MILK @ Beverly Blvd.

Let it be known that it's a good omen if French actress Julie Delpy patronizes your eatery. Afterall, by default of being French you have a keen sense of taste, culture and ... okay, well not necessarily but the last time I spotted her it was at Pinkberry's flagship store in West Hollywood. That was over two years ago when the place actually had a bathroom for customers. Cut to the following week and bam! the line is out the door and the neighbors are fuming. It must be the Delpy factor. Well, either that or Daily Candy.

So tonight, when Mikey and I found ourselves crossing the same intersection towards MILK with Julie Delpy and a grip of her chain-smoking French pals, we had some major de ja vu. Her entourage was huge so we darted ahead to get a spot in line.

Mikey read about this corner ice cream parlor on Jeni's site and wanted to check it out. They're open til 11 pm so we got there by 10 only to circle the block for a good 20 minutes for parking. (Yikes! That's one strike against you, MILK.)

Aside from a vast menu of sandwiches and coffee drinks, they have a mouthwatering showcase of sorbets and ice cream. Being the lactose intolerant one, I was recommended the lychee sorbet in a sugar cone, which they'd just introduced a day earlier. Being the lactose intolerant one-in-denial, Mikey got the mint chip ice cream in a cup. Both were $2.50 but mine was but a baby scoop compared to Mikey's. Still, the lychee was lovely. It had a winning combination of being both light and full of flavor. Mikey's mint chip was fairly tasty if not hampered by too many chocolate chips.

Nothing stood out from their display of baked goods (scones, cookies, pound-cake type breads, all a tad too heavy looking) but their ice cream sandwiches and bon bons looked divine. I would've gotten some for the road if I was sure it'd actually survive the trip.

Owner Bret Thompson (a really nice guy who spoke in French to Delpy's friends) is the former corporate executive chef of Patina. He was doing double duty in the kitchen and at the register, a sure sign that this joint is his labor of love.

He's hoping to get more parking in the back for customers, which seems to be most problematic for the month-old store. I really hope he's successful because if my premonition comes true, he might find himself with a line out the door.

MILK
7290 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 939-6455

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