Marked 5 (Abbot Kinney)

Food trucks are swarming along Abbot Kinney like paparazzi at The Ivy. (Okay, so there were only 3 of them, but that's 3 more than last year.) For me, this sudden explosion of portable eateries had me blushing tonight at the realization that vehicles outnumbered customers. Though I was only here to check out one of them, Marked 5, a truck that serves rice-bun burgers nearly identical to those at MOS Burger, a popular Japanese fast-food joint. (Mountain Ocean Sun; not the green stuff)

My perpetual nostalgia for Japan has a tendency to send me on fact-finding missions like these, so I absolutely needed to know whether or not Marked 5's product not only looked the same but tasted the same.



Okay, so it didn't match up -- the biggest difference being these local burgers are large and cumbersome (great for most Americans!), whereas MOS rice burgers are dainty and bite-size (great for most Japanese!). Both are very saucy, though only one will take the time to grill the rice the way you like it (soft or extra crispy) especially on a slow Thursday evening.



I can only imagine this being the awkward pubescent years in the life of the food truck craze. Some will remain gawky, while others will blossom into something beautiful. Though for our sake, let's just hope they don't all turn into Korean-taco wannabes.

3 Square Cafe @ Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Breakfast at 3 Square Café should be the first order of any leisurely weekend. It’s a corner cafe on Abbott Kinney Blvd. that’s both health-conscious (fresh-squeezed OJ, organic Heinz ketchup), accommodating, and just plain tasty.

That’s where grandma and I inhaled mouthfuls of hot apple pancakes and chicken hash last Saturday morning. Given we were at a hip Westside neighborhood at a peak brunch hour, I was very lucky to: 1) find storefront parking and 2) have the maitre d’ take one look at us and immediately usher us to a large communal dining table near the kitchen. Though that might just be the power of having frail ‘ol grandma by my side.

Chef Hans Rockenwagner opened this third dining installment earlier this year, infusing a little bit of the homeland into the menu with grilled weisswurst, German-style pancakes with creme fraiche, Bircher muesli, Bavarian breakfast meatloaf with eggs and a soft pretzel roll, and much more.

It was my first visit here, but I’m a sucker for glass-encased sun-lit cafes and just one bite of Rockenwagner’s apple pancake sent my taste buds soaring. Topped with cinnamon and sugar, it’s both crispy on the outside and hot and fluffy on the inside, never to leave you bored. Mix in the crème fraiche and you’ll find yourself savoring your dish until they’re calling ‘last order.’

Grandma and I also shared the chicken hash – bit-sized pieces of everyone’s favorite white meat stir-fried with mushrooms, peppers onions, basil and topped with two very beautifully poached eggs. It was a bit light on the seasoning but still a great savory companion to the pancakes. I’ve always been a fan of balance.

The closest I’ve been to Germany is the Swiss Alps so I really can’t vouch for authenticity, but this is definitely a place I have a little crush on right now, which really doesn’t happen often.

3 Square Cafe
1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, California

(310) 399-6504