The Sycamore Kitchen is a restaurant that has been on my list for a really long time.  It almost did not happen this time either, but a series of unfortunate events that ended up working to my advantaged occurred.  🙂

I was headed to a sewing blogger meet-up (for Vintage Zest) and ended up almost an hour late, and therefore pretty much missed lunch.  So after the pattern swap and some fabric shopping, I was HUNGRY.  Before I even started thinking about where to pick something up, I found out that I was literally across the street from The Sycamore Kitchen.

And people, even after the anticipation, let me tell you that it did not disappoint!

First of all, I adored the plants and the outside patio seating.

As soon as I entered, the bakery display took my attention!

But actually, I love the casual set-up of just ordering at the counter and picking up a number.  Not fancy, but the food is!

Here is a peek at their daily menu.  Delish…

On the way up to the register, I may have snagged a few items.  I almost got this Banana Chocolate Shortbread Blondie, but it will have to wait until next time.  🙂

Now, to the food!

Tomato, charred Broccolini, caramelized onions

This is basically the adult grilled cheese of your dreams.  Easily on par with Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese and The Grilled Cheese Spot, I loved each ingredient of the sandwich: the perfectly grilled bread, the amazing combination of robust taleggio and the melty mozzarella, plus my three of my favorite vegetables for flavor and color.  I don’t know how often they change the specials, but this one needs to be bumped to full-time status in my opinion!

Roasted Turkey, cherry mostarda, camembert, arugula, mayo, country bread

Oh my goodness.  If this is what the morning after Thanksgiving tasted like, I would make two turkeys!

I am not completely sure what makes a crostata a crostata, but I think it is next on my “to bake” list.  I always love them, and I wish this one was bigger so I could have more.  Here is a shot of the inside so you can see how it looked just like the most delicious dessert pizza ever!

Pretty good, but as you can see in the first picture, it was pretty tiny.  It was incredibly moist, and it was sweet but not too sweet.  Probably just the right amount of dessert for a quick lunch to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Okay, so let’s take a deep breath and just admire this for a second.  The sweet, salty caramel is sticky and delicious, the dough is tender and delicious, and the insanely delicious pecan topping and filling is better than any I have tasted.  Really, I have never had such a perfectly constructed sticky roll/cinnamon bun/etc.  Usually the outside is neglected and dry, the glaze or frosting is too sweet, or the filling is plain boring.  Not this one.  It’s all in the details, and every one of them is right in this pastry.  Just get it, trust me.

After all of the hype and the anticipation, I was not sure if The Sycamore Kitchen would deliver.  But it did, and if I lived nearby, this would easily be one of my go-to spots.  Every single item I ordered was worthy of being eaten again, and you know with my ADHD tendency to always want to try a new item or a new restaurant, it is a huge compliment for me to say that I could never get bored of this place.

Next time, I might have to invite thirty of my closest friends so we can order everything on the menu and have a tasting party…

The Sycamore Kitchen
143 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 935-2977
http://thesycamorekitchen.com