Saturday, June 02, 2007

Restaurant Review: 3 Square Café & Bakery

Due to the nature of my job and the frequency with which I work weekends and holidays, I occasionally have the random weekday off. I typically spend my day off accomplishing the things everyone else uses the weekend for: trying new restaurants, sleeping in, laundry. On one particular day, a Thursday, I went to try the new 3 Square Café on Abbot Kinney with my friend the self-employed art dealer. And you know what? It was pretty busy. Not so busy that we couldn’t sit down, but, you know – busy.

I can’t help but wonder who these people are or what they do for a living that allows them to casually have a relaxing lunch at 1pm on a Thursday. There are very few offices on Abbot Kinney, and it was readily apparent that none of these individuals were taking a lunch break or business-related meeting. Now, I knew why I was there. I knew why my friend the art dealer was there. Elisabeth Shue was there too – so it was pretty easy for me to figure out how she had the free time to try Röckenwagner’s newest venture. But everyone else? They can’t all be actors and/or independently wealthy….can they? Can they?

Who are these people and why don’t I do what they do?

As you can tell, 3 Square is currently a bit of a scene. However it’s a scene worth checking out. We both had the Niçoise salad with Italian tuna and were impressed with the quality of the individual ingredients and the overall presentation. The poached egg was perfectly runny, the green beans blanched but still firm and the tuna tasty without even a hint of fishiness. We followed it with the prettiest little lemon meringue tart you could imagine. Besides being deliciously tart (pun intended) the meringue peaks were beautifully formed and rested on the lemon curd like a little crown.

My next visit will definitely include the sandwich sampler that I saw many patrons eating, and probably a glass of wine off the chalkboard menu board. And then some pastries from the bakery next door. And hopefully, as happened to my friend on another visit, a Jake Gyllenhaal sighting.

3 Square Café & Bakery
1121 Abbot Kinney
Venice, CA 90291
310-399-6504 (P)
310-399-6518 (F)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looking good, lady.

That lemon tart was fantastic... we should go have it again.

LadyLinoleum said...

I'm so happy to hear that you and Bri had a wonderful lunch! I've got to try 3 Square. Though it'll have to be on a weekend because well, I don't do what those people do either.

Acme Instant Food said...

A good friend of mine moved to L.A. from Modesto and wondered who all the people were eating leisurely lunches in outdoor patio restaurants during the week.

Actors, mostly.

christianne said...

Briana - yes. when?

LL - Its definitely worth a jaunt down into Venice!

AIF - You're right...all actors. Such is life in LA!

Anonymous said...

I usually have about ten minutes to dash out of the office and pick something up, assuming I don't bring lunch and eat it at my desk while continuing to work. I always see people enjoying a leisurely lunch and I'm with you - what do they do and why aren't I doing it? lol.


Ari (Baking and Books)