Today, I had the pleasure of going to La Boulange and it was simply magnificent! With so much to eat, drink, and see, I am amazed that I only sampled a fraction of the menu. A return visit is already on the works! Here is a sneak peek into the restaurant before it opens this morning!
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First of all, the outside is just so pretty from the street, isn’t it? Although this is their first location in Los Angeles, the roots of La Boulange come from their rustic bakery and café locations in San Francisco, which were first opened in 1999.
Upon entering, there is an incredible mason jar wall display along with several packaged goods for a quick nibble on the go. Beautiful and delicious!
As for the decor, I simply loved it! I adored the basket lighting fixtures, mason jar lighting, and the stenciled concrete. I’m pretty sure that my friend who loves home decor was in inspiration heaven!
Since us Angelenos like to do things differently, we have the pleasuring of enjoying a completely different menu concept than our San Francisco brethren… the all-day menu! That means that they offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which are all incredible!
Let me walk you through some of my favorite breakfast options first!
The almond croissants are so, so delicious and just gorgeous.
I am a sweet-lovin’ girl, and my favorite pastry of all-time is the Kouign-Amann. This is a delicacy that is not done at just any bakery, and when I found out that this is a staple on their menu, I was ecstatic!
I mean, really! Check out the layers of pastry that look swirling ribbons, with the caramelized sugar on top on bottom. And for an extra surprise, they add a divine house-made jam in the center. I love the twist on an old favorite!
And not to sound like a ridiculous pastry-lover, but canelés are my second favorite pastry of all time. The custardy center with the sweet, caramelized outside. Considering that they bake all kinds of croissants, pastries, and rustic breads, I am delighted that I can find these very hard-to-find treats in one place!
Speaking of rustic breads, here is one of the baskets of breads (and tables) that I really wanted to bring home!
I love the outside seating for a quick bite in the morning with a coffee. That would be the perfect way to start off my day!
But back inside, I want to mention some of the decor that I adored. There design is warm and inviting and the combination of rustic and modern makes for a comfortable setting. I really loved this table, especially since I am enamored with wood furniture after my woodworking class.
This picture is just for me because I want to capture the details so I can learn how to make this one day. 🙂
This jaw-dropping wall of mason jar lights in the back is so fun!
And now back to the food! We were treated to a tasting of many of their options, and here are just a few. We started with a few beautiful drinks!
Both were wonderful, and presented so prettily! The strawberry shake was served with a palmier and a spoon because it was so thick!
I love duck. I order it almost everywhere, and the hash is something I could eat morning, noon, and night. Definitely one of my favorites!
They may look like an ordinary slider, but made with the grass-fed beef and local, fresh ingredients, it is so much better than your typical burger. Also, they have a build-your-own burger option, which means you can customize it any way you like!
Yes, the food started rolling in and I could barely keep up with the photos…
And more and more came…
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| Top to bottom, left to right: Sangria, Strawberry shake, Duck Confit Hash, Slider, Smoked Salmon Sandwich, Kale Salad, Seasonal Veggie Plate |
…until the entire table was filled with beautiful food!
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| Clockwise from top left: Sangria, Strawberry shake, Espresso shake, Roasted Tomato Soup, Classic Fries, Slider, Sweet Potato Fries, Mini Croque Monsieur, Smoked Salmon Sandwich, Seasonal Veggie Plate, Duck Confit Hash, Kale Salad |
Every item was ridiculously good and absolutely gorgeous. I especially loved the Seasonal Veggie Plate, but I would recommend every dish we tried!
Lastly, we just could not pass up one last dish…
Just amazing. So for all of you keeping score, we ate everything on the tasting menu except for the last Caramel Shake, which I am definitely coming back for another time. 🙂
On a side note, it turned out that my sparkly orange nail polish matched the decor!
Oh, and for those of you who enjoy condiments with your fries, sliders, or morning pastries, check this out…
Yes, they not only have amazing homemade jams, as well as the regular fry condiments, they offer cornichons, olives, and pickled veggies. I could eat cornichons by the forkful if no one was looking. 😉
I must mention the incredibly hospital, talented, and passionate chef and founder of La Boulange, Pascal Rigo. Just as we collected all of our food on the table and were eating, he sat next to us. He was so excited to ask us what our favorite dishes were, how we liked everything so far, and generally wanted to make sure that we were happy. I told him that I was excited that they would have Kouign Amann on the menu daily, and he had one toasted for us right on the spot! (It’s the one that I showed above. Absolute heaven!)
This is not his first foray in the Los Angeles dining scene because years ago he spent time at Citrus, one of my parents’ favorite restaurants back then. Welcome back Pascal!
He encouraged us to stay a while to enjoy ourselves and have a drink. And so we did!
On our way to check out the bar, I spotted a few touches in the decor that are lovely. The pictures on the right were all taken during a tasting of their dishes in San Francisco, so you can see the full size plates. Wow!
First of all, the bar is just beautiful itself. Can I replicate this in my kitchen?
I’m a sucker for fancy cocktails and a Bloody Mary. In fact…
In addition to the cocktails, they also have Beer, Wine, and Wine on Tap.
Yes, that’s right. I said wine on tap! Totally fun. 🙂
Here’s a sample of what they were serving that day. I love that you could ask the bartender what’s on tap, and have him respond, “Riesling,” without batting an eye!
Certainly, a wonderful way to end our night!
I did want to point out some of my favorite items and pastries of the night. This beautiful bag of palmiers would be a wonderful gift or as a garnish for a homemade dish, like in the strawberry milkshake above.
Also, I adored the Orange Blossom Shortbread Cookies, Homemade Granola, Raspberry preserves, Macaron cookies, and Baguette Rustique that I brought home! I have a feeling that I will be making something from their Café Cooking At Home cookbook and posting it on Vintage Zest soon!
Are you ready to see the pastries that I brought home? Mmm mmm…
The regular croissant when slightly toasted is basically the perfect pastry.
The apple pastry was beautiful even before biting into it and tasting the sweet filling!
The Morning Bun was such an unexpected treat and one of my favorites! The buttery layered dough had orange zest sprinkled between each roll. See it on the right? This is a must try!
The last time I had such a wonderful version of mychildhood favorite pastry (Pain Aux Raisins) was in Paris a year ago. Leave it to a French chef to bring back those memories!
Of course, the canelé. Not only does it look refined, the caramelized crust hides the tender, custardy center.
This Chocolate Hazelnut croissant is probably the one I would recommend to everyone visiting La Boulange. It was fantastic and even if you skew towards fruity pastries (as I do), this is just amazing! This is easily the crowd-pleaser of the bunch.
And my friend’s favorite, the pound cake. It was moist, light, and just utterly buttery.
After tasting the Kouign Amann, I had to take another one home. I think you know the way to my heart now… 🙂
So yes, La Boulange is an all-day concept that I can totally get behind when the food is this amazing. These were just a few of the breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drink options, so make sure to check out the huge menu before you go!
P.S. – They don’t advertise it, but the pastries were a great midnight snack later on, so it really was an all-day menu for me!
La Boulange
359 South La Brea Ave. (at 4th)
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Phone: (323-525-0164)
Hours: 7am to 10pm daily
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