would dorothy eat here?

Auntie Em's Kitchen
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 255-0800
www.auntieemskitchen.com

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

if auntie em cooked the same kind of food i had here for brunch, then i suspect dorothy left kansas not because of a twister...she actually left because she was hungry. damn.

i was unimpressed with their brunch. i ordered a special on their brunch menu called "biscuits and gravy." sounds innocent enough right...until it came out and scared the bejeezus out of me! one ginormous biscuit was halved and then dunked into a bowl of greasy gravy equivalent to an olympic sized pool. i quickly fished out my biscuits because i didn't want them to get too mushy, but the damage was already done. five thousand calories of congeeled gravey had already clung to the biscuit, causing my appetite to shrink a little. this order also came with sausage...meh. a log in a floating grease swamp.

to top off this unappetizing meal is the service. i don't mind long waits for good food. 20 minutes, 30 minutes, sure. once seated, it took ANOTHER 15 minutes for our order to be taken. to top that off, we were seated in their "marketplace" which on a non busy day is where their "store" part of the restaurant is located. it's a straight up makeshift seating area. i uderstand when restaurants are busy, good for them. but once seated, please deliver better service. bring our waters, take our orders in a timely manner, and please, please, please acknowledge us when i need a condiment. what a struggle it was to eat there.

the saving grace are their red velvet cupcakes which are super moist with yummy creamy frosting. a large one is good enough to share. make sure you call ahead of time because these red velvets are usually the first to go. i've found myself with red velvet blueballs more than once when i drove there only to find that they are out.

my verdict is not yet out on auntie em's, but that brunch experience sure stank.

swinging some din din

Swingers
802 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 393-9793
www.swingersdiner.com

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

the decor is hip and cute, but logistically, their booths are kinda small. trying to fit 4 people into one meant someone(s) had to leave a partial butt cheek hanging off of the seat, but i digress.

i've been here twice. the first time, i had breakfast for dinner. always a delicious option. this second time, i ordered their hamburger...not so delish. my burger, along with my other 2 friends' entrees, tasted under seasoned. the only friend that didn't have this issue with her meal had ordered a sandwich that had bacon in it. we concluded the bacon gave her food the necessary seasoning.

before the night was over, i bought a red velvet cupcake to taste. the frosting was a little bit tart with white chocolate shavings on top which added a nice touch. it tasted alright, but for $6.44 a pop, i had expected more.

my conclusion: the decor is fun, but the food was average. i guess it depends what you come here for.

my sweet lark

Lark Silver Lake Cake Shop
3337 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 667-2968
larkcakeshop.com

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

this cute shop is in my hood so i went to lark yesterday and dropped $10 to take home a variety of cupcakes for my sis and i to taste. again, everybody's taste buds will differ but here's my impression of what i tried:

red velvet cupcake- DELICIOUS. i thought the frosting was a bit much (it is quite the yummy glob), but i didn't bare to scrape any off. it was totally consumed with a smile.
caramel cupcake- the frosting is TOO SWEET. no thanks.
chocolate mousse cupcake- also too sweet. reminded me of a ding dong with the white cream center.
pecan bar- too sweet. good if taken in small doses.

overall, i think this is a good cupcake shop but it requires you to have a super high tolerance for sugar. i would go back for the red velvet and maybe to try their other cupcakes...but if i lie there frothing at the mouth from a diabetic shock, please contact blue cross. i'd appreciate that.