Huckleberry (www.huckleberrycafe.com)
This place is a very good, if not somewhat flawed weekend brunch spot to catch up with friends who live west of the 405 and are reluctant to travel east of the Sepulveda corridor. East-siders, you know you’ve all had the following conversation:
Santa Monica Friend (SMF): “So we should totally hang out more.”
You: “Totally! I live around [insert Hollywood/Beverly Hills/Silverlake/Culver City landmark]”
SMF: “Yeah…um…we live fairly close to the water so swing by anytime.”
Do you see what just happened here?! Every person I know who lives in Santa Monica or Venice pulls this s—t. Oooh, you live near water! Well gee whiz let me grab my rubber ducky and drive over to your place! I am not caving anymore.
Well I won’t cave anymore after having brunch at Huckleberry. On weekends, the line is a little obnoxious. However, the selection of pastries at least partially justifies the oversized queue, and the brunch items are above average as well. The prosciutto/gruyere croissant was admittedly delicious but the quinoa, butternut squash, spinach and sunny side up eggs were a little bland. It tasted better when mixed with my friend’s brisket but overall a little disappointing.
There is a tip jar at the register that says “Tipping is not a city in China.” Now I completely understand the need to remind insensitive, undertipping turds to tip especially when there is no formal table service, but as a properly tipping citizen, I am always a little off-put by a slightly confrontational platitude written on one’s tip jar. It just starts the morning off on the wrong foot, you know?
All-in-all, Huckleberry is a decent brunch place to go to if you’re a beach citizen or alternatively if you are a visitor and you completely wussed out when making brunch plans with your friends. - H. Lee
1014 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404, (310) 451-2311
