It's kind of a miracle to see the graciousness factory at work down at Huckleberry — the sweet smells, the pale walls, the way they keep the lines moving and the tables cleared so that by the time you have stood in line, picked out a scone or a Niman Ranch maple-bacon biscuit and paid, there is a seat waiting for you, smiling instructions on how to pour your own coffee and a number placard, so that the fried-egg sandwich with bacon and Gruyère, or soft-baked eggs with roasted tomatoes, make it to the right table. You are vaguely aware of being processed, but it all happens so smoothly that you don't really mind. The serene counter staffers obviously have done enough yoga to rise above the petty turmoil of the crowd.

Zoe Nathan, a Tartine alumna who also does the pastries at Rustic Canyon across the street, may be the most vital pastry chef of her generation in Los Angeles: Every apple tart is rustic, every croissant unglazed, every fruit sourced at the farmers market, every pastry finished with an appropriate lick of salt. It is worth a certain amount of trouble to get a crack at her prosciutto-stuffed croissants, so buttery that they threaten to spurt like a well-constructed chicken Kiev, or her flaky bacon-maple biscuits, or her crumbly rustic tarts stuffed with goat cheese. 1014 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. (310) 451-2311, huckleberrycafe.com. Tues.-Fri., 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Beer and wine. Street and lot parking. AE, MC, V. Bakery.

99 Essential L.A. Restaurants 2011:

Jonathan Gold's Introduction
Anne Fishbein's Photos
The Google Map

The List:

A-Frame
Akasha
Alcazar
Angeli Caffe
Angelini Osteria
Animal
Antojitos Carmen
Attari
Babita
Bludso's
Border Grill
Bottega Louie
Bulgarini Gelato
Cacao
Campanile
Casa Bianca
Chang's Garden
Chego
Chichén Itzá
Chung King
Church & State
Ciro's
Comme Ça
Cut
Dae Bok
Din Tai Fung
Drago Centro
El Huarache Azteca
El Parian
Elvirita's
Euro Pane Bakery
Eva
Fab Hot Dogs
Father's Office
Fig
Gjelina
Golden Deli
Golden State
Good Girl Dinette
The Gorbals
Guelaguetza
Guisados
Huckleberry
Hungry Cat
Ink.
Jar
Jitlada
Kiriko
Kobawoo
La Casita Mexicana
Langer's
Larkin's
Lazy Ox Canteen
Le Comptoir
Little Dom's
Lou
Lucques
LudoBites
Lukshon
Mantee
Marouch
Mayura
Meals by Genet
Mélisse
Mezze
Mo-Chica
Mother Dough
Mozza
Musso & Frank Grill
Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa
Newport Tan Cang Seafood Restaurant
The Nickel
Night + Market
Oinkster
101 Noodle Express
Palate Food + Wine
Park's Barbecue
Picca
Playa
Pollos a la Brasa
Providence
Ray's
Red Medicine
Rivera
Rustic Canyon
Salt's Cure
Sapp Coffee Shop
Sea Harbour
Son of a Gun
Sotto
Spago
Spice Table
Street
Tacos Baja Ensenada
Tasting Kitchen
Terroni
Tsujita L.A.
Vincenti
Waterloo & City

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