101 Coffee Shop

I have to admit, I'm not much of a diner girl but the menu at 101 Coffee Shop in Hollywood, CA is pretty unbelievable! Serving up retro diner fare with a Southern California twist, Acclaimed Chef Brandon Boudet combines the best of the Hollywood Farmer’s Market with hearty yet simple classics. They even had a great selection for a picky vegetarian like me, especially since it was 3am and I just wanted something warm and not french fries!

I ordered had a bowl of their Veggie Chili while my friends ordered everything from omelets to cheese burgers and milkshakes.

I didn't have any dessert but apparently their Waffle Brownie Sundae is amazing. And how could it not be?!? It's basically chocolate and ice cream served in a jar!

The look of the 101 Coffee Shop was carefully designed by Warner Ebbink after extensive research of coffee shops of the 1960’s and ‘70’s. From the stone wall behind the retro brown leather booths to the counter that extends through most of the space, the hipster patrons are transported to a funky diner straight out of the late 1960’s.

Celebrities through the decades have visited the space and countless movies and television shows have featured the 101 for its unique décor and cool Hollywood vibe.

Location: 6145 Franklin Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028, (323) 467-1175. Breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days 7 a.m.&-3 a.m.

Sprinkles Cupcakes

Not only can you smell the goodness of Sprinkles Cupcakes a mile away but you can see a line of people waiting in a line a mile long just to experience the famous treats. And yes, I too stood in that line outside of the Beverly Hills store excited for my first Sprinkles cupcake! The flavors change daily but we were able to pick up a great sampling of the Black & White (Belgian dark chocolate cake with creamy vanilla frosting), Cinnamon Sugar (lightly spiced buttermilk cake dusted with cinnamon sugar), Peanut Butter Chip (chocolate chip-studded peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting), Red Velvet, Strawberry (strawberry cake with sweet strawberry frosting), and Vanilla (Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake with creamy vanilla frosting). Overall I'd have to say my favorite was the Strawberry cupcake but I also really liked the Cinnamon Sugar- it tasted more like a sweet breakfast coffee cake. Today, via Twitter, I asked my followers what their favorite cupcake flavors were and/or bakery. The response, keeping in mind I only heard back from New Yorkers, was Red Velvet from Buttercup Bake Shop. Obviously, my favorite cupcakes are from Emily Knapp (my little sister)- I mean just look at these cupcakes- she's amazing!

Tart

After an afternoon of shopping at The Grove in LA I met up with a group of friends for dinner at Tart- located at 115 S. Fairfax Ave, attached to The Farmer's Daughter Hotel. We sat in the courtyard section of the restaurant which was decorated with strung Christmas lights.
The restaurant serves freshly baked American Fusion dishes including Tart Fries- french fries made from French, Sweet, and Purple potatoes, served with a three different dipping sauces; Fried Green Tomatoes served with a toasted corn salsa; and amazing organic salads like the Roasted Beets Salad- red and gold beets, mixed greens, goat cheese, and a lemon vinaigrette; big entrees of fish, meat, sandwiches and more. (Tart is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.)
A couple weeks ago on The Hills Heidi Montag had lunch at Tart with her mom, which was included in YumSugar's Episode Eight The Hills Food Quiz- part of question number 5.

Cafe Med

The last restaurant I went to on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood during my two week stay in LA was Cafe Med at the corner of Sunset Blvd and Sunset Plaza Dr. My three friends and I sat at a table on the patio where we sipped wine and enjoyed the Italian fare. I was pleasantly surprised by the Insalate Lenticchie, Barbabietolee Carprino Gratinato (warm lentil salad, red beets, and goat cheese).

Caffe Primo

Another trendy spot lining Sunset Boulevard is Caffe Primo. Inspired by the coffeehouses and espresso bars in Italy, Caffe Primo attempts to bring European style America, where guests are encouraged to linger from early morning until late the night.Caffe Primo offers house-roasted coffees, salads, pizzettas, paninis and most importantly, gelato from Riviera’s renowned Primo Gelato, which was named among the “Best of LA” by Los Angeles Magazine and one of the “top five ice creams in the city” by Angeleno.
Primo Gelato contains only 6 percent butterfat (as compared with ice cream’s 26 percent butterfat) and their sorbet is made with fresh fruit and is entirely fat free and dairy free. Gelato flavors rotate seasonally but typically includes Roasted Almond with Fig, White Chocolate Hazelnut, Sicilian Pistachio, Fresh Melon, Wild Italian Strawberry and Pure Indian Mango.

Chin Chin

Chin Chin is another Asian restaurant located on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood with great outdoor space that is also perfectly situated for people watching and cocktail sipping. Everyone at my table ordered their famous Chinese Chicken Salad which is made up of shredded lettuce, scallions, carrots, toasted almonds, and crispy noodles tart red ginger dressing.

Shushiya

Located 0n Sunset Blvd nestled along side several other restaurants, Sushiya is perfect for people watching while snacking on edamame and their specialty rolls like the Rick & Famous Roll or the Sunset Roll.

Toast Bakery Cafe

On the corner of 3rd & Harper Streets is Toast Bakery Cafe that serves delicious food from 7:30am until 10pm every day of the week, except for Thursdays. During all open hours patrons can order breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. Three other friends and I went to dinner here, from what we ordered I recommend the grown-up version of a grilled cheese called "Not Your Mom's Grilled Cheese" which consists of a blend of mozzarella and feta cheese with sun-dried tomatoes and basil; the Carrot-Ginger vegan soup, and the Tucson Salad (I asked for no grilled chicken and no buttermilk dressing) beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, basil, sharp cheddar, and crispy corn tortilla strips. Although I did not order dessert, I heard that the Red Velvet cupcakes are comparable to Sprinkles Cupcakes.
Additional notes: within the bakery cafe there is a clothing store, it was closed when I visited but I've heard it a good spot. Also, right across the street from Toast is Electric Karma, which is rumored to be the best Indian restaurant in LA.
Just saw this on UsWeekly.com... Shenae Grimes from 90210 frequents here!