch St
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 777-2777

It's about time for me to try the infamous Canteen for breakfast/brunch. Ms. Lin, Trekkie, and I had this place on our list so we had to make a trip out. You know a place must be special if Ms. Lin and I are willing to wake up early for food on a weekend! lol It must have been our lucky day because everyone else was out celebrating and there were parades all around town. There wasn't anyone standing outside waiting and I was able to put my name down immediately. It's a tiny cozy restaurant where you can choose to sit at the bar to get a full diner experience or in the cozy booths. Usually people will have to wait a while before getting a seat since they don't have that many seats but we were able to get a seat within 20 mins. While you wait you can always visit the Academy of Art University adjacent to Canteen. It actually seems like a dorm and I must say the students are lucky to have good food close by, unlike the typical "dorm" food most of us had to endure.
The good and bad thing about us together is that we enjoy food but we tend to over order. O=p Nothing wrong with being greedy, right? lol Our table was not overflowing or anything... There were a bunch of menu items that sounded interesting to try. I really wanted A Big Pancake with Strawberries and Vanilla Sauce. This actually turned out to be the best dish of the morning. It's not your typical pancake. The pancakes is more dense but still maintains the airiness of a fluffy pancake. I like how the center is slightly chewy to add more texture. The light delectable flavor of vanilla really paired well with the pancake. This reminded me of the pancake at The Original Pancake House, but better flavor.
They are supposedly known for their French Toast, so we got the Blueberry French Toast with Sweet Cream Cheese. There are 4 slices of toast, which is a very generous portion. I thought there was a bit too much blueberry sauce that started to over power the toast. That is where the sweet cream cheese comes in to balance out the heavy blueberry sauce. Still, there was definitely a bunch of blueberries swimming freely in the pool of sauce. Overall the toast was nicely coated and cooked to perfection. The outer layer was crisp and soft in the center. Doesn't the picture make you drool? It's a solid French toast for breakfast.
Enough of the sweet stuff, we need some savory dishes to balance out all the sweetness. The Corned Beef Benedict really hit the spot. Thick cuts of corned beef slathered with a thick creamy sauce on top of the nicely poached egg. With one swipe of the fork you would pierce the soft flesh of the egg causing the yolk to drizzle out. Everything came together nicely. The potatoes were nicely flavored. I seriously thought about usurping the entire dish for myself. Darn sharing! lol I like the different layers with their different textures that keeps your mouth guessing. Beforehand, I would never say that I am a fan of Eggs Benedict but I am going to add it to my repertoire now.
Being as greedy as we are, we had to get a fourth dish. I didn't want to be fussy so I let them choose... wrong choice! Next time I am going to speak up more =P We ordered the Fish Hash with Potatoes, Curry, and a Poached Egg. This dish was a mess in my opinion. I don't think the curry really worked with the fish hash and potatoes. The dry pieces of fish lost all flavor of the fish and its natural texture. I gladly gave up my share of this dish.
All in all it was a nice brunch. Would I say it is worth a long wait? Mehh! I did enjoy the pancake and I think it was the best thing in the morning followed by the eggs benedict. You can get these in most places so I am not sure that I would want to wait long. Still, I think Canteen is definitely worth the try and it wasn't a let down like some of the other breakfast places where I lined up for over an hour. I can see why people like this place. It does have a certain ambiance and charm to the whole place. We all enjoyed ourselves and were super delighted that we didn't have to wait long. Here's a secret, there are spots of free parking! Get them fast before the city takes them all away and gouge you for the fee! lol

Canteen
817 Sutter St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 928-8870

Us crazy girls decided last minute that we would take a quick trip to Vegas. We left at 4 AM in the morning and started heading out. I was planning to sleep in the car but we just ended up singing and chatting for the longest time. This really did not help my health as I was really sick but c'est la vie! There was no traffic in the middle of the night and got there early in the morning. I suggested that we go to Bouchon in the Venetian for breakfast. Last time I was staying at the Venetian, I attempted to go but the room had the wrong information on their hours. Bouchon does not offer reservation for breakfast. It is a first come first serve basis. There was a 10-15 minute wait and a waiting area where we sat down and took more funny pictures. Of course I spent the whole time photographing the dining room with a few funky exceptions. O=9 Their interior decor was very old school. It gave me the nostalgic classy Parisian vibe that suited the ambiance.
At first we opted to sit outside but it was quite nippy. Don't worry, before we went in I made sure to take enough pictures first. Even the staff sort of mocked us for being weak and moving back in. =( lol I was very sick and didn't want to risk getting worse so it seemed like the best move. The garden pool is across the courtyard. If it isn't cold outside, then I would recommend sitting there enjoying the ambiance and view.
Chef Keller's restaurants have a very unique way of serving bread. Many of them serve the fresh bread by plopping it onto your table. They also brought us Strawberry Preserves and Butter. I have to say the bread was delicious. It's simple goodness. Maybe I was starving from staying up all night, but I really loved the combination of strawberry and butter. This definitely started the morning out right. I know it might sound weird to say that it was light and refreshing when butter is involved but this will keep me smiling for a while.

So here is where things started going South... the first lady was super sweet and nice but our server... well that is a whole other story. There were barely any females working there except the hostess. The men were not very friendly or competent at times. While we were waiting for our food, suddenly a staff dropped this plate onto our table and left abruptly without saying anything. We all looked at each other and questioned what this was. TP and Veggie Girl each ordered a Baguette with Nutella and Scrambled Eggs. What was plopped on our table looked like a croissant. I was trying to make up some false reasoning that this is a "modern" baguette... lol They thought that they messed up their orders and I actually fought for them because I wouldn't think they did. I was wrong... we asked the server and he completely messed up that simple order. The funny thing was when he took our order he whipped out this leather bound notepad and wrote down the order in a serious manner. Quite hilarious.
The whole ordeal somehow ended with them accidentally bringing us another croissant we didn't order. lol It turned out to be Chocolate Almond Croissants. This was actually pretty good, but very sweet. The croissant was buttery and flaky. I liked how it was layered with a layer or chocolate and a nice layer of sweet almond butter-like substance. This reminded me of the Magic Bars sold in Nordstrom, but in croissant form. I really should have went back to pick up some more yummy pastries before I left Vegas. The baguette with nutella was a little bit different from what TP and Veggie Girl expected, but at least we got something good out of it? Well at least I liked the croissant. O=p
My order was not messed up so I wasn't as perturbed of the whole mess. I decided to bite the bullet and try the Chicken and Waffles, which was $26. It's an interesting high end take on a classic dish. Here it comes with Roasted Chicken accompanied with a Bacon and Chive Waffle. The sauces were Tahitian Vanilla Bean Butter and sauce Chasseur. What really caught my eye was the bacon and chive waffle. How can you ever say no to bacon? Perish the thought! The roasted chicken was flavorful and cooked to perfection. I enjoyed the savory flavor by itself and even combining will all the components. The waffle was solid and fluffy.
TP and Veggie Girl thought the combination of chicken and waffles was crazy, but I like mixing savory and sweet. Each of the components could stand alone in taste and flavor. When combining them, something goes amiss. Still, I enjoyed everything. The sauce Chasseur didn't really work for me, but I liked the sweet syrup to add to the savory flavors. I would definitely recommend this dish and order it again. Not sure if it is quite worth the price, but then again this is Bouchon and Vegas. When in Rome.
All in all it was better than I thought it would be. Even though there were a few snafus, nothing tremendously bad happened that would overtake the importance of food. Luckily the food was good enough for me to overlook most things. I wish there was a Bouchon bakery closer to where I live. Come to think of it, I can always drive to LA now for some nice pastries. I am glad this was a much better experience than the Bouchon in LA. Maybe they are better for pastries and breakfast/brunch. =)

Bouchon
3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 414-6200

I am doing a rush post on The Bazaar because they are not going to serve brunch anymore apparently. This past weekend, 2/6/10, I was up at Burumun's place and she invited me to join her brunch. Since I have never been to The Bazaar I was eager to go and it seems like I would be able to try their brunch menu before it is gone. Burumun told me that it would end on 2/13/10. I might try to go again with Ms. Lin when she comes back this weekend. We will see. O=9 The restaurant is located inside the SLS Hotel in LA. Valet parking is $12 so if you can find street parking and it isn't raining take it. We joked about how the money she spent on valet could have bought another breakfast dish! lol They have a really unique decor inside. There seems to be a bar area that had a vibrant light amongst the dark decor. They have very unique paintings and artwork all around. It even looked like there was a display area of art to right, away from the dining area. As we were led to the dining area the decor was a lot different. They have a counter area opposite to the outside seating area. Everything was nice and had an elegant feel.
We looked over the breakfast menu and debated about ordering the brunch tasting menu, sadly they didn't have the tasting menu that day. Since it was my first time, I was debating on ordering stuff from all over the menu. Luckily Burumun was there to order almost one of everything on the brunch menu to try. I support her reasoning that this would be our last chance, I'm a good enabler. O=9 We both got the Air Bread with Smoked Salmon. The bread is stuffed with Tzatziki Yogurt. You are suppose to eat it before the temperature of the yogurt changes. The bread was crispy and hollow, filled with the yogurt. When you bite in, a burst of flavor enhances the smoked salmon. It was good, but I am not sure about $5 a bite... but then again this is The Bazaar.
The 12 Tiny Eggs Sunny Side Up seemed very interesting. I wondered if they would be quail eggs since 12 normal eggs on a platter would be enormous. There was a funny disclaimer on the bottom that said Andy Garcia not included. Underneath the egg was grilled rice. On top of the egg was bits of bacon. The dish looked very unique and it was light in taste.
I really enjoyed the Tortilla de Patatas "New Way". It was not exactly what I thought it would be. This is also $5 each. They brought out a stone with an egg shell glued on top. At first I thought to myself, "Oh no! Why did I order this?" It was not what I imagined it to be. The description was Potato Foam, Egg 63, and Caramelized Onions. I thought this was going to be potatoes and eggs in a tortilla since it was in the title. Instead it is a smooth and extremely delectable layers of ingredients that you mix together to consume. Not sure if it was onions or potato crisps on top, but they really enhanced the smooth texture. I was mesmerized and impressed by the taste of the egg and combination of the potato foam that I am still talking about it to people. Almost got another order because it was so good, but I wanted to wait until all the dishes arrived before ordering another round. This is something I wish they would keep on their menu.
The Eggs Benedict "New Way" with a choice of Fermin Serrano Ham or Fermin Iberico Ham was good as well. When the dish came out, all I could see was the yummy ham. It made me really nostalgic for all the delicious jamon, ham, I had in San Fermin or anywhere in Spain. They actually cooked the ham and made it like bacon. For those of you who follow me, you know I am a HUGE bacon fan. Mmmm goodness. ^_^ The Brioche Toast on the bottom looked fabulous and was nicely toasted. On top was a soft poached egg and finally the piece de la resistance, two types of ham. This was probably the best dish, not including individual pieced snacks, on the breakfast side. All the components on this dish came together nicely and would still be delectable if eaten separately.
To my surprise, the Greek Yogurt Parfait with Mixed Berries was actually very tasty. The yogurt was very thick and had a subtle sweetness. I didn't have a spoon to taste it with and the thick consistency allowed me to scoop with a fork without dripping. This was like a Panna Cotta. In fact, they offer this as a dessert too so you can always get this again in the future. I actually really enjoyed the taste and texture of the yogurt. If it wasn't $12 for a small cup, I would definitely consider eating a few orders of this. They should think about selling this in containers. It would be nice to have this as a light snack or dessert every day. ^_^
One thing that caught my eye on the menu was the Foie Gras Sandwiches on Brioche buns with Quince paste. How could you ever go wrong with delicious foie gras? Sadly this was not seared foie gras but terrine style. Not sure why but this took forever to come out when all the ingredients inside should be already made. Guess they must have been making the bread or something to take most of the meal to serve this dish. There are 3 cute little sandwiches. I let Burumun have a few bites and she enjoyed it. Overall the taste and combination of ingredients were good. I thought the brioche bun was a bit on the dry side. Normally foie gras with quince is really good so I wasn't too surprised or impressed with this dish, but I am glad I ordered it to try it.
While we were sitting and waiting for the last few dishes to come out, Burumun added the Pisto. It's suppose to be a Vegetable Stew with Egg 63. The dish looked like a vegetable stir fry really with a soft poached egg on top. You are suppose to break the egg and mix the yolk thoroughly with all the vegetables. Don't know if this really counts as a stew since this wasn't a soup, it was still a mixture of cooked vegetables. The vegetables were nicely seasoned and good.
After a long long wait the Olive Oil Pancakes with Maple Syrup and Mixed Berries finally arrived. The server was surprised that we hadn't gotten some of our dishes... he obviously was not on top of things, even though it was not busy. We had to remind him that we were still missing dishes. When we ordered he told us that the pancakes taste like butter but without the fat. Boy! was he not kidding! It was super buttery in taste. Burumun even said that she felt like she would have a heart attack after eating this. After I took a bite, I could understand why. There is also some olive oil butter on top to glisten it further. The center of the pancakes was more moist and bursted with olive oil flavor. *shudders* This was a bit much for my taste, even though the pancake had a nice texture. The flavor was just too overpowering.
Last but not least, well... actually... maybe it was... My order of Buñuelos, Codfish Fritters served with Honey Alioli. The best part of this dish was the alioli sauce. I like the subtle sweetness mixed in with the garlic. They were nicely fried but the codfish was way too salty. It felt like the fish was already brined or salted and then mixed into the batter. I thought this would be a lighter dish, like shredded fish & chips, and not taste like pickled herring. Blech! This dish actually had more pieces but I wished there was less so I didn't have to eat it. I swear, they must have been killing the fish and starting from scratch on this dish since it took a ridiculously long time for it to come out. The server was shocked that it hadn't come out and he was sort of apologetic but my goodness, this really offset the whole experience. What makes it worse is that this wasn't even worth the wait. I should have got more breakfast dishes.

All in all I actually really enjoyed the food despite the few incidences. The service wasn't that great. At first he seemed friendly but it ended up being inattentive. We waited for a long time in between and it seemed like they forgot about some dishes. It was a bit unorganized. The service wasn't so bad to the point that I would not come back. In the end it is all about the food really. I do think the food here has a unique and innovative twist that is worth trying. After all the hype that some critics have given this place, I have been very skeptical about how this place would be. I will definitely be back again soon, maybe one more visit before they stop brunch. lol O=)

The Bazaar
465 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 246-5555

I am so behind in posting about Break of Dawn nearby. They are a popular breakfast place tucked away behind the Laguna Hills Mall. Despite the location people are still able to find it. The first time I went to this place was with Tofu while he still lived in California. We all miss Tofu! Mango really wants him to move back. They have a simple decor/setup here. Most are wooden tables and it's quaint. The people are friendly and I am sure if you go often it would be a place where they know your name. I read somewhere that the chef here is from the Ritz Carlton. He decided to leave and start his own business with a different take on breakfast.
On my first visit I was exhausted and needed a pick me up so I decided to get their Vietnamese Iced Coffee. I was astonished about how small the drink is. We held up the knife to show the real height of the drink. For $3.50 it is pretty pricey, albeit a strong drink. I can get this easily for less and get more for the value, so I wouldn't order this again. Since this was my first visit I ordered a lot of things to try out. For the appetizer I chose Shrimp Egg Rolls because they sounded delectable. I wasn't too impressed as it was filled with a bunch of random ingredients. There were a lot of different vegetables and noodles inside that didn't compliment the shrimp or flavor well.
Tofu got Waffles for his dish, but it was not anything special. He would rather go to the Original Pancake House for his waffles. I think he wanted a traditional breakfast and I don't really think that this place is suited for that. If you want to come here, you should really try some of their more unique dishes. They really aren't breakfast breakfast because it is a lot heavier than what people normally eat.
He ordered a side order of their Sausage. Ironically he didn't really like it because it was not the type he thought it would be and I really enjoyed it. I bet he was hoping for an Italian sausage but this was an Asian sausage. It was sweet and savory at the same time. Tofu was probably not use to it and he just wanted a salty yet spicy breakfast sausage. Even though I really liked the sausage, I don't know if I can bring myself to pay $4-$5 for just one piece of sausage cut in half. I wished they had the option of a bigger order for a better price.
For my dish, I chose something more unique. After looking over the entire menu, I decided to get the BBQ Pork because it had one of the most unique components. It is a pulled pork with a Jalapeño Corn Cake, Tropical Slaw, and Tempura Egg. The pork was very nicely flavored and tender. I thought the corn cake was more like overdone hush puppies. It didn't work with the whole ensemble. The slaw helped balance and enhance the pork. Normally I don't really like eggs but I was really tempted to try out Tempura Eggs! I was astonished to see that the egg was still runny and moist inside. The outer texture was very crunchy and a nice contrast to the inside. It was worth the try and I ordered it again when Ms. Lin was around to show her this unique way of cooking eggs. I am always up for trying new innovative ways of cooking.
To end the meal, I wanted to try the Mini Coconut-Chocolate Crème Brûlée. I thought the price being $3, why not. It's really small. At first I was sad about the size but then I took a bite... uh no thanks. I wasn't a big fan of the flavor. Normally I love crème brûlée but I don't know if the combo of coconut and chocolate really work well together. The one good thing is that since it is so small the surface area for burnt sugar is much greater.
All in all it was an interesting breakfast and there were certain things I enjoyed. We happened to order some of the normal dishes. Overall they had some different dishes that you would not normally find in other breakfast places. I have come back since and brought some of my other family members and friends because it is different and not bad. My only qualm with the place is that it is a bit pricey for what you get. I am not really one to pay $25-$30 for breakfast... still I'd probably come back again with other people who have never been... or at least to show them the tempura egg. O=9
Break of Dawn
24351 Avenida De La Carlota
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
(949) 587-9418