LA Toasts...... Pilot Free and Roaming Wild

Admittedly, for a dog friendly breakfast guide, I am not off to a great start by picking LA as my first place to post about, because we took our trip without Pilot; and therefore didn't ask (nor care) whether we could eat in with him or not. However, there were some wonderful spots in LA, with great food, that I thought were worth including. LA also seemed incredibly dog friendly in general, with people bring their dogs into most places (admittedly some snuck inside via a large handbag), and, with the ability to eat outside for most of the year without freeing, LA was almost inherently dog friendly. So, here we go. Coast Beach Café and Bar, Shutter Hotel- Santa Monica

When we first found this place, our initial thoughts were that we had picked the wrong hotel to stay in. This hotel was directly on the beach, very picturesque (imagine an East Hamptons Beach House that looks quaint and local owned but actually costs millions and is owned by a developer), and their breakfast was really lovely. Our hotel, on the other hand, was under construction. We ate outside in their garden terrace, whilst still having a view of the beach. The service was very fast, efficient, polite, and American-style. The only complaint we could level were the other UK tourists nearby and the fact that we ordered way too much food and didn't have room for tacos at lunch, which was quite a tragedy.

The food was very classic in style- no particular interesting surprises, and the menu looked like any relatively upscale hotel breakfast, but, everything was delicious (even the egg white omelette, which is a feat in something that contains kale and omits yolk), the atmosphere was lovely, calming and pleasant; and the staff were wonderful.

We ordered the egg-white omelette with kale and mushrooms (yes, I know, but when in LA.... go native), Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes, which were probably the highlight, coffees and an orange juice. The cappuccino was excellent, strong but not bitter, the juice was nice but nothing special, the omelette was very good considering its healthy omittances, and the pancakes tasted like a lemon- poppy seed muffin, which I consider a plus.

We sat, enjoyed the view, and took our time. I regret only going once during our trip.

Sweet Maple- Santa Monica

Apparently, this is an SF chain, which we didn't realize until after we sat down to eat; but despite the vaguely corporate interior, an vast menu, it didn't feel particularly like one. The menu was huge though, with an Asian fusion theme. If you want noodles or kimchi for breakfast, this is the place (or almost everything else because they pretty much had it all).

However, we ordered neither. Their claim to fame is something called 'Millionaire's Bacon,' which is giant American-style bacon with maple syrup and spices; which we did try. R disagrees, but I didn't find it particularly impressive, especially compared with their other dishes. It tasted nice: like bacon with maple syrup on it, but for $15, I would rather just order regularly bacon and add the syrup on it myself. We also ordered soufflé eggs which were good, they had a fluffy texture, but not particularly memorable. The clear highlight was a Croffle (croissant waffle) with Burrata and blueberries.

I don't know if it was the novelty of getting to eat Burrata for breakfast, but it was a unique combination that really worked. The fact that the Croffle was a pastry hybrid, barely registered in comparison to that. Although, it wouldn't be amiss to describe the dish as similar to a croissant-sandwich with added jam for sweetness.

Surprisingly, what let this place down for me, was their incredibly service. I am not being sarcastic either- the waiters were on it. They were so quick and efficient, we barely had time to order before they were already bringing over our drinks. It may sound petty to complain about the service being too fast, but honestly, we barely had time to eat without a plate being cleared, or have even the beginnings of an awkward conversation before we were interrupted.

In the scheme of things, too efficient service at a restaurant is a minor inconvenience at best, and I would definitely go back to try some of the other items on the menu that we missed.

Tartine- Santa Monica (noticing a theme..? Hungry breakfasters do not roam far)

Here, I can actually attest to at least the outdoor area being dog friendly. We sat outside at a picnic table next to a beautiful golden doodle, with long lashes that reminded me of a giant version of Pilot. He was very cute, and patiently let the pet-sick touch him and give him attention. I know Pilot would happily forage around our table for crumbs here, straining on his lead to greet other dogs, whilst we ate our breakfast.

I really liked this place- food was served sort of cafeteria style: You snacked across a long counter of pastries and food on display before placing your order, and waiting at a table for them to bring it over. The atmosphere was relaxed, with a lovely large outdoor area full of seating. The interior was lovely too. The building appeared to be an old church converted into a café, which meant there were high vaulted ceilings. One very obvious benefit to being in LA over New York or London seems to be the space- outdoor restaurant areas are massive, as are interiors. I did not feel cramped or crowded once here whilst going out to eat, which is definitely something more common in NY or London.

We ordered a fruit tart, a smoked salmon tartine and a citrus and burrata tartine. All were good, but the smoked salmon was my favourite. The smoked salmon was some of the best smoked salmon I have ever had. We also had high hopes for the citrus and burrata tartine, but it tasted more interesting (and looked pretty) than anything else. Although I didn't try it, a friend had the turkey club, which she said was amazing.

The only disappointing thing I ordered was the coffee- I wanted to try their morning bun latte (meant to taste like one of their pastries) because I am a sucker for sweet sounding coffee drinks, and I did not like it. It tasted closer to orange liqueur than coffee, and I ended up not finishing it.

I would come back for the Smoked Salmon, and the dog sightings...

Urth Caffe- Santa Monica

In theory, I am not sure this place should make the list at all. We visited this place on our last morning in Santa Monica before moving to Venice for the remainder of our stay. Was the food good? Yes. Would I recommend it to others if they asked? Yes. But, would I say you needed to go out of your way to try this place if you weren't in the area? Probably not.

I have a huge amount of affection for this place, and I am not entirely sure why, except for the fact that the atmosphere was really lovely, especially for a coffee chain. The place had a Mediterranean-Italian ambiance, with interior tiles, plant life, and outdoor tables with umbrellas and heat lamps. They also had items on their menu such as pistachio lattes, Nutella pastries as well as more stereotypical American offerings: steal-cut oatmeal, French Toast, etc. The menu was absolutely massive- which came as a surprise, because the place looked like they wouldn't serve more than pastries. I really enjoyed sitting here, people watching, and listening to the buzzy atmosphere. The food was decent, not particularly stand out, but satisfying. The coffees were massive (always a plus in my book), strong, but not too strong. We also ordered an omelette (good), a blueberry muffin (not amazing, a little dry, but we still ate it) and Huevos Rancheros ( decent if not particularly authentic). If you are noticing a theme..... We definitely ordered way too much food.

It was clear that this place was a local hangout for many- there were a lot of people queuing up for their morning coffees, coming to meet people for a catch up, or sitting with their laptops, pretending to get some work done. I would definitely return, order a massive cup of coffee and watch the Santa Monicans in fitness gear.