The line out the door and into the back parking lot at Huckleberry on a Sunday at noon can be daunting. It may take you 20 minutes to order, a few more to anxiously search for a table. Better to come for a midweek late lunch, sit in the sunny room and languidly appreciate pastry queen Zoe Nathan's rustic fruit tarts with a very good cappuccino, or a house-cured salmon sandwich, or a Niman Ranch pastrami Reuben. Or come for the relaxed Thursday-night family dinner, where for $30 a person ($15 for kids) you get a huge bowl of salad for the table, a simply prepared meat dish (or vegetarian, if you prefer) and one of Nathan's lovely desserts. But it's hard, on those Sunday late mornings, to resist the call of the lentil ragu with poached eggs, Swiss chard, feta and country bread, or the Laura Chenel goat cheese with Weiser Farms' roasted potatoes, sautéed spinach and sunny side–up eggs. Go ahead. Brave the crowds. You won't regret it. 1014 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 451-2311, huckleberrycafe.com. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Breakfast and sandwiches $7.50-$14.50. Beer and wine.

 

Besha Rodell's Introduction

Anne Fishbein's Photography

The Google Map

 

The 99 Essential Restaurants List:

A-Frame
Alma
Angelini Osteria
Animal
Attari Sandwich Shop
Bäco Mercat
Bar Amá
The Bazaar
Bestia
BierBeisl
Bludso's
Cacao Mexicatessen
Canelé
La Casita Mexicana
Cemitas Poblanas Elviritas
Chichen Itza
Chung King
Cole's
Coni'Seafood
Cube Cafe & Marketplace
Din Tai Fung
Eva
Father's Office
Fred 62
Gjelina
Golden Deli
Go's Mart
Il Grano
Guelaguetza
Guisados
Hatfield's
Ha Tien Quan
Hawkins House of Burgers
Hayat's Kitchen
El Huarache Azteca
Huckleberry
The Hungry Cat
ink.
Jar
Jitlada
JTYH Heavy Noodle II
Kang Ho Dong Baekjong
Kiriko
Kiyokawa
Kogi Truck
Krua Siri
L&E Oyster Bar
Langer's
Little Dom's
Lucques
Ludo Truck
Lukshon
Mariscos Jalisco
Matsuhisa
Meals by Genet
Mélisse
Milo and Olive
Mo-Chica
Musso & Frank
Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa
Nickel Diner
Night + Market
Oinkster
Osteria Mozza
Pann's
Pa-Ord Noodle
El Parian
Park's BBQ
Philippe the Original
Picca
Pink's
Pizzeria Mozza
Playa
Pollo a la Brasa
Providence
R&R Soul Food
Ración
Red Medicine
Ricky's Fish Tacos
Rivera
Rocio's Moles de los Dioses
Salt's Cure
Sapp Coffee Shop
Savoy Kitchen
Sea Harbour
Shanghai No. 1 Village Seafood
Soban
Son of a Gun
Sotto
Spago
The Spice Table
Superba Snack Bar
Tacos Leo
The Tasting Kitchen
Tavern
Tsujita LA
Vincenti Ristorante
Wurstküche
Zam Zam Market

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