Sycamore Kitchen
We don't know what we'd do without The Sycamore Kitchen in our lives. This gorgeous cafe/ bakery is the best and most delicious neighborhood hangout. Aside from their Michelin star restaurant Hatfield’s, Karen and Quinn Hatfield are stirring up the Los Angeles food scene with their newest venture The Sycamore Kitchen. Here they are truly redefining an urban kitchen-eatery-bakery; they’ve figured out that fine balance between a home-made yet beautifully refined touch. The rustic and industrial sensibility makes the space inviting and fun. It’s truly just what you want out of a breakfast/lunch spot.
Their breakfast and lunch menu is drool-worthy, filled with toasts, big salads, sandwiches, and an impressive pastry case that will make you swoon. We can't come here without getting our favorite Mediterranean Chicken Salad— made with kale, dates, hazelnuts, radicchio, blue cheese and red wine vinaigrette. It's got the greens, the crunch, and the right amount of chew to make it one of our favorite salads in LA. We also can't get enough of their Meatballs. They come in a little cast iron skillet, dry-roasted with some aoili and crispy toast on the side--MMMM. The Double BLTA Sandwich is a house favorite, which mixes crispy and braised bacon with balsamic tomatoes, avocado, mayo and country bread. The Cured Salmon Toast is a light and beautiful dish of thin crispy toast topped with cured salmon, avocado, capers, hard-boiled egg, radish and creme fraiche.
As for the sweets, Sycamore Kitchen bakes up delectable pastries daily, like the Salted Caramel Pecan Babka. This glorious morsel is a cross between a cinnamon roll and a sticky bun—soft cinnamon brioche dough with an ooey, gooey, dripping salted caramel-pecan topping. The Flourless Chocolate Brownie, Brown Butter Date Mini-Bunt Cake, Roasted Peanut-Coconut Butterscotch Bar, and Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie, and Flourless Lemon Custard Almond Cake are other stand outs. And, one of our favorites is their unassuming Blueberry Muffin--trust us, it's pretty life-changing. Everything is baked daily on the premises, of course, and seasonal additions to the menu pop up regularly.
And we can't forget the C.O.F.F.E.E. Their coffee program, provided by Stumptown Coffee, is really top notch. A special coffee drink we definitely recommend is the Iced Cubano, made with espresso, milk, and cinnamon. Their vanilla lattes are also super special due to the homemade vanilla cream that adds beautiful flavor and consistency to the coffee.
| The Sycamore Kitchen // www.thesycamorekitchen.com |
Photography by: Sasha Young