bitter marmalade

Marmalade Cafe
6333 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 954-0088
http://marmaladecafe.com/

price: $$
verdict: not worth my time

went here recently with friends to try their "early show" menu. this is a three course menu offered monday through friday from 4-6pm for $12.95. that totally sounded like a deal, but alas, it's not a deal when the food sucks.

the menu:
first course choices- soup, field green salad, ceasar salad.
second course choices- chicken picatta, filet of salmon, brisket of beef.
third course choices- tiramisu or bread pudding

i started off with the ceasar salad. it was alright. then i had the chicken picatta for my second course. with this dish, you get to choose either rice pilaf or mash potatoes for the side. i chose their rice pilaf. when the rice came out, it looked like regular steamed rice to me, but drawing upon all of my food network watching knowledge, i think rice pilaf is usually cooked in broth with other ingredients thrown in. i asked my server about that and she offered me the mash potatoes instead. the chicken was bland and so were the mashies which didn't come with gravey....the only thing flavorful on that dish was the mushroom sauce. for my third course pick, i went with the tiramisu. YUMMY! for those that chose the bread pudding instead, they sure were envious of our tiramisu because their bread pudding was apparently too dry and too heavy.

my other companions that ordered the salmon filet did not like their dish either. the salmon was overcooked and one of my friends thought the sauce was overly sweet. and for the bread pudding eaters, they took a bite and left the bread pudding in its plate.

at about 6 or so, i felt a bit rushed because they started prepping up dinner for the "real diners." you know, the non $12.95 paying patrons. in any case, perhaps the items on their regular menu would have been tastier, but given that it's right at the grove and there's tons of really great eateries around there, i'm not interested in going back for a second shot. this "early show" menu was not a deal.

not fond of fondue

Monsieur Marcel
6333 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90189
(323) 939-7792
www.mrmarcel.com

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

i gathered my friends here for an early dinner one day because i wanted to try fondue. i knew monsieur marcel served fondue at less wallet offending prices (as oppose to the melting pot in pasadena) so we gave it a shot. we ordered two pots with one titled the "the real thing," get the heck out. real thing? we also ordered a side of sliced meats and apples for dipping. the first few bites were ok, but "the real thing" had a REALLY STRONG wine taste to it. don't get me wrong, i love my wines, but the wine in the fondue tasted bitter. the other fondue pot tasted better, but again, after eating all that cheese and seeing it bubbling and separating from the other oils in the pot, it became pretty unappetizing. needless to say, i am fondued out!

my other friends ordered their burger, salad, and calamari. they enjoyed their meals and everything else looked delightful. m. marcel will be a repeat for me. it seems too delicious not to...but the next time, no more fondue. once was enough.

toffee for the tummy

Littlejohn's English Toffee House
6333 W 3rd St
Park La Brea, CA 90036
(323) 936-5379
www.littlejohnscandies.com

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

if you don't mind going down the road of weight gain or diabetes, come to little john's!! they make THE BEST toffee in the world. one bite will get you hooked for life and pretty soon you will be snorting this stuff. if you haven't tried it, YOU MUST! the perfect balance of sweetness with the soft crunch (oxymoron it is not) of the almond toffee will set your taste buds ablazing...but your muffin top won't be too happy about this discovery. eat wisely and in moderation. lol.