Foodie Fridays: Bricks & Scones

Friday, December 18, 2009

Foodie Fridays: Bricks & Scones

Abby and Shevin initially bonded over their mutual love of boba during their freshman year at USC and have since been together and enjoying all of LA's wonderful culinary offerings. They both love to travel, explore, and most importantly eat!

It seemed like a great idea for FoundTrack to introduce a food column. Let's face it, those of us who enjoy art, film, fashion, and music usually have a soft spot for great dining experiences as well. So now, these two young Angelenos will have the chance to share some of their favorite tasty spots in LA with all of you fun people through Foodie Fridays.

If you have any recommendations you think should be considered for the column, please send an email to foodiefridays at foundtrack dot com. Eat on!

Bricks & Scones
403 N. Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 463-0811
Map

For this Foodieventure, we were prepping for the holidays and searching for a cozy, cheerful spot to warm up from our cold LA winter...

We decided to hit my absolute favorite coffee shop in town, the recently opened Bricks & Scones on Larchmont Blvd. As a frequent visitor to Larchmont and a coffee lover, I've been disappointed by the dominance of mediocre chain coffee shops (you can guess which ones). Upon visting the stellar Sunday morning farmers market, or grabbing a sandwich at Larchmont Village Wine and Cheese, there was never a satisfactory option for those of us who enjoy the locally-owned coffee shop experience. Thankfully, that's changed.

Twenty three year old Angeleno Jinah Kim felt the same way and decided to go into business with her mom and pops, Beverly and Chung Kim, in order to create her dream coffee shop on Larchmont.

The family spent almost a year making renovations and their efforts have paid off: Bricks & Scones is a cozy and charming coffee shop which provides plenty of comfortable seating options, free Wi-Fi, and all sorts of delicious coffees, teas, pastries and lunch items that will satisfy any hungry or thirsty patron.

Shevin and I sampled several items from the menu: a standard drip coffee, a pumpkin spice latte, and a lychee oolong tea. The tea is from a Japanese tea company, Lupicia Fresh Tea. The flavor was delicate and naturally sweet.

As far as coffee goes, Bricks & Scones, proudly serves Intelligentsia coffee (in my opinion, the best you can get in LA). The pumpkin spice latte went down oh so smooth; it's the perfect holiday beverage, requiring a much necessary "mmmmm" after each sip.

The drip coffee was the Intelligentsia Celebration Blend with hints of citrus and cloves. I don't usually drink my coffee black but the flavor was so bold that there was no need to mask it with added ingredients.

We also thought it appropriate to try the shop's namesake, a scone. Jinah's mom and business partner also serves as the in-house baker and, I must say, the woman has skills. The scone was perfectly baked with cranberries and walnuts and is served with fresh jam and a delicious traditional English spread with the not-so-delicious sounding name, clotted cream. Take our word on this one, you'll like it.

And yes I've included the obligatory photo of me, eating a mouth watering scone.

We also tried the hot chocolate espresso muffin. Yes, you read that correctly, and yes, it tastes as good as it sounds. In fact, it's better...yum!

Our final pastry was the chestnut corn muffin, a homemade recipie from Mrs. Kim herself. Shevin is seen enjoying it here:

It is just the perfect balance of sweet and savory. I am one to appreciate unorthodox baked goods, so this was right up my alley.

I can also recommend any of the paninis, salads, and soups that are on the lunch menu without hesitation.

Even after we finished all of our delightful snacks and beverages, we hung around for a while, chatting with other patrons and with the Kims themselves when they weren't busy steaming milk or baking muffins. Bricks & Scones is quickly becoming a local hang-out, and more importantly, it may just become more popular than the corporate competitors down the street.

And with added perks like low prices, late hours (the shop is open until 11), free Wi-Fi, and plenty of quiet work spaces upstairs in the “study,” it seems as though Jinah has really completed what she set out to do: create her dream coffee shop. It just so happens to be mine, too!

TIPS:

-10% off if you bring your own mug or a student ID!

-Dietary restrictions? If you're no friend of lactose or happen to be vegan, have no fear.
They've got all sorts of options from almond milk to gluten-free cupcakes.

-Great outdoor seating for when the weather warms up.

-There is a small library in the back where you can borrow or trade books. Among some of these titles is a selection of novels by Elinor Lipman, which she has signed just for Bricks & Scones!

-Here is a photo of us with our friend Norma who has a drink named after her. Look for THE NORMA on your next visit...