Bathroom Reading: Larchmont Bungalow's Old Newspapers

Spotted in the bathroom at Larchmont Bungalow: Old pages from the Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Citizen-News and Los Angeles Herald Express, among others. It's reason to take your time while doing your business.

Rate-A-Restaurant #234: Larchmont Bungalow

Restaurant: Larchmont Bungalow

Location: 107 N. Larchmont (Larchmont)

Type of restaurant: Breakfast

We stipulated: Maria had bought a Living Social coupon that was set to expire, and it was an excuse to take the kids out to the Larchmont neighborhood.



They stipulated: "Larchmont Bungalow specializes in breakfast all-day, lunch, dinner, desserts and specially crafted teas and coffees. The Bungalow takes pride in its artisan offerings and also offering catering services."



What we ordered: Mole benedict, $12.95 (2 poached eggs spinach, roasted pepper and mole chicken sausage on brioche topped with hollandaise, pico de gallo and crispy tortilla strips)

Cactus omelette, $13.95 (Cactus, southwest chicken, salsa, pepper jack, grilled jalapenos)

Best of both worlds, $11.95 (Layered fresh berry pancakes and berry brioche french toast topped with fresh seasonal berries and served with awarm berry syrup)

Coffee, $2.25



High point: Nice size portions; and the egg was nicely poached with just the right amount of mole.

Low point: Ordered coffee in a to-go cup -- bu that meant no free refills. A breakfast spot that won't refill your coffee cup??

Overall impression: Larchmont Bungalow tries hard, and its menu offers up some interesting choices from both the savory and sweet category... and yet, it's not quite there.

Chance we'll go back: Not necessarily enough of a reason to make the trip over to Larchmont on a weekday morning.

Ironic Photo of the Day: Recession Over? Um, Not Quite

Spotted in Larchmont Village: The boutique Lux shows signs of optimism that the recession is over (or, perhaps, is just trying to will it into being). But next door, the "For Lease" sign demonstrates the reality.

Rate-A-Restaurant #191: Larchmont Grill

Restaurant: Larchmont Grill

Location: 5750 Melrose (Larchmont)

Type of restaurant: California

We stipulated: My friend Joe had been meaning to take me out for my birthday for months; we finally settled on a day. Larchmont was close to him and on the way home for me, and I've been curious to try it.



What we ordered: Mexico City jalapeno burger: raw red onion, cilantro, diced tomato, pepperjack cheese with a touch of cayenne & shredded lettuce on a sesame seed bun (with sweet potato fries); starter: homemade corn soup.



High point: Service was friendly, and that corn soup was excellent.

Low point: At the same time, I was told by the waiter that the Mexico jalapeno burger could be made with turkey meat. So I ordered it -- but what I got was, well, just a turkey burger. Later, the waiter told me he'd been misinformed -- the burger couldn't be made with turkey, so I didn't get the "Mexico City" recipe. He knocked $2 off the price, but I still wish ultimately I'd known beforehand, to order something else.



Overall impression: Unbeknownst to us, we had arrived on Larchmont's Burger night (Wednesdays), when the restaurant offers up options such as Kobe beef burgers, salmon burgers, grilled tofu and portobello burgers, lamb burgers, pineapple teriyaki burgers, and more. Nice idea.. but the menu, which reads, "turkey burgers and butter lettuce wrapped protein burgers available," made it vague -- so did that mean turkey could be substituted, or just that you could get a plain turkey burger? That's where the confusion set in.

Chance we'll go back: You know, it was a pleasant enough experience, but I'm not sure there was a compelling reason to put the Larchmont on the "return" list.

For a complete list of our more than 190 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.