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Thursday, July 8, 2004

Rate-A-Restaurant, #44 in a series

Restaurant: Alcove Cafe & Bakery

Location: 1929 Hillhurst Ave. (Los Feliz)

Type of restaurant: Cafe/Bakery/shop

They stipulated: No waiters -- you order at the counter, and food is brought out to you.

What we ordered: It was breakfast time, so we got coffee and a breakfast quesadilla (grilled chicken breast, scrambled eggs, spinach, aged Vermont cheddar and monterey jack, all in a grilled flour tortilla with salsa, sour cream and seasonal fresh fruit) -- $8.95

High point: Napa comes to Hillhurst. Alcove reminded us of those cute little cafes in Napa Valley and Sonoma, where the food is good and the crowd is mellow. The quesadilla was solid breakfast fare, but the menu is much larger and more adventurous than our choice would lead you to believe. Meanwhile, the inside decor is cozy, while the outside-- where the bulk of the patrons eat -- is well landscaped. We caught plenty of people slowly sipping their coffee and enjoying the newspaper.

Low point: Apparently there was a pent-up demand for this kind of place in the Los Feliz/Franklin Hills area. It was Saturday at about 11 am, and the line snaked out the door.

Overall impression: Nice neighborhood joint. Too bad we just moved -- Alcove would have been a quick walk. It's a very casual way to spend your breakfast. And the adjoining shop boasts a wide variety of cheeses, and plenty of take home fare, every thing from potato salad to "adult macaroni and cheese."

Chance we will go back: Very possible. A definite possibility to meet others for breakfast; we may wait until the frenzy dies down, however.

For a complete archive of our Rate-A-Restaurant reviews, check out our companion ratearestaurant.blogspot.com website.

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