Tokyo 7-7 @ Culver City

Tokyo 7-7 is just about the only place where I can say, "God, this is mediocre," but still return for more. The Japanese breakfast I had the other day was above average; tamagoyaki, cucumber tsukemono (lightly vinegared and sweetened), hot fluffy rice, miso soup (sans tofu cubes). It was all decent but the chashu pork--soaked in teriyaki sauce--was as dry as Thanksgiving leftovers. (Just to set the facts straight, chashu isn't typically eaten for breakfast in Japan. It's a Japanese Hawaiian thing.)

So what is it about Tokyo 7-7? Personally, I like the elderly Japanese waitresses who look like they're going to pass out trying to accommodate all the people who file in on any given Saturday morning. They remind me of my mom. Tense faces. Great work ethic.

The prices are tough to beat too. The Japanese breakfast was five bucks even. Other dishes average 3 to 4 dollars. You can literally order the entire menu and still have enough change for seconds.

The other thing that gets me is that it's located smack-dab in the middle of a city block. The cafe is decades old and it's as if it refused to move on as the rest of Culver City changed with the times. It's hard to picture if you've never been, but you have to walk halfway through a narrow alley to reach it. It's like how Dorothy's house sporadically fell into the middle of munchkin land. Very random.

Speaking of munchkin land, across the way is the former home of MGM studios (now called Sony) where they filmed "The Wizard of Oz." There's a hotel in front of the Culver Pacific Theater where the little people were supposedly housed during filming. It's fully rennovated but there's still something a bit spooky about it (given the lore about a munchkin suicide and all).

There's also a new wine bar around the corner and more restaurants on their way. Personally, I'm really excited about the new storefronts in downtown Culver City. It was feeling really empty for a while. Though I hope historic landmarks like Tokyo 7-7 never get plowed down for trendier places. Historic LA is so hard to come by.

French Market Cafe - Venice

Okay, so what if the French don't eat this kinda stuff for breakfast? At the French Market Cafe you get the best of both worlds. That is, French flavor with big American portions. And when I mean big portion, I only mean something that's bigger than a croissant.

The cafe has a patio deck which by 10 am fills up with a lot of French-speaking people. (A good indicator of authenticity?) Inside is a small area with fresh baked breads on one side and cheese and chilled beverages on the other. The middle of the room holds shelves of random goodies: wine, chocolate, olive oil, cookies, Nutella, you name it. It has a general store-kinda feel where no more than 10 people can fit. All they need is a shelf for shaving cream.

The other charming thing about this place is that you place your food order with the cashier who will then relay the information in French to the guy behind the cheese and coffee counter. Then you sort of stand around with your arms crossed to let people through. I used the down-time to search for a patio table in the shade.

Aside from the open-faced sandwich, above, I've only tried their Swiss cheese (excellent!) and their baguette which stays fresh for an entire day and a half before turning rock solid (no preservatives!). I'm very impressed with their food so far, but I definitely need to return for their camembert, oh and maybe their Nutella spread. Gotta love that stuff.

French Market Café
2321 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 577-9775