Eat This Blog

To christen this site, the first restaurant that we need to mention is The Griddle Cafe:

Location: 7916 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90046 near Sunset and Fairfax

Type of food: American- best to go there for breakfast

Essential orders: Papas y Benedict (left) and 'Tis the Season pancakes (right), and to drink you have to get their French pressed coffee. It's strong, but so rich and delicious. 

From left to right: Papas y Benedict, Me with a Tis the Season; Yes, I'm  extremely excited

Service: I'd say 8 out of 10. The waiters are friendly, and because it's in Hollywood, these guys are cute. (NOTE TO SELF: Get photo-ops of hot waiters per request)

Portions ARE HUGE!! Go there on an empty stomach. I keep wanting to be different but I always get the Papas y Benedict and Renee and I always share 1 pancake. Papas y Benedict–Potato Skins with the bomb hollandaise sauce, a fat poached egg and a HUGE ham steak. The sauce is SO good. And it's not like your mom's–take 2 bites and then hate it. You keep eating until it's gone. And after you're done eating, you want to order toast to sop up the sauce. Either that or so you don't get seen licking the plate. I get mine different. I substitute the ham for bacon on the side and egg whites, because I'm not the yolk-bleeding-onto-everything-type of girl. I pretty much only get breakfast food, because the regular lunch sandwiches are so-so. Their fries did improve since the last time I did go there because my cousin got a sandwich.

Their pancakes taste so good. You can either get a stack of 3 or just one. They're ROTUND. They're huge but they don't sink to your stomach like the Bisquicks. They're light and fluffy and taste like cake. Renee and I always try to get different ones, but Tis' the Season is where's it's at.

…I wait for the days that Vh1 has yet to make fun of you…

The Tis' the Season has a BIG SPOONFUL of pumpkin pie filling and homemade whip cream. I fucking hate pancakes almost more than I hate that James Blunt guy, but when I go to The Griddle Cafe (or Griddles for short as we all call it) I always gotta get a pancake! -Jamie

Average Bill: Between me and Jamie we always spend around $30 total here. 

Need to know: Go through the back– the front is for newbies and tourists. If you are going in front, look for the bald short guy with glasses–he's always there to sit people. Bring a camera because you never know who of Young Hipster Hollywood will be there. Last time I was there with my cousin and my bestfriend I saw Milo Ventiglimia. Adrian Brody is seen there frequently as well. If you do bring large parties, they do have a special room in the back. But at the most I'd say that would fit 8-10 or something. Whenever I go, it's always real early, so it's cool finding tables, even on the weekends. I'd highly suggest sitting coutertop if there's only 2 of you, 3 at the most. Booths for parties of 3 or more. Outside if you want to smoke. It's good people watching, but beware of vagrants. -Jamie

If you want to be seated in a timely manner, you have to get there when it opens at 8 AM. It's a very hipster breakfast joint. Don't be picky about where you're sitting, it's a small place. You're better off sitting at the counter too if it's available.  I wouldn't bring parties of 6 or more -Renee

Funny anecdote: The last time Jamie and I went to the Griddle we had to sit outside because we didn't get there at opening time. We were sitting adjacent to this table with some very Hollywood-looking blonde who was probably some type of writer/producer/whatever. Anyway, she orders a bunch of food for herself that I believe she wants to eat there and take home too. While she was waiting for the food, she steps away from the table for what Jamie and I thought would be a short bathroom trip. Turns out that bathroom trip is at least over 10 minutes long because her food comes out in the meantime. Within this absence, a homeless man comes up to the table and is about to pick up the lady's food. I say, "Hey that's somebody else's food" so he backs off. Everybody looks at the homeless man, hoping he goes away soon so we can all continue eating in peace. I think another 10 minutes rolls by with the adjacent table still empty. While Jamie and I are stuffed with our usual order and just about ready to receive our bill, the same homeless man comes up and goes gung-ho on the lady's sandwich and fries. I say again, "Hey that's someone else's food, she's supposed to come back," and he pretty much says something along the lines of "fuck it, she's not back yet." And as fate would have it, that's exactly the time she comes back and starts yelling at the homeless man to go away. He does, but the food's already been touched by the homeless man. Jamie and I both think, "I guess she's going to get that food replaced by the staff."

But she doesn't. She gets the food that was man-handled by the homeless man wrapped in a box for someone else to eat later. I think at that moment, everyone in the outside area looked at each other and silently said "What the fuck? A bum just put his germs all over your food, and you're still taking that home? EW!"