Surfing through Surfas

Cafe Surfas entrance

We've been on a Culver City kick here at Franklin Avenue... including a recent, long overdue visit to the new Surfas location. The professional restaurant supplies store -- which is just as popular with amateur chefs as the pros -- has moved around the corner from its old location. The new shop feels smaller, but more compactly organized... and more importantly, now boasts a cafe.

Eating LA's Pat visited Cafe Surfas back in January, and mostly approves:

Surfas is like the sandwich shop I sometimes dream of when forced to eat in dreary delis on Wilshire -- a place where every dish has a little extra zing of flavor from quality ingredients like Maytag blue cheese, celery root slaw or chipotle ketchup.

Inside Cafe Surfas

We hit Cafe Surfas at the worst time possible -- at 10:30, during the half-hour that it doesn't serve breakfast or lunch. So we settled for a scone and some coffee -- and we'll have to return to properly review at some point.


The Surfas floor

What CD stores like Amoeba are to me, Surfas is to Maria: She could spend hours there. We scored several finds, including a new stainless steel pan that we've already put to good use.


Cookie chips!

Surfas history, from their website:

Owned and operated by the same family since 1937, we have served three generations of satisfied customers in the food service industry. Surfas has a reputation unsurpassed for excellence in design and installation of beautiful commercial kitchens. We maintain a warehouse stocked with thousands of items and are considered to be the ultimate source for fine imported and domestic food items, ingredients and cookware at discount pricing. Surfas is paradise found for serious food enthusiasts and professional chefs.

Surfas test kitchen

The new store also includes a test kitchen, where free demonstrations are regularly held on the weekends.