October 11th, 2015 - (Phil's Choice)
Blu Jam - I've been wanting to go here for quite some time. My apologies to Ann and Braden for blasting into this place without them. I just couldn't help myself. I now feel like the dog that got into the birthday cake: I'm just waiting for the owner to come home and discover what I've done. And it's not going to be pretty.
Today's brunch, I was joined by my friend Kat Covell, whom I met and worked with on the road a couple of years ago. She was celebrating a move to the Burbank area, away from Simi Valley. I was celebrating a divorce finalization. We were both starving.
The wait-time was exactly what they predicted upon arrival: 20 minutes. Very efficient at getting people in, and cleaning up the tables once they leave. During this 20 minutes outside in the blistering hot sun, Kat and I watched with growing perplexity as people continued to run and jog out on the street in an "AIDS charity walk" that had most of Melrose Ave. coned and blocked off. Neither of us questioned the motive, as the charity is a wonderful reason to get up and do anything. But to exert yourself in a difficult manner such as that when it is almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside made both of us sweat profusely just watching.
Shout out to the spiderman guy, who ran like a machine ahead of the whole pack. He had his earphones in, his warrior face on, and acted like his spiderman-print underarmor was keeping him at an even 68 degrees.
Once we were seated, waters and menus were immediately placed in front of us. The menu is very good here. There are choices, but not too many. The debate about French Toast versus Eggs Benedict raged with Kat, while my conundrum was whether or not to order many drinks. I wanted coffee, but I also wanted a dirty chai. I also wanted a fresh juice. They have fresh juices there for around five bucks. I do not know if they are worth it, as I have not had one, but the fact that you can get a ginger/apple/grapefruit juice if you like made my mouth water in all kinds of anticipatory ways.
The coffee was SO GOOD, and it was french press coffee. Head's up: If you don't drink A LOT of coffee, but drink a decent amount, between two people, getting a french press is a dollar cheaper and IT IS SO GOOD. Kat described it as "frothy and amazing and perfect." The coffee was pretty strong, and had some really nice boldness to the up-front taste. The aftertaste was mild and disappeared into nothing, not leaving you with that bitter "I just had coffee" taste in your mouth that comes from more acidic tones.
I ended up having the "Spicy Tex-Mex Tofu Hash", because I need to stop ordering omelets all the time, and broaden my damn horizons.
The portioning on this is actually very good. What looks like an absolute MESS of food ends up being exactly the right amount. The corn tortillas serve very well as your carbohydrate replacement for toast in a dish, and avocado is always welcome. The beans and tofu also add any protein that you might have needed from an omelet, which is a plus for me. I was hoping it would be a little spicier than it was right out of the gate, but I didn't want to ruin the VERY nice flavor with adding any hot sauce to it.
Kat ordered the "Florentine Benedict" for herself. And I was SUPER jealous of the presentation of her dish.
Mine was a mess of food which looked wonderful to eat. Hers was an artistic arrangement of food that I wanted to enter into a county fair. (My phone even thinks that her's looked better! Look how sharp the focus is on her picture!) The proportions of everything on her Benedict were phenomenally done, and the fruit on the side added that splash of color that makes any good dish look that much better. Nods of approval from her indicated a success in dining.
Other great pluses: You never have to ask for your check, and the wait staff doesn't bug you every five minutes to "see how you're doing." Helpful, but not too helpful is always a hard balance to strike. It was effortless for our waiter, who was wearing one of the nicest hats I have ever seen a hipster wear. Not once did we feel rushed, and not once did we feel intruded upon.
If there WAS a down-side, it would have to have been the fact that there were a LOT of people crammed in there. But if you are annoyed at that, then you are merely hating on success and popularity. It's easy to see why this place is so popular after what I can only say was a flawless, if slightly abbreviated, brunching experience.
This was a magical experience had by two residents of Burbank: Phillip "Lick-the-Platter-Clean" Meyer, and Kat "Pinky Always Out" Covell.
www.blujamcafe.com
Blu Jam - I've been wanting to go here for quite some time. My apologies to Ann and Braden for blasting into this place without them. I just couldn't help myself. I now feel like the dog that got into the birthday cake: I'm just waiting for the owner to come home and discover what I've done. And it's not going to be pretty.
Today's brunch, I was joined by my friend Kat Covell, whom I met and worked with on the road a couple of years ago. She was celebrating a move to the Burbank area, away from Simi Valley. I was celebrating a divorce finalization. We were both starving.
The wait-time was exactly what they predicted upon arrival: 20 minutes. Very efficient at getting people in, and cleaning up the tables once they leave. During this 20 minutes outside in the blistering hot sun, Kat and I watched with growing perplexity as people continued to run and jog out on the street in an "AIDS charity walk" that had most of Melrose Ave. coned and blocked off. Neither of us questioned the motive, as the charity is a wonderful reason to get up and do anything. But to exert yourself in a difficult manner such as that when it is almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside made both of us sweat profusely just watching.
Shout out to the spiderman guy, who ran like a machine ahead of the whole pack. He had his earphones in, his warrior face on, and acted like his spiderman-print underarmor was keeping him at an even 68 degrees.
Once we were seated, waters and menus were immediately placed in front of us. The menu is very good here. There are choices, but not too many. The debate about French Toast versus Eggs Benedict raged with Kat, while my conundrum was whether or not to order many drinks. I wanted coffee, but I also wanted a dirty chai. I also wanted a fresh juice. They have fresh juices there for around five bucks. I do not know if they are worth it, as I have not had one, but the fact that you can get a ginger/apple/grapefruit juice if you like made my mouth water in all kinds of anticipatory ways.
The coffee was SO GOOD, and it was french press coffee. Head's up: If you don't drink A LOT of coffee, but drink a decent amount, between two people, getting a french press is a dollar cheaper and IT IS SO GOOD. Kat described it as "frothy and amazing and perfect." The coffee was pretty strong, and had some really nice boldness to the up-front taste. The aftertaste was mild and disappeared into nothing, not leaving you with that bitter "I just had coffee" taste in your mouth that comes from more acidic tones.
I ended up having the "Spicy Tex-Mex Tofu Hash", because I need to stop ordering omelets all the time, and broaden my damn horizons.
The portioning on this is actually very good. What looks like an absolute MESS of food ends up being exactly the right amount. The corn tortillas serve very well as your carbohydrate replacement for toast in a dish, and avocado is always welcome. The beans and tofu also add any protein that you might have needed from an omelet, which is a plus for me. I was hoping it would be a little spicier than it was right out of the gate, but I didn't want to ruin the VERY nice flavor with adding any hot sauce to it.
Kat ordered the "Florentine Benedict" for herself. And I was SUPER jealous of the presentation of her dish.
Mine was a mess of food which looked wonderful to eat. Hers was an artistic arrangement of food that I wanted to enter into a county fair. (My phone even thinks that her's looked better! Look how sharp the focus is on her picture!) The proportions of everything on her Benedict were phenomenally done, and the fruit on the side added that splash of color that makes any good dish look that much better. Nods of approval from her indicated a success in dining.
Other great pluses: You never have to ask for your check, and the wait staff doesn't bug you every five minutes to "see how you're doing." Helpful, but not too helpful is always a hard balance to strike. It was effortless for our waiter, who was wearing one of the nicest hats I have ever seen a hipster wear. Not once did we feel rushed, and not once did we feel intruded upon.
If there WAS a down-side, it would have to have been the fact that there were a LOT of people crammed in there. But if you are annoyed at that, then you are merely hating on success and popularity. It's easy to see why this place is so popular after what I can only say was a flawless, if slightly abbreviated, brunching experience.
This was a magical experience had by two residents of Burbank: Phillip "Lick-the-Platter-Clean" Meyer, and Kat "Pinky Always Out" Covell.
www.blujamcafe.com
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