A Great Saturday Morning: Discovering Breakfast at Blu Jam

I'm a huge breakfast snob and I really don't like places that overdo it. Those that do so shall go unnamed. Why be a hater? But what I will say is some of the most highly touted breakfast places in LA, the places EVERYONE tells you to go to, are heavy, give you way too much food, and load up on the uber fatty ingredients. Maybe if you're a hungover breakfast goer, you really want to pour it on to cut through the cigs from the night before. But for me, I like places that give the ingredients a chance. And frankly, if everything is about butter, syrup, and creams -- what are they trying to cover up, you know?

The Blu Jam Cafe on Melrose between Martel and Fuller is a good, hearty, delicious, non-gloppy breakfast that uses fresh, high-quality ingredients. Meaning: You don't have to take a nap afterwards.

I'm an eavesdropper. That guy was telling them about his China trip. One more fact: he ordered the cornflake encrusted French Toast and man, it looked GOOD.

First off, can I just say, there is now, finally, a very cool service-oriented generation. For a good decade you'd go to many a restaurant and feel as if you were pissing off the people who work there by simply showing up for your reservation. They didn't want their jobs - and they were hard jobs, to be sure - but they kind of let you know they were too good for it. There's a FANTASTIC trend now toward amazingly good service. This is in spades at Blu Jam.

The Host Desk/Front Desk People were super nice, funny, on it and adorable. Loved these guys. And I'm sure had we arrived 20 minutes after we did we would have had a very long wait, but we had about 15 minutes and then were seated. This was shortly before 10am on a Saturday. Here's the other thing: very realistic seating expectations were set by the front desk. And they had our number and texted us when our table was ready so we didn't have to stand right in front of them whipping our heads around every time one of them would duck out from behind their "podium." Actually what we did was take the host's suggestion and went to their bar to get an ice coffee while we waited. It was pretty delicious and right after we ordered it, we were seated.

Norwegian Eggs Benedict at Blu Jam

This is what I chose: The Large and In Charge Norwegian Eggs Benedict with Dill Hollandaise, Spinach and Salmon. In NYC, on the Upper West Side, me and my friend Allison used to go to a place that called this dish Eggs Benny. Allison, if you read this blog please remind me the name of that restaurant joint! Anyway, Blu Jam's version was just as fantastic. And they had a little chive on it that added a light mellow onion touch. Though I could have had potatoes, I ordered the fruit. Considering I was having the Hollandaise I thought on some level I must be healthy. It's always a gamble. I've gotten so hosed with choosing fruit in the past because have you ever noticed when you order fruit in lieu of potatoes they give you pretty much every piece of fruit you don't normally eat and none of it is ripe? It's like hard, freezing cold melon varieties and if you're really unlucky you get some rind thrown in. Well, this was Farmer's Market fresh: Strawberries, grapes, pineapple, blueberries... tart and sweet and at the end of the day, I didn't just feel healthy, I felt respected.

Homemade Granola, Blu Jam

My husband got the granola which has like about 50 ingredients in it (almonds, coconut, flax seed, raisins, you name it). It was so freakin delicious. One of the best granolas in any restaurant I've ever eaten. They gave him a scoop of yogurt (you can get milk) and it was clearly not enough. So they gave him another scoop and I believe they did that free of charge. So nice of them.

French Press Coffee, Blu Jam style

At Blu Jam I had two cups of this Costa Rican (they have a different type daily). Super yummy, edgy, perfect. I could marry it. I'm beginning to think my relationship with coffee is in the unhealthy area. You know what I mean? I love it as if I can't live without it. And by the way, I can't. I might have to soon start to look at my coffee situation. Some day. We quit things in the order they kill us, right? And you know seriously, if I was killed by coffee it wouldn't be the worse thing. I'd certainly die energetically.

TD and our waiter

Doesn't that look like "the film's director" in the background? Or like I captured the image of a ghost? I know. But listen, I just want to say "hi" to our waiter because he was on it, sweet and nice, AND he had on that awesome vintage Yankees shirt (which he got in New Jersey 5 years ago) and I just want to say I had a shirt VERY SIMILAR when I was growing up. Though I have no current particular allegiance to The Yankees (I like both The Yankees and The Mets no matter what's happening or where they are in the running) I will say, seeing this shirt brought back good memories of evenings in The Bronx with my dad and made me like the restaurant more.

Afterwards, we ducked into the American Vintage which is on the same block but I decided I needed to get going. I was heading to Silverlake for a hair consultation (oh my God, it's out. I'm planning on cheating on my hair stylist. Did I already tell you?) and so on my way to my car I ran across this guy:

He had parked his brown Mercedes (sorry Adco, I didn't get a good picture of that and it was a very cool looking coche) and set up a tripod and started taking a video of himself dancing in front of this wall of graffiti:

Your body's on time and your mind is appealing

I asked him if he was the artist and he said no and then took off. God bless him.

Moving east towards my Consultation to Cheat Appointment in Silverlake, I had one final fantastic moment to my morning...

Saturday Morning Car Porn

While listening to "Blue Monday" - Saturdays seem to be 80's satellite radio time - I came across this particularly wonderful car and wanted to share it with you. By the way, Stir Crazy is a fun place for a cup of joe. It's on Melrose & Orange in Hollywood. It's a good writing cafe, you know what I mean? A place you can get a cup of java and plant it for awhile.

Anyway, after "Blue Monday" it was time to admit it. Morning was almost over. I was leaving the magical world and going into my day. So I put Paul's Boutique into the CD player (the mix by DJ Cheeba, DJ Moneyshot and DJ Food) and drove off to Silverlake.

Here's a link to that mix: 3 DJ Mix of Paul's Boutique. Super worth it. Great car music.

All in all, a most relaxing delicious sunny and enjoyable morning in a long while.

To recap: If you got a hankering for a really good breakfast, fresh ingredients, good service, strong and tasty coffee, trust me on this: Blu Jam Cafe. If you want to see some guy dancing in front of a great wall, go right behind the building in the alleyway of Martel, south of Melrose. If the need for good music in your car is required on a sunny Saturday, I recommend New Order's Blue Monday and the 3 DJ mix of Paul's Boutique. If you want a cup of coffee to write in your diary about your caffeine addiction, check out Stir Crazy Cafe in Hollywood.

No matter what, get in your car, open the windows, and turn on your music. It's a beautiful day.

ENJOY!

Blu Jam Cafe is located at 7371 Melrose Avenue, between Martel & Fuller. 323-951-9191. They also just opened a second location in Sherman Oaks on Ventura between Kester and Sepulveda. They're open 7 days a week, 8 - 4pm. It's my understanding they don't take reservations. Also, the head chef and co-owner, Kamil Majer, is a sommelier. There is an array of carefully selected wines and beer, for those of you who partake. Street parking available. I've never been to the Sherman Oaks location so I can't speak to that but as for the Melrose spot, don't go when you're hungry. Be prepared to wait!

Stumbling Upon a Classic Car Show. How LA.

I'm just going to show the pictures. This was so bizarre. We were driving from Ralph's, the only place in SoCal by the way that ALWAYS seems to have Egg Matzo. Who knew. And we were on Green Street, just cruising by the Ambassador Mansions & Gardens. Now this is a special place because it's where we got married...

No, I did not wear this to Ralph's. We're talking about 2 different days here.

...and we just sort of stumbled upon a classic car show. It was like a flash flood. We got there at 2 something and it was over by 3. Of course I like to tell you about things ahead of time so you can go and enjoy. This was just impossible for that goal. Nevertheless, I thought I'd share the photos. Cars are so freakin cool!

Photo by Terrence Dunlop

This car was called Peachy

These cars were called I Wish They Were Mine

I had a lot of favorites but this is the one I wanted to drive. First.

Fancy!

I'm looking up the Eagle Rock Trompers as we speak.

I had a friend who drove one of these old Broncos. Not a smooth ride, but fun!

I like a person who puts a dog in the back seat with the windows open.

There's something weird and cool about this. Is this a thing?

I loved this picture TD took. I think we should frame it!

That's all I got for you today. Oh, Eagle Rock Trompers or The Trompers of Eagle Rock. It's a car club started in 1945. Well, there you go! Have a great Sunday evening and ENJOY!

The Most Specific Directions to The Hollywood Sign

When I lived in Beachwood Canyon I cannot count the times I was stopped to give directions to The Hollywood Sign. And really it never bothered me. But I'm a talker. I like people. Whatever.

Oftentimes the locals have gripes about the amount of people each year going to see the sign and the traffic jams it causes. All understandable but I believe it is a fait accompli. I look at it this way: If I were visiting LA, I'd absolutely make the pilgrimage to such a symbol of the dreams, glamour, tragedy and beauty that is Hollywood. Therefore...

Here are the Directions to The Hollywood Sign (da da da dahhhhh!). Be warned on this journey YOU WILL NOT BE ALONE. Unless you go at 4 in the morning and then you might see some coyotes snapping pictures alongside with you.

First you gotta get to BEACHWOOD CANYON DRIVE. Beachwood starts at Franklin between Gower and Bronson. Okay, so good, you got there. Now HEAD NORTH UP BEACHWOOD. Right away you'll see The Hollywood Sign, front and center. Every day, right on Beachwood, tons of people stop their cars and take pictures, to the annoyance of the natives. I also always see cameras outside people's windows - sometimes while they're driving. Hey, you're in Hollywood, of course you're gonna take a picture but for crying out loud, please be careful!

Anyway, you'll go up several blocks (past Scenic, Graciosa, Cheremoya). In time, you'll hit the adorable little Beachwood village, the cross street of which is Westshire Drive. The village consists of a restaurant, dry cleaner, antique shop and The Beachwood Market. More on that antique shop later. To continue to the sign YOU NEED TO STAY ON BEACHWOOD. To do this it's sort of like TAKING A SOFT LEFT (a hard left would put you on Westshire).

WHEN YOU GET TO THE SIGN AT LEDGEWOOD, TAKE A LEFT. I'd do what the sign here says, This is Hollywoodland. Now relax and slow down.  There are plenty of locals and tourists who use this road. What's the rush? Why get into an accident? Besides, if you go too fast you'll miss this little gem:

This is Oz

Oz (located right after BELDEN) is an outdoor artist's garden with figurines and tiles embedded in cement and tons of dream catchers hanging from various trees. Sadly for the past decade I've not seen its gates open. Back in the day, they would let the public in every now and again.  But now the gates are closed (it seems) all of the time. I feel like the gate keeper is some Willie Wonka, mad at the world and maybe for good reason. Still it's so sad, because if you peek through the gates, you'll see, this is a magical place.

So if you like, leave a little letter in this box on your way to the Hollywood Sign and let them know you'd like to come in.

Now, back to the directions...CONTINUE UP LEDGEWOOD.

You are going to get to an area that's just a shade confusing. In great Wizard of Oz fashion you could go Left, Soft Left, Soft Right or Right. TO CONTINUE UP LEDGEWOOD YOU'LL GO STRAIGHT (WHICH FEELS LIKE A SOFT LEFT).



Immediately after Rodgerton you will see the Hollywood Sign's Gigantic letters smack dab in front of you. Keep going. You'll hit another Stop Sign at Heather Drive. Keep going straight. As straight as a windy road can be. There'll be rental cars coming downhill. Keep going, keep going. Now you can see popping above and through the treetops, the letters of The Hollywood Sign here and there. And right around this amazing white tree...

...you'll get a nice view of OOD. It'll be outside the right side of your car. You can't stop on your way up the hill. You can though park on the way back down.

At the top of the hill you'll now find yourself on MULHOLLAND HIGHWAY. 

Take a SHARP RIGHT ON MULHOLLAND HIGHWAY. (BY THE WAY I refer to this section of Mulholland as Mulholland East. This is a very small section of Mulholland. The really big long gorgeous stretch of Mulholland goes from Hollywood all the way towards the ocean. It's fabulous and one of my favorite drives. For more information regarding Mulholland, it's history and all it's famous vistas, click HERE). You'll just drive for less than a minute and here at this turnaround you can get excellent, close up pictures of the sign. You'll also probably be breaking the law. So go at your own risk and make it snappy.

See all those signs, yeah, you're really not supposed to be here. When you leave, continue on Mulholland, going straight. Before you hit the stop sign, you'll see on your left a house where the garage is actually painted to look like stacks and stacks of books -- I always thought this was very cool. CONTINUE FORWARD ON MULHOLLAND. You'll curve around and to your right, below is actually something the people who live here call Dog Hill. It's where locals take their dogs for runs even though you're not supposed to have your dogs off-leash. In my experience this doesn't hold water with the natives or the pooches. So don't ever drive too fast around here!

Regardless, when you get to the vista point you'll know it. THERE ARE TOURISTS EVERYWHERE. THIS IS NOW CALLED CANYON DRIVE. It is here where amongst everything else, you will see this van:

I seem to park behind it every time. Now I highly recommend if you can, come for sunsets or even evening. Such a beautiful spot. Or early in the morning. The soft light will be stunning to you. Anytime you come though it's super cool.



Good photo opps for the sign.

If I were in LA for a visit, I'd want to do what these folks did and rent this car...

Car Porn at The Hollywood Sign

When you go across the street to the actual vista, you'll see The Reservoir (otherwise referred to as Lake Hollywood), and beyond. Beyond is a great view of Hollywood, all the cool signage, to your left you may see Griffith Observatory and if it's a really really clear day, you may see all the way out to Catalina.

What I tend to do though is I go to this dirt road opposite of the area where everyone is taking pictures. You'll see a lot of cacti there. And I mean huge cactus. Like you're in the Land of The Lost or as my friend Jen Sincero refers to it, Mars. The entrance to the little dirt road is marked by this very cool sculpture. I don't know anything about it. It just sort of popped up one day.

I used to hike through this dirt path to get back and forth from Beachwood Canyon - though it's a circuitous route and I would definitely try to do it with someone who knows the score. Anyway, as you walk down the path, if you look up on your left, behind those tall trees is I believe a house first built for Bugsy Siegel's girlfriend. At one time Madonna was said to have owned it. At that time it was painted rust. Now it's more tasteful and more hidden. And I think Madonna's LA digs are in Los Feliz now.

Madonna's old house, or so it is said.

As you continue on the dirt path, you'll see tons of these, cactus with so-in-so + so-in-so carved into the surfaces. I think it's really mean to pick on a cactus but I'm not 18 and mad at nature.

I always call these bunny ears.

Cute, aren't they?

There are also nice photo opportunities from this area and it's quieter.

If you like, when you get back up to the area where the van is and the vista and all the tourists, you can continue down Canyon past Dog Hill and go to Lake Hollywood for a nice walk around the lake.

This is one of my favorite walks and you know it's a little long - 4.2 miles. So take that into consideration. But it's beautiful and there is tons to see and other great photo opps.

When you get back to that little village at Beachwood and Westshire, I highly recommend popping into the antique shop there. It has so much memorabilia of Hollywood, Hollywoodland specifically, and just tons of antiques from the area, you never know what you'll find. It's called Hollywoodland's Antiques and Fine Time Pieces.

It's a collector's paradise.

I love what the owner Jeff finds.

A telephone booth atop which sits a clock from an old Gulf Station.

A giant Rolex:

AVictrola...

If real deal memorabilia and vibey type stores are your thing, pop in.

What a great neighborhood this is. Right by the antique shop is this cafe...

Which by the way has a lot of healthy entrees. And while I've never had it I hear there's a good cup of joe. Might be nice after so much scenic driving. Let me know how the Hollywood Sign is and if you ever get into Oz. Until next time...

ENJOY!