Interior
Exterior
**** (4 stars)
I’ve driven past this places a thousand times and never thought of stopping. Finally did, and was surprised it was more than just the window facing the street. Inside it’s like an old fashioned ice cream shop.
Carrot cake ice cream was very interesting.
Friendly service.
Allen’s Creamery & Coffee House
523 Main St
Windermere, FL 34786
(407) 876-3558
https://www.yelp.com/biz/allens-creamery-and-coffee-house-windermere
Exterior
Interior
***** (5 stars)
This delightful local creamery serves my very favorite ice cream–Hershey’s–in a wide range of flavors. This Hershey’s is unrelated to the candy company; it’s actually older. Their flavors a rich and complex, with great consistency.
I usually just like a scoop or two in a cup, but West Orange Creamery have everything from waffle cones to genuine banana splits. The employees and owners are really into it, and can give you great advice about their favorites.
West Orange Creamery and Soda Fountain
1575 Maguire Rd
Ste 101
Ocoee, FL 34761
(407) 656-6066
https://www.yelp.com/biz/west-orange-creamery-and-soda-fountain-ocoee
Egg spinach cheese tomato
Interior
Menu
Exterior
**** (4 stars)
This small counter service crepe place makes tasty dessert and savory crepes. You can customize everything about your crepe, including batter type, contents, and sauces. I had an egg, cheese, spinach and tomato crepe, with Tabasco, and really liked it.
The crepes are folded into an ice cream cone shape and placed in a paper wrapper, which makes it easy to eat them on the go, which you’re going to want to do, because the sun beating into the place through the glass windows makes it hot as an oven!
Harajuku Crepe
9405 S Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 285-3946
https://www.yelp.com/biz/harajuku-crepe-beverly-hills
Exterior
Breakfast burrito Rico Suave
Interior
**** (4 stars)
This is a nice little privately run coffee shop with all the usual offerings, plus they make a breakfast burrito, which is what drew me in.
My decaf latte with almond milk was excellent.
The breakfast burrito is made in a sandwich press, which imparts a crispy crust. There are a couple of options. I selected the Rico Suave with bacon. $10 seemed a bit steep, but on the other hand I could only finish half of it, so I guess that’s cheap for two meals. It came with two interesting sauces, although I would have liked something a bit spicier.
Service was friendly.
Alfred Coffee Beverly Hills
490 N Beverly Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(424) 335-0170
https://www.yelp.com/biz/alfred-coffee-beverly-hills-beverly-hills
Poulet
Exterior
**** (4 stars)
This charming little spot offers made-to-order savory galettes and dessert crepes. There are are a half dozen of each type. You place your order at a counter and they fix your crepe on a griddle right there and bring it to your table.
We tried salmon, chicken, vegetable and mushroom varieties, and all four were excellent. They also do coffees and have a nice selection of cold drinks in the fridge.
Service was friendly and surprisingly quick considering they have to make each crepe one at a time. Pricing is very reasonable.
Creperie Suzette
34 Harrington St
The Rocks, New South Wales 2000
+61 2 8220 9999
https://www.yelp.com/biz/creperie-suzette-the-rocks
Mocha with almond milk
Exterior
***** (5 stars)
Excellent coffee and service, and a nice outside seating area under umbrellas. They have almond milk, so I had an almond milk mocha, and it was as good as any I’ve ever had.
Utopia Coffee
7-15 Macquarie Pl
Shop 2
Sydney, New South Wales 2000
+61 2 9252 3538
https://www.yelp.com/biz/utopia-coffee-sydney
Interior
***** (5 stars)
This is a popular and busy coffee bar that also serves food. It’s seasonal, but if you can get the orangecicle iced coffee, it was fantastic, a perfect balance of orange and vanilla flavors.
Frothy Monkey
2509 12th Ave S
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 292-1808
http://www.yelp.com/biz/frothy-monkey-nashville
Macchiato
Interior
***** (5 stars)
This cute, family owned coffee shop just off the Sunset Strip offers friendly service and excellent coffee drinks. There are also a large number of breakfast items, and tasty croissants. My macchiato was perfect and attractive.
Dialog Cafe
8766 Holloway Dr
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 289-1630
https://www.yelp.com/biz/dialog-cafe-west-hollywood
Interior
Pastries
**** (4 stars)
This is an attractive coffee place in the Fours Seasons. There is a nice selection of pastries. I have to say, though, that the decaf macchiato contained the bitterest shot of espresso I have ever had, requiring the addition of an equal amount of milk and an entire teaspoon of sugar. The Chai tea was quite good.
Stir
Four Seasons Hotel
2 Dole Dr
Westlake Village, CA 91362
(818) 575-3000
https://www.yelp.com/biz/stir-westlake-village
***** (5 stars)
Perhaps the 3 in the title of this place if for the three expansive salad bars. They certainly look good. I say “look” because I haven’t actually tried them. On my next visit I need to do that. But this visit was all about a hamburger.
Ever since Au Cheval’s burger was named the best in the country by several sources I’ve been attempting to try it. Unfortunately, every time I’ve gone there it’s either had ridiculous wait times or been unexpectedly closed (mid-afternoon they only serve drinks and snacks). In fact, it’s been a lot like my failed attempts to try Hot Dougs, but that’s another story.
Anyway, when I saw that they’d spun off a smaller operation called Small Cheval, I resolved to try the burger that way, but somehow never managed to get there.
So when I saw that 3 Greens Market was serving a Small Cheval burger, I spotted my chance to at last try the famous burger. Of course, it’s a burger twice-removed from its source, but still… It was a mighty good hamburger.
I like my burgers pretty much loaded. But some people just like mustard and ketchup. What’s interesting about this burger is that those are the two ingredients that aren’t included. So some people probably wouldn’t like it, but I did.
Here, the emphasis is on the two perfectly cooked beef patties, the very melted cheese, and the garlic aioli. Secondary flavors come from the pickle slices and chopped onion. I added bacon which, in retrospect, was unneeded. The bun is sturdy enough to hold the whole thing together, an impressive achievement considering how much is going on.
Of course, when someone declares a thing “the best” they’re setting it up for comparison and naysaying, and in fact I’ve had burgers I liked better, including one here in Chicago at Good Stuff Eatery. But this is a very good burger, and I wouldn’t argue with someone who says it’s their favorite.
The accompanying fries were skinny, very crisp, but didn’t have a lot of flavor.
3 Greens has Coke Freestyle machines, which are always fun to experiment with.
Counter service is friendly and efficient.
Next time: the salad bars. Maybe.
3 Greens Market
354 West Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 888-9195
http://www.yelp.com/biz/3-greens-market-chicago-3