Abbot Kinney | Urbanic Paper Boutique

I have a penchant for letter-writing. Finding a handwritten card in the mail these days really gives you that warm & fuzzy feeling, since no one but credit card companies and the IRS actually seem to mail anything anymore. It's like getting a special present just for you -- especially if you're lucky enough to get a card from Urbanic, one of the best-kept secrets to my success. Birthdays, holidays, I love you, I'm sorry -- they all work so much better on a cute little card. How can anyone resist?

The stats: Urbanic is located at the southernmost end of the Abbot Kinney shopping district in Venice, just north of the intersection with Venice Blvd. It's close to Capri (has anyone ever seen anybody actually eating there? I'm convinced it's a Mafia front).

Step inside this darling papeterie and it's the chicest stationery you'll never live without again. Funky handprinted cards, gorgeous retro notebooks, and lovely bound journals are not the only swank offerings -- Urbanic also stocks the yummiest candles and tons of cool desk accessories. Plus, they do custom orders, like invitations, cards and really nifty return address stamps. Your address never looked so good before.

The store is so chock-a-block full of style there's no way you're leaving empty-handed. Must-haves are the visually stunning offerings from Binth (at left); the whimsical cards from Hello!Lucky (below, at right); and the sensual, sensory overload of A'Quiesse candles (our fave: pikake & pear).

The cards from Binth are mini-works of art in their own right. The prints are so rad, I actually took a card and had it matted and framed -- looks great on my wall. And I can't get enough of Hello!Lucky's vintage designs and rich inks. Plus, each card comes with a slick vibrantly color-coordinating envelope. It's wicked but I love sending a hot pink envelope in the mail to someone unsuspecting!!!

So do a good deed this weekend. Share the love -- 'tis the season, after all -- and add Urbanic to your to-do list. Trust me: when your amor gets a little red-hot missive of joy in the mail, you'll be jumpin' (and bumpin').

Urbanic
1644 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice 90291
310.401.0427
www.urbanicdesigns.com

Binth / www.binth.com

Hello!Lucky Custom Letterpress / www.hellolucky.com

A'Quiesse by M. Joseph & Co. / www.aquiesse.com

Santa Monica | More of Joe's to Love

I just luuuuuuv Joe's Restaurant on Abbot Kinney in Venice. And like the right answer to give when your girlfriend tells you she's gained weight, there's more to love now that Joe Miller will be opening a new tapas place in Santa Monica by the beach.

Being a regular at Joe's (naturally), I actually overheard all this a few weeks back but had no idea of the "hotness" of the intel til I saw it on Eater LA. What I dimly recall through the champagne haze of that night:

• Can't confirm the name "Bar Pinxto," but it is definitely going to be tapas!


• There are partners/investors, but no word yet on -- or I forgot -- who


• Distinct impression that an Ocean Avenue address is in the works.


• Joe is very excited about the opportunity to put together a tapas menu. Same farmers-market-fresh style (possibly Mediterranean-influenced).


• Expect more of an upscale after-work scene vs. touristy Third Street Promenade. The new venture is geared towards a youngish, fun crowd looking to take the edge off a day's work with great wine and even better food. Think beat the competition: Wilshire, Boa, Sushi Roku, Ma'Kai. Actually, how perfect would it be if Ma'Kai was sold and turned into Joe's new place??? I'm just sayin'...


• I know it's naughty, but I can't help but think of a Primitivo inspiration/influence? After all, the wine bistro/tapas bar is just next door to Joe's on Abbot Kinney. If so, rock on! Ocean Ave could so use a hipster infusion.


• Vague recollection that the opening will be summer/late-summer.

I have a confession. Normally I'm not really into tapas. Sure, they're appealing: tapas have an American dream allure, a you-can-have-it-all, try-it-before-you-buy-it, sampler-size concept perfect for commitmentphobes (ahi or kobe? kobe or ahi?)

But let's be honest here. I don't like to pay $15 for 3 small bites of anything, unless it's foie gras, in which case I'll pay through the nose. Gladly. Three times a week. For a certain cook in the kitchen though (hint, hint) I'm game. Bring it!

So rest assured, there will be MANY more tasty Eat-at-Joe's nights where I can do some recon -- for the next update, I'll try to cut back a little on the champagne (but no promises!!!)

^This Just In: Joe Miller Opening New Tapas Bar / Eater LA

Eat | Burrito Ultimo

I heart Baja Fresh.

It's my favorite fast-casual Mexican by far (well, I heart Speedy Gonzales too). Mira, el Burrito Ultimo es el jefe grande:

1. Baja Fresh. Salsa Baja rulez.




2. Rubio's [Rubio's, by virtue of its highly-addictive secret chipotle sauce, edges out Chipotle for the #2 spot. The irony.]




3. Chipotle. I like my meat hot & spicy. And the whole edgy vibe is kinda cool.




4. Wahoo's Fish Taco. Beer, beer, beer beer...




5. La Salsa. By default. I don't really like anything there. Well, maybe the guac.

What makes Baja Fresh the big cheese in this rat race? Porque the Burrito Ultimo is the big boss:

Burrito Ultimo®
Your choice of charbroiled chicken, pork carnitas or charbroiled steak, grilled peppers, chilies, onions, melted jack and cheddar cheese, roasted Salsa Baja,™
rice and sour cream.

Mmmmmm. The secret to the ultimate Ultimo? "Mixed meat," mmm-hmm, that's steak and chicken. Best of both worlds -- it doesn't get better than this. How I order (off-the-menu, as usual): "Burrito Ultimo mixed meat, no veggie mix, extra Salsa Baja."

And what truly crowns Baja Fresh the winner is its namesake Salsa Baja™. The spicy -- but not *too* spicy -- and smoky salsa truly sets Baja Fresh ahead of the pack. First of all, Salsa Baja's not red. Or green. It's brown. I ask you, have you ever seen a brown salsa??? I think not. I rest my case.

Seriously though, I'm no chef (I grill exclusively) but what do they put in this stuff? Consistency semi-thick, "roasted," looks peppery, not totally opaque, the occasional renegade tomato a la pico de gallo. Yum.

The tortilla chips were awesome too. Light, flaky, crispy -- damn those were good chips, just like the homemade ones in Cabo. Those chips put Baja Fresh in a separate class. But sometime last year the chips changed and now they're thicker and more like typical supermarket corn tortilla chips. Maybe ever since Wendy's sold the chain due to unprofitability last November, or shortly beforehand?

You could definitely tell it was rough times last year. The burritos shrank by half, although at over 1000 calories each, that's probably a good thing. And the quality of the chips went down. A Mexican restaurant is only as good as its chips and salsa -- man, messing with your bread-and-butter?

But I digress. The Burrito Ultimo may not be as grande as it once was, and the chips not as out-of-this-world/country, but everything tastes a-ma-zing. I'll pick Baja Fresh any day over the competition (p.s., the tortillas are grilled -- Chipotle, eat your heart out). So go grab el jefe. And don't hold back with the chips 'n salsa.

Venue * / Vittles *** / Value ***
[* to *** scale]

Baja Fresh / www.bajafresh.com

^Wendy's Announces Completion of Baja Fresh Sale / Reuters

[Yeah, that's a Baja Burrito. It was more photogenic.]

Eggs Benedict | Shutters-on-the-Beach

Brunch. I love it so much I use it almost exclusively as a verb. When I brunch I do eggs benedict. I love eggs benedict so much I eat it almost exclusively when I brunch.

To this single-minded passion I have devoted many a champagne Sunday. And now, an ongoing series of reviews in search of the best eggs benedict for brunch in L.A...

* * *

First up is a classic:

Pedals Cafe at Shutters-on-the-Beach

Location, location, location -- for that, Shutters simply can't be beat. And the eggs benedict isn't too bad either.

Shutters "Hotel on the Beach" is a gorgeous, historic hotel located -- you guessed it -- on the beach boardwalk in Santa Monica, right on the sand with the bike path meandering past and the ocean only a few whispers away. It's a venue favored for Polaroid moments and life-changing events.

On a typical beautiful weekend in L.A. (like, every weekend), you'll find a great view of the sun glinting off the water and the sweat glistening off the rollerbladers zooming by.

Everyone in L.A. loves to go to the beach on the weekend. And a great many of them like to brunch at Shutters, which is why reservations are strongly recommended -- especially if you have a large party (and you do, of course -- you've got guests in town and you want to show them a postcard-perfect time in "Hollywood").

So, make reservations at Pedals. (When you call Shutters to make reservations, make sure you make them for Pedals Cafe and not for One Pico, their "fancy" restaurant that's twice the price and no eggs benedict.) The best tables at Pedals are in the enclosed patio where you can enjoy Shutters' signature lush landscaping in full effect. Try to get one by the window for maximum ocean-and-rollerblader-view. Even with reservations, you might have to wait a little bit, but no biggie, Pedals has a full-service bar where you can get your Bloody Mary on.

After a few of those Sunday staples (the Bloody Marys are spicy, with just enough pepper, crisp celery and not too watery), it's on to the food. The eggs benedict -- the eggs layered over thick slabs of grilled ham on toasted english muffins -- comes with potatoes home-fried with onions. The hollandaise, the color of Crayola goldenrod, is tasty enough, albeit a little heavy. But sad to say, Pedals is not very consistent with their eggs bene. Sometimes it will be perfectly poached, eggs just a little runny, and other times it will be over hard. And the potatoes are a little dry. Truthfully though, I'm not much of a fan of home-fried potatoes -- I'd rather have heart-attack hash browns any day.

Overall, the eggs benedict are good, okay, nothing special... But the hot chocolate. The hot chocolate is amazing and comes with real whipped cream. Ask for extra on the side. Also, the pancakes and waffles look good, come with fresh fruit, and my co-brunchers thoroughly enjoy them. It's a solid showing of typical hotel brunch fare: satisfying, but not terribly spectacular.

At $18 an entree, you'd expect a little more for your hard-earned dollaz. But hey, people go to Shutters for the location and the ambiance, and to celebrate birthdays, weddings, and take lots and lots and lots of pictures -- for enjoying a dreamy California beach morning, Shutters can't be beat. And that's why this brunch is 90% Shutters, 10% eggs benedict.

Venue *** / Vittles * / Value **
[* to *** scale]

Pedals Cafe at Shutters Hotel on the Beach
One Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica 90405
310.458.0030
www.shuttersonthebeach.com
Brunch Saturday & Sunday / 11 - 5
photo credit www.besthotelsresorts.com