Rate-A-Restaurant #244: The Village

Restaurant: The Village Bakery and Cafe

Location: 3119 Los Feliz Blvd. (Atwater Village)

Type of restaurant: Bakery/Cafe



We stipulated: We were looking for a new, close-by spot for brunch. And we'd heard good things about The Village, located in nearby Atwater Village.

They stipulated: "The Village Bakery and Cafe is a neighborhood place helmed by Barbara Monderine, who as a small child learned to bake and cook at her mother’s side. In the summer of 2009, Barbara acquired LA Bread in Atwater Village--which came complete with a huge commercial kitchen and a four deck French Pavillier oven.

"Combining the best elements of Villa Rosa: top quality sweets made from natural ingredients – and LA Bread: artisanal bread baked fresh daily, Barbara revamped the new location’s cafe menu, expanded her line of pastries and opened up as The Village Bakery and Cafe in October of 2009."



What we ordered: Pastries: Lemon-rosemary-almond-olive oil cake; Corn muffin with raspberry jam

ATWATER SPECIAL -- $9.50 (a grilled potato leek cake topped with parmesan, scrambled eggs, spinach, tomato and crumbed Niman Ranch bacon)



High point: Maria enjoyed the Atwater Special, while the olive oil cake tasted as good as it sounds. (Hey, it sounded good to me.) Also, the self-serve coffee is a winner.

Low point: Also got a discounted day-old scone, which turned out to be stale. (Beware of day-old baked goods, we've learned.)

Overall impression: Great kid-friendly breakfast place with some interesting entrees and baked goods. Pay attention to the specials.

Chance we'll go back: Definitely.

For our complete list of 250 restaurant reviews, go to our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.