Euro Pane Bakery
Sumi Chang’s bakery may be the center of civilized life in Pasadena: a place to buy excellent-to-superb scones and baguettes and pains au chocolat, of course, but also the heart of a certain sort of society, the Caltech professors, theology students and writers who worship at the twin altars of caffeine and conversation, a place where you are likely to bump into a zillion-dollar chef, a man who helped design the Mars rover, or the star of the play you saw last night at the Ahmanson. On a good day, Euro Pane’s magnificent croissants could be mistaken for France’s best in a police lineup, and, the natural-starter sourdough is superb. Toss in the homemade granola, the epochal bread pudding, the rustic fruit tarts and the gooiest egg-salad sandwich in town, and it’s no wonder that Europane’s regulars treat the bakery more as a permanent residence than as a café. 950 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 577-1828. Mon.-Sat. 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sun. till 3 p.m. No alcohol. Street parking. MC, V for orders over $10 only. California Bakery.
Anne Fishbein
A slice of Cut
Anne Fishbein
Cooking sharp, Octavio Becrra
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A Better Burger: Father’s Office II
The second Father’s Office is undeniably pleasant, a gastronomically inclined bar fitted into the eastern flank of the old Helms Bakery building, crowded with people who know the difference between a lager and a double IPA, flat screens discreetly flashing football scores in the corners, and long, lacquered-wood picnic tables stretching into the distance on the heated, vaguely nautical patio outside. You could spend a long Friday afternoon here, snacking on Spanish cheeses, glistening Spanish anchovies cured on the premises and dusted with lemon zest, and cumin-crusted skewers of lamb, which collapse in your mouth like a sigh. Chef-owner Sang Yoon is more or less the Los Angeles equivalent of David Chang, whose Ko in New York City sells out each day’s seating in less time than it takes to crack an egg, and Yoon could probably get away with serving his goat-cheese gratinée in telephone booths if he felt like it. As at the Santa Monica original, no reservations are taken, even if you happen to be Barack Obama or Paul Bocuse; no minors are allowed, and when you get to the restaurant, you may well spend the better part of an hour waiting outside on line. Creator of the most-imitated Los Angeles dish since Nancy Silverton reinvented an obscure Piedmontese dessert called panna cotta, Yoon is the baron of the new-style cheeseburger: dry-aged beef cooked exceptionally rare, dressed with onions cooked down to the sweetness of maple syrup, Gruyère and Maytag blue cheeses, smoky bacon, arugula and a tomato compote, all on a French roll. Is it worth the battle for a seat? The more Unibroue you drink, the easier the combat becomes. 3229 Helms Ave., L.A., (310) 815-9820, www.fathersoffice.com. Kitchen open Mon.-Thurs. 5-11 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. noon-mid; Sun. noon-10 p.m. Full bar. Lot parking. AE, MC, V. Patio. Nobody under 21 admitted. Also at 1018 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 393-BEER. Food served Mon.-Wed., 5-10 p.m.; Thurs., 5-11 p.m., Fri., 4-11 p.m., Sat., noon-11 p.m.; Sun., 3-10 p.m. 21 and over only. Beer and wine. Takeout. Difficult street parking. AE, M, V. California contemporary.
Flame
Even the quickest glance into Flame, the slick Iranian restaurant on the Tehrangeles stretch of Westwood Boulevard, reveals the shiny clay sphere at its heart, the tanor oven, source of some of the city’s finest flatbread. Regulars know that you can pretty much make a meal of this tanori bread, singed and still smoking, smeared with cold butter and wrapped around an onion, especially if you accompany it with the house’s panir sabzi platter: a big plate of fresh mint, lemony Persian basil and superpungent Persian tarragon, along with walnuts soaked in saltwater and a block of squeaky feta cheese. Much of the produce is organic, bought at farmers markets, and the restaurant is one of the few Iranian places in the area that serve halal food. You will find the usual bowls of yogurt-based white-garlic dip and the vinegary Iranian pickles called torshi, the usual stews — the pomegranate-walnut concoction called fesenjon, the vegetable/salted lime stew gormeh sabzi, and the tomatoey split peas called ghemeh. But Flame is basically a place to get kebabs — juicy skewers of ground chicken or marinated chicken breast, tartly mineral rack of lamb, shish kebab and fish kebab, and a wonderful kebab of cornish game hen, accompanied by enormous drifts of rice. Even at lunch, the customers tend to be better-dressed than they are anywhere this side of Spago and the Grill. 1442 Westwood Blvd. Westwood, (310) 470-3399. Open daily 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. No alcohol. Street parking. AE, MC, V. Persian.
Foundry
Foundry, a Melrose supper club run by Patina alum Eric Greenspan, is as relaxed as a place with a $90 tasting menu can be, with a spacious patio, a dining room weirdly commingled with the open kitchen, and a bar area dominated by laid-back piano music. Waiters rush by with little cast-iron pots of pork belly with fried eggs and fitted rounds of toast; rare, crisp-skinned salmon with shaved beets and puréed beets; and braised short ribs with an exceptionally airy horseradish-potato purée. The eclectic wine list is long and reasonably priced. And although cheese guru Andrew Steiner has since gone on to open a cheese store in Santa Monica, the cheese plate is still formidable. 7465 Melrose Ave., L.A., (323) 651-0915 or www.thefoundryonmelrose.com. Tues.-Weds., Thurs.-Sat. 6-2 a.m., Sun. 5:30 to 10 p.m. Bar open Thurs. till 2 a.m. and Fri.-Sat. till 2 a.m. Full bar. Music. Valet parking. All major CC. California/American.
