Watercress - A Café

Time for breakfast – actually a little late for breakfast – and we wanted to go somewhere new. When people like us go out to eat so often, we want something different. BK looked up a nearby restaurant on Yelp and there she discovered Watercress – A Café. I loved the name or brand as it is now called and so off we went. Here is a small, clean and tidy restaurant with about 12 tables. They call themselves gourmet and organic whenever possible. We were seated immediately and given the menu which is not too large but very interesting. We also were served our very good coffee which is roasted next door at the Coffee Roaster.

BK ordered cinnamon raisin French toast. It came with two large pieces and a few fresh strawberries on top. We ended up not quite sharing but each of us having more than a taste of the other’s dish. This was fantastic – not too sweet but sweet enough and tender and full of egg. I ordered the egg frittata panini. This consisted of scrambled eggs, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and a regular tomato all inside two pieces of bread that had been toasted panini style. Usually, I have found paninis to be flattened out, like put in a grill and somewhat greasy. This one looked like a regular sandwich with grill marks on the bread and there was no grease at all. It was delicious. I ordered it without basil and they easily accepted my request. This came with potatoes that are cubed and fried nice and crisp. It also came with a salad of mixed greens and a rather tasty dressing. I was asked if I wanted potatoes or salad and said potatoes but I got both.

I thought the prices were a bit high but not too high either since our bill came to $23.60 before tip. Most items are around $10 which I thought was high for eggs, sausage and toast. However, I do realize that organic food does cost more. All their bakery is homemade and looked wonderful. I will return but not often because of the cost. I do want to try their lunch sandwiches which also look very interesting. They have many vegetarian offerings as well as at least one vegan sandwich. Watercress is at 13565 Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks.

Zach’s Café

Wanting to go to a restaurant that I had never been to in the Valley, we picked Zach’s Café. We had received numerous coupons and I had always nixed going there because it is Italian, not one of my favorite foods. However, on this particular day I looked at the menu and decided it was time to use the coupon.

Zach’s is on Ventura between Vineland and Lankersheim in Studio City. It is sort of hidden away from the road with its parking lot in front of the restaurant. Although it was a beautiful day, we decided to eat indoors. The restaurant is rustic looking with wood slat floors. We were immediately seated and, although I had difficulty understand the guy who was going to serve our drinks and he had difficulty understanding me as well, we did get our drinks quickly and correctly and they were refilled at the proper times. I was happily surprised at the menu which is very extensive. What really surprised me was the very reasonably priced lunch menu, the dinner menu which had smaller sizes of their regular dishes at smaller prices and the rather extensive vegetarian menu.

I had already decided I wanted lasagna with meat. They have one with only vegetables as well. First we were served six hot cheese garlic rolls that were just wonderful. I had to be careful not to eat more than one so I would have room for my food (I did eat another one for dessert). The luncheon came with a choice of various soups or salad. If you have been reading my reviews, you will know that I picked soup – minestrone this time. Minestrone is not usually a soup I would pick as they also had the house specialty, chicken vegetable, but it sounded so good. It is vegetarian blend of beans and veggies with a touch of pasta and not much, if any, oregano. It was delicious, thick like Mom used to make. A bowl of this would be a meal. My lasagna was in its own casserole type dish. It is correctly described as layers of noodles with ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese covered with a ground beef meat sauce. I finished every last bit.

BK had trouble deciding what she wanted. Originally, she was going to rely on her old stand-by, spaghetti and meatballs, but, after perusing the menu, she decided on their specialty, chicken parmigiana. All their chicken dishes are made with skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Her dish had a very nice size breaded chicken breast (this can also be grilled), melted cheeses and marinara sauce with a side of spaghetti. I tasted the chicken and found it to be crisp, moist and extremely tasty. BK also had a clean plate when she finished.

My lasagna cost $8.00 and the chicken parmigiana cost $9.00. We showed the waiter the coupon we had brought in before we ordered and he pointed out that we had not read it correctly because it was only good for dinner. However, he said he would honor the coupon anyway. That was nice. At the dinner hour, most meals come in two sizes and I must say that both of us had plenty to eat with the smaller size. If you like Italian food, I highly recommend Zach’s Café at 10820 Ventura Blvd.

Hugo's Restaurant

Hugo’s Restaurant

B and I decided to have dinner at a place we frequent, Hugo's. We go to the one on Riverside and Coldwater Canyon because we often walk there. This time we drove. One reason for walking is the difficulty of parking. It is a popular restaurant and the parking lot is often filled. Luckily, probably because we were early on a Saturday night, there was parking space available. By the time we left, the lot was almost full.

Hugo's is not a place to go for a quiet, intimate meal. It can get rather noisy. There is a somewhat outside eating area which looks like a veranda around part of the restaurant and is enclosed when the weather is poor. We chose to eat indoors. Hugo’s has many choices including vegan, vegetarian and plenty for us carnivores. They also have numerous teas available. We were seated quickly and were served our Diet Cokes immediately. I had to search the menu because I wanted something I had never had before. They had a special menu but nothing there appealed to me. The waiter was very patient as he kept returning when it looked like I had decided. I finally chose Hugo’s shepherd’s pie with turkey. I had the choice of turkey, meat or tofu. B wanted her usual - Pasta Mama - which consists of pasta, eggs, lots of garlic, spices and parmesan cheese.

We were given warm multi-grain rolls which are always delicious while we waited. Our Diet Coke glasses were also refilled without our asking. When the food came, B said hers was as delicious as always. My pie was made up of turkey cubes, various vegetables (zucchini, broccoli, and more all diced in very small pieces), thin mushroom gravy all covered with mashed potatoes and melted parmesan cheese browned on the top. It was really lovely looking. I was also served a side salad, very large for a side salad, made up of various lettuces and covered with a very good vinaigrette dressing. I am not a salad eater unless there is a lot of stuff in the salad but I tasted this and really liked it. B and I shared the salad. The shepherd’s pie was excellent. It was tasty and amazingly light. Our portions were large enough that we both took home half our meals. When we heated them up the next day, they were still delicious.

Hugo’s is not cheap, as far as price goes. However, they use only quality ingredients and I have always felt the food was worth the cost. I would also recommend the hamburgers and the oatmeal frittata which is unique and wonderful. They have a full menu on line ( http://www.hugosrestaurant.com/ ) and also have a restaurant in West Hollywood. I will return many times again as I still have items I have not tried on this varied menu.