Two Guns Espresso | Manhattan Beach, CA

There's something about the South Bay that's a little off-beat. It's quirky, charming, and provides a nice little respite from the daily grind of the city. In some ways, it doesn't feel like L.A. (the tight-knit friendly neighborhoods, the ease of parking), and in others, it fits in perfectly (fancy Grove-like outdoor mall, upscale beachy restaurants). So somehow, finding something as odd as a Western-themed strip mall doesn't seem all that surprising in Manhattan Beach. And finding an excellent, Instagram-worthy coffee shop inside? It's almost expected.

As you pull into the parking lot of Two Guns Espresso (yeah, like I said - parking is easy in the South Bay), you're greeted with a big sign reading, "how about a cup of Joe?" The answer is obviously yes, because the café has some serious appeal: there's a warm and welcoming feel with locals chatting outside, a handwritten menu detailing tempting breakfast options ranging from healthy to decadent, and cozy indoor or outdoor seating. The only thing that some might find off-putting is the cheeky little sign in the window reading "ain't no wifi." But these days, I think most of us find that kind of thing charming. 

It's interesting how "local" this has become - it's deeply rooted in the community through the owners' support of Manhattan Beach schools and organizations, and it's clearly a favorite haunt for the city's residents - given that its owners hail from faraway New Zealand. Founders Andrew "Stan" Stanisich and Craig Olson aimed to bring a taste of the New Zealand coffee scene to the South Bay when they opened in 2011, and by offering up their then-exotic (and ever-delicious) flat white, they succeeded with flying colors.

These days, the café serves up espresso drinks using their own blend of beans that was developed with Dillanos Coffee Roasters. Their huge, beautiful La Marzocco machine is in plain sight; you can watch the friendly baristas work their magic while you lean against the bar and bask in the glory of the enormous Dirty Harry portrait hanging in the corner. And good luck walking away without one of the mouthwatering treats piled high in the glass case - it took all the strength I had to keep from ordering all the donuts.

As tempting as the flat white and the donuts were, I stuck to the plan and ordered up my cappuccino. The house two-bean blend was described as having "dark chocolate sweetness with candied pecan and hints of dried fruit." While some of these flavors were present for me (particularly the candied pecans), the most prominent flavor in my cup was a roasted one - like a light char or burnt sugar. This is not to say it tasted burned - it had a very pleasant, toasty bitterness with a warm aftertaste. The flavor was complimented by a luxurious creaminess, likely a result of the top-notch Straus organic whole milk. This cup of joe was a delightful balance of flavor and texture, and featured some lovely latte art to boot. 

When it first opened, Two Guns Espresso was a beacon of hope for South Bay coffee enthusiasts, finally making it possible to find a great cup of joe in a town without a coffee scene. Today, even as the Los Angeles coffee culture explodes and great coffee becomes readily available, they remain the gold standard. And lucky for us all, Two Guns is rocking out at three locations - in addition to their original location in the quirky Western strip mall, you can also enjoy their brews at the end of the Manhattan Beach pier and at a cute little stand in Downtown L.A. And as Dirty Harry behind the cash register promises, it'll make your day. 

Two Guns Espresso - 350 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 7 in Manhattan Beach

C+M Cafe | Los Angeles, CA

Living in Los Angeles, "foodies" constantly struggle with a double edged sword: so many excellent restaurants! We fall in love with tasty eateries and want to go back all the time, but there are countless new places to visit. What's a girl to do?! I say, keep experimenting and sampling all of the foods LA has to offer, but don't abandon the classic places that are always delicious and dependable.

C+M Cafe (Chicken and Monkey) is one of those places. When it first opened in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles a couple years ago, it quickly became a regular spot for my boyfriend and I since it was a 5 minute walk from our apartment. I can't count the number of times we have woken up on a Sunday morning, and one of us has suggested "C+M?", almost embarrassingly because we go so often. (Side bar - we once were called out by an employee at Millions of Milkshakes in West Hollywood for visiting so frequently one month. "Do you come here like, everyday?" "No... No! YOU do!" *pays and rushes out to cry in the car*. You get the picture... Ever since, we've tried to maintain anonymity at restaurants to hold on to some amount of personal dignity). 

C+M recently became so popular that it relocated to a new, bigger spot a few blocks away, but still within walking distance for us, thank goodness. If you're a fan of the Westside ice cream hot spot "Scoops", it's right next-door in the same plaza. A double dose of awesomeness if you ask me.

Group enjoying breakfast under the chicken

Kitchen tool art wall

Our staple order always includes the "Basic Eggsential Breakfast Sandwich". It's a simple, yet completely satisfying breakfast sandwich. You can add bacon, sausage, ham or avocado, and it's topped with an over-easy egg and havarti cheese all on fresh sourdough bread. We always pick bacon, and usually split this along with another item because neither one of us can enter C+M without a bite of that perfect gift between bread. Dare I say, it's my favorite breakfast sandwich in LA?

Basic Eggsential Breakfast Sandwich w/bacon

The must have side item is the "Sweeties" potatoes. I honestly don't remember how we got hooked on them because they're not officially on the menu, but we always have to have them. They're perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and they're served with a tangy and slightly spicy chili aioli for dipping.

Sweeties potatoes

 "The Melting Pot" is the item to choose if you just want a warm, homey rice bowl. It's a Hungarian-style fried rice bowl, with smoked paprika, pork belly, brown rice, kale, spinach, and topped with over easy egg, pesto, and farmers cheese. Your belly is filled with the warm spices and fatty pork, and c'mon, is there really anything more comforting than a hearty breakfast bowl?

The Melting Pot

 If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend the "Money Maker", a perfect bread pudding with lemon and rosemary and topped with an over easy egg, all sitting in a sticky, sweet, bath of caramel. Each bite starts with a satisfying crunch from the crispy edges, but finishes with a soft sweetness and subtle rosemary flavor, which prevents the dish from being TOO sweet. So good. I'm full just thinking about it. 

The Money Maker

But what's a good brunch joint without coffee? C+M doesn't short-change you there either. They brew up delicious cold brew and espresso standards, and there are multiple coffee and juice concoctions and kombucha to-go. We always grab a drink for the walk home!

While the food is oh-so-tasty, and never lets you down, my favorite thing about C+M Cafe is its neighborhood feel. Sure, there is tons of exceptional food in LA, but not every place feels like home on a Sunday morning. There's something comforting about always seeing the same people working behind the counter and little kids stuffing their faces with their parents by their side. About eating your meal next to a couple enjoying their morning routine, or even the Crossfitters who visit after a hard workout. C+M is a place where all of these families are welcome, and I enjoy spending my Sunday morning with all of them. 

-Johnna

See You Later 2016!

Well brunchers, 2016 has finally come to an end. This year, we're grateful for our amazing friendships, the support of our families, our brunch adventures, and of course, all of you, our honorary Brunchographers! Thank you for letting us geek out over our love of eggs, lattes and pancakes and for following us on our quest to find the best meals between the hours of 9a and 2p! We thank you for coming along for the ride and can't wait to see what 2017 will bring.

As for next year, rather than set specific resolutions, we're looking forward to continuing to lead healthier and happier lives every day. To take time to identify the people and things in our lives for which we're grateful; to move our bodies as often as possible, whether we're sticking to our daily yoga routine or just finding 15 minutes to walk around the block; and to fuel our bodies with healthy food... most of the time! We're going to take it easy on ourselves this year and see where that leads us. Brunch is good for the soul, so we believe everyone can, and should, have a big plate of French toast or eggs benedict if the moment calls for it! Good meals bring us together and make our hearts and bellies happy, so let's celebrate with lots of memorable brunches in 2017 :)

Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve, and we'll see you next year!

Xo
Johnna + Veronica

Bar Nine | Culver City, CA

In an area that straddles residential and industrial, down a quiet little side street, and behind a chain link fence with a friendly little "open" sign lies Bar Nine, a friendly haven for coffee enthusiasts and novices alike. 

The space is huge; a former food truck kitchen sprawling 3400 square feet. It's open and bright, punctuated with thoughtful, minimal details like a cupping bar, a row of metal bleachers, a community table, and bar stools that could double as works of art. There's 70's funk music playing, and stacks of old vinyl alongside the record player. 

When you start to notice the nitty gritty details, you realize that this place is legit. In the back corner sits a massive (and gorgeous) Probatone 12 series roaster. Temperature-controlled spigots rigged to release hot water slowly for the perfect pour over are built into the bar, along with a Modbar espresso system (the first in LA) that boasts more bells and whistles than Uhura's station on the Enterprise.

Indeed it appears that here coffee is a something between a religion and a science; approached with a passion and inquisitiveness that is rare and frankly fascinating. Every detail is considered, down to the pressure used when pulling a shot of espresso: using their Modbar setup, baristas are able to adjust the amount of pressure applied during the extraction to achieve the best possible flavor for each unique coffee variety (this is called "pressure profiling," and is a rather unique practice). The baristas I encountered, Johnathan Franco and Brian Melendrez, obviously take their craft very seriously; in the time between making customers' drinks, they tested brews and discussed tasting notes. John even participates in latte art competitions.

 All of this seriousness around the craft of coffee might lead you to expect Bar Nine to be snobbish, but delightfully, it's anything but. The people here want to share their craft with you, and help you understand what makes coffee worthy of their fervor. John and Brian were happy to talk with me about the equipment, the roasting process, and anything else my novice coffee-curious mind could come up with. Visiting here was less like an obligatory stop for caffeine on your way to work, and more like a really informative trip to a wine tasting room or a fine restaurant. 

The cappuccino was (not surprisingly) excellent. John's latte art was on point, and the ratio of espresso to milk was perfect. The espresso's flavor was buttery and smooth, with a hint of citrusy brightness; overall it was mild and not too bitter. The texture was like velvet, comforting, rich, and smooth, without being heavy. Deeeeeeeeeelicious.

There are even more thoughtful details at Bar Nine that you will love - house made hazelnut milk, to go drinks served in reusable glass jars, and a recurring brunch pop-up from popular Amara Kitchen, to name a few - but the real reason you should come visit is to experience the coffee connoisseurs at work. They will teach you things you didn't know about your favorite brew, open your eyes to new flavors and methods, and do it all with a smile.  

Bar Nine 

3515 Helms Ave, Culver City, CA

Eggnog Coffee Cake Muffins

Do you remember that feeling you'd get as a kid, waking up on Christmas morning, knowing there was a little bit of magic waiting for you underneath the Christmas tree? It was pretty much the most exciting moment of the year; you'd rush to wake your parents, then run to the living room as fast as your little feet could take you. Then, of course, you'd savagely rip into your gifts, scraps of paper flying through the air like a tornado, while your parents sipped their coffee and silently cursed the clock for the early hour (sorry, Mom and Dad). 

 As an adult, there's still something a bit magical about Christmas morning. Even if there's not a rush to rip open gifts, it still feels special to laze around in pajamas and enjoy some coffee (or tea) with your family. And having a pre-prepared, simple breakfast to enjoy together always helps. 

This year, we found a few great options for delicious, make-ahead breakfasts for Christmas morning. The first was the blueberry cream cheese French toast casserole that we made for our Yuletide brunch. Another is a recipe for eggnog coffee cake muffins that we found on a blog called Two Peas in Their Pod. 

These muffins were perfect for enjoying with a cup of coffee on a lazy morning. They're dense, crumbly, and have the perfect balance of sweet and salty. The eggnog flavor is subtle, but adds a little extra something perfect for Christmas morning. 

You can also top them off with a bit more eggnog flavor by adding a drizzle of some eggnog glaze. The glaze is super easy to whip up - just whisk a couple tablespoons of eggnog into some powdered sugar to your desired consistency, and voila! Drizzle to your heart's content. They're delicious either way. 

Thank you for stopping by, and spending a little bit of your holiday with us! We hope you have a warm and wonderful holiday, full of fun, joy, and love. Happy (holiday) brunching!