Restaurant Review #57: Coffeecana, Koreatown

Had someone else not pointed me to this place, I doubt I ever would have visited it, but this is the third strip mall gem I have found in the last month so I should probably get over my strip mall prejudice.

Coffeecana, located on the second floor of strip mall on Wilshire in Koreatown, serves both the usual lattes and cappucinos as well as boba, shaved ice (bingsu), and other exotic treats (

Restaurant Review #56: Abbot's Habit, Venice

I love Abbot's! I particularly like their blended mochas and bagels. They also serve baked goodies and sandwiches. Abbot's was a favorite lunch spot of a place I used to work.

The place is extremely casual and very Venice. If you want to get an immediate feel for this part of town, Abbot's is a great place to check out. It's not pretentious at all, and even during business hours is not populated

Restaurant Review #51: Anastasia's Asylum, Santa Monica (now closed)

Poached pear, candied walnut and gorgonzola cheese with dried cranberries

Disclaimer: In the summer of 2006, Anastasia's Asylum became Living Room. Living Room then closed. The original review remains below.

Anastasia's is my other favorite coffee shop (in addition to Literati--they have very distinct personalities). It's date-worthy and very cozy, almost to the point of being cramped (but

Restaurant Review #50: 18th Street Coffee House, Santa Monica

This casual, spacious coffee house has both indoor and outdoor seating. It is neither corporately friendly nor independently hostile. The floors are cement, and the wrought-iron tables have mosaic tops. There are also booths and a fountain. I haven't properly experienced this place yet: I ordered an iced decaf (boring) and went on a Wednesday at 6pm (not a time likely to have many patrons). It

Restaurant Review #44: The Talking Stick, Santa Monica

The Talking Stick is an independent coffee shop on Ocean Park that hosts a different event every night of the week. I hate that about most of the coffee shops around here. What if I want to talk, or read, in relative quiet after work? I'm SOL. Literati Cafe is blissfully event-free, but it's not usually quiet and it's too big and shiny to have that authentic coffee shop feel. Cacao is also

Restaurant Review #40: Unurban, Santa Monica

A true coffeeshop lover's coffee shop, Unurban, located on Pico slightly west of Centinela, offers the funky atmosphere and surly, quirky servers you've been missing on all those trips to the Coffee Bean.

From the outside, Unurban looks tiny and perhaps intimidating. Why was I intimidated by this place? Maybe it was the punk rocker types I saw hanging around--I know how painfully wholesome I

Restaurant Review #34Literati Cafe, Santa Monica

Large decaf cappucino-my favoriteLocated in that hazy is-it-Santa-Monica-is-it-Brentwood-is-it-West-LA strip of Wilshire, Literati Cafe serves coffee, beer, wine, and standard cafe fare, including breakfast, to quite a few patrons. The coffee is quite good, though it would never stand up to any random coffee shop in Seattle or Portland.At first I avoided the place because it seemed, from the

Restaurant Review #17: Gaam--Coffee in Koreatown

If you can find this place, you're bound to love it. It's located on the second story of a plaza in Koreatown. You can't tell from the street that it's a plaza, but go around back and you'll discover that it's quite nice and full of other places to visit.Gaam is the largest coffee shop I have ever been in--it used to be a billiard hall, I hear. The comfortable old Victorian-style furniture,

Restaurant Review #15: Cacao Coffee House, West LA

What is the difference between a coffee house and a coffee shop? Allow me to enlighten you. A coffee shop, as its name implies, is a place where you go primarily to shop for coffee, and a coffee house is a place that actually has atmosphere and encourages making yourself at home to chat, study, or use their free WiFi. Think Starbucks v. Independent.

At Cacao, I felt like the yuppie I may be