Sunnin Cafe

Sunnin Cafe: Truly one of the reasons to live in Santa Monica is the access to a multitude of delicious restaurants/bakeries/etc. Found this Lebanese restaurant via yelp.com while looking for someplace to get takeout and was just blown away at how good it is. We couldn't decide what to order so I just asked the maitre d' and I am so glad that I did. The restaurant has parking, not too many tables, though around 6 pm there were plenty available, and is very casual with the chefs (linecooks? it's really not a pretentious place) almost in the center of the room, not hidden behind a wall. Got falafel, fool (fava beans in good olive oil), chicken kebab (oh my goodness the garlic...fluff(?) was amazing!, and the chicken was tender and tasty), beef kebab (great flavoring on the beef and the hommos was good too), and rice pudding (that first bite with the cinnamon/pistachio fading to cream and then giving way to a burst of orange water(?)...). The kebabs both came with an excellent little salad, and almost everything came with pickled radishes that were quite tasty. A pack of very thin pita bread was also provided. The result of so much good food was gorging and then lethargy and happiness, the way good meals ought to be. Furthermore, later on there was no immense thirst due to excess salt...it seems like maybe the falafel has quite a bit of salt, but the rest of the meal didn't seem to. I'll definitely be going back.

Science Center Cafe and Le Pain du Jour

Science Center Cafe: After a morning at the Natural History Museum, we had planned on eating at the food trucks. Unfortunately we were informed that they weren't going to be around today. Since the cafe was closed and they're constructing the food court, our only options were to drive back to Santa Monica or try the Science Center's cafe just down the block. Since the 10 W and 110 N were both packed, we went to the cafe though without much hope. When we got there it looked like they just had McDonald's and Taco Bell, but through a little door and past the Taco Bell desk, we found a sandwich/salad/soup...and Starbucks area. The chipotle chicken wrap had just a tiny hint of chipotle, so it was more like a chicken on salad wrap, but it was pretty good quality. I especially liked the fresh cilantro...in fact, I could've used some of that on my chili. The chili con carne had lots of meat plus a bit of cheese and red onion. I could've used more spice but it was really pretty good, especially for a cafe. All in all, thumbs up for a museum cafe.

Le Pain du Jour: This is probably the third or fourth time I've been here and I was specifically looking for a croissant but when I got there I realized the chocolate was too yummy sounding to pass up. Last time the chocolate croissant was lower quality than the all-butter (regular) croissant, but I am happy to say that this time they are both amazing. They also had french loafs right out of the oven and they are exquisite with a very clean flavor (just a taste of salt) and great crust. We also got two tarts, one strawberry/kiwi, the other pear. The crust is crisp and buttery, the custard is perfect, not too sweet, and the fruit is delicious and fresh. The best tart I've ever had.

Father's Office and Babalu

Father's Office: I've heard extraordinary tales of Father's Office over the past few months, the most impressive being how people have gotten layovers at LAX long enough to drive over and get a burger. Father's Office is not open for lunch, so it wasn't until today that I made it over to get a burger. I got there about 5:20. There wasn't any wait to place my order at the bar and everyone was rather polite. The place was pretty full, but there were a few barstools empty and it was only about a 10-15 minute wait. The burgers are pretty tasty overall. The cheese and carmelized onion topping is mellow and tasty. I wouldn't turn down a burger, but I don't think I'll be stopping by regularly because I think The Corner suits me better. The bun at Father's Office is white/tasteless and seems stale. I ordered two burgers medium and one medium-rare, but they all came basically medium-rare. The sweet potato fries are pretty tasty, though not super crispy, and the sauce that came with the sweet potato fries is excellent with a garlicky tart flavor.

Babalu: is right around the corner from Father's Office. The sign on the outside said restaurant and bakery, so I stopped in to check out the baked goods. Large cookies and about twenty kinds of cake were on display. The all looked pretty good, so I got a slice of carrot cake at random. I don't regret eating it, but I wouldn't buy another. I prefer carrot cake that's dense and flavorful with a tang to the frosting and that obviously has butter in the cake itself. This one is a bit too healthy tasting, and what I thought was coconut flakes on the top turned out to be white chocolate which confuses the slight tang in the frosting. I would be willing to try another cake/pie from here, but I won't go out of my way to do so.