Just past San Vicente on SanMonBul is a little french bakery called Champagne. It’s a quiet, fast, delicious alternative to larger chain coffee stores. In fact, Champagne rests in West Hollywood smack dab between two Starbuckses and a Coffee Bean.
My God! The pastries there are so incredibly fresh and light, and you don’t leave feeling like a fat sack of crap. I left energized and ready to tackle the day! …Except I actually just wanted to tackle the rest of the pastry case.
Armed with my usual soy latte, I voted on the Black Forest Ham & Swiss Cheese Danish, pictured without proper justice here:
It went down like buttah. Like buttah, I tell you!
I’m not sure why I along with most people always flock to brand recognition. Champagne is no different in price than a Starbucks or Coffee Bean. But this charming cafe, which practically makes me want to dance in with a book like Belle in the “Bon Jour” musical number, is a calming refuge from same-old, same-old doldrums.
Cheers! Oh, and please, take 69 cents and get an espresso caramel at the impulse counter. 2010 could be the year of the espresso caramel.
