Bloom is bustin’ out all over
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LOOK for the cheerful spring-green awning on the south side of Pico Boulevard as you approach Sierra Bonita Avenue. That’s the new Bloom Cafe, a great spot for breakfast on the weekends (or any weekday, for that matter).
Outside, sidewalk tables are lined up in front, usually taken. Loyal dogs, small and large, tied up on the meters, patiently wait for their owners to finish, or for some doggie friend to trot by. Meanwhile, families with kids in tow wait for a table at this new cafe in the Wilshire Vista neighborhood.
I’m sure they’re getting hungry, watching everybody already seated tucking into fluffy lemon ricotta or blueberry pancakes, slathering homemade jam on toast, or eating a bowl of homemade granola. A platter of bacon sails by, followed by a side of home fries perfumed with thyme. Somebody’s having a burger, and it’s not even noon, but that round, glossy bun, the thick, juicy patty and all the fixings look awfully tempting.
Though Bloom’s two owners are French, they have an instinctive idea of what people want to eat here and now. Jean Louis Bartoli (from Louis XIV on La Brea Avenue) and Arnaud Palatan (from Pastis on Beverly Boulevard) call Bloom an “eco-friendly organic cafe for a sustainable planet.” To that end, as much as possible is organic and/or from small, local farms. But this is no hippie-dippy concept.
The two partners have taken a nondescript storefront on a shabby stretch of Pico Boulevard and turned it into a light-drenched, welcoming space. White-painted walls are hung with photos of icebergs and open sea. Cascades of cymbidium orchids in rust and orange decorate the simple counter. The Midcentury-inspired chairs are upholstered in sherbet colors -- orange, lime, mint. And waiters are dressed in brown zip-front jackets embellished with the word “Bloom” and a stylized flower.
The cafe is an easygoing, friendly place, and it has great breakfasts at reasonable prices. Order a stack of pancakes or get the “2+2+2” breakfast option. That would be two eggs cooked any way you like, two buttermilk pancakes and bacon or sausage. The orange juice is fresh-squeezed. And the cafe au lait served in a big cup may be one of the best in town.
The kitchen turns out a delicious omelet laced with chorizo and cilantro, or you can custom make one to include any number of additions. Huevos rancheros gets fancy with white beans instead of black or pinto. “Why?” I want to ask. But layered between crisp fried tortillas, the beans and eggs and salsa are really quite good.
I love the fact that they make their own jam, a mixed berry, in which you can really taste each of the components. When I first saw the menu, I went straight to the white grits with poached egg and asparagus tips, which sounds like a Southern version of congee. The grits were great, the poached egg too, but there’s one element the description didn’t mention: caramelized carrot, something that for me makes the whole thing too sweet, like eating your grits with maple syrup. I may be alone in this; I don’t know. I’ll just ask the kitchen to hold the carrots next time.
Open only 2 1/2 months, Bloom has already taken hold in the neighborhood. It’s somewhere people can meet for breakfast or lunch (dinner should start sometime next week). The owners are almost always in house, right now fiddling with the space next door, due to debut next week as a smoothie bar and takeout pizza place. Potted bamboo sits in the window, and a bright mural of stylized flowers cartwheeling across the wall adds a cheery note.
“Here,” one of the owners urged guests. “Taste this pizza we’re trying out.” We do. It’s thinly sliced apples strewn with pine nuts on a pastry crust.
I think they’re on to something. I’m quite sure the neighborhood thinks so too.
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Bloom Cafe
Where: 5544 Pico Blvd., L.A.
When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. After the takeout pizza section opens, possibly next week, the hours will be extended to 10 p.m. No alcohol. Street parking.
Price: Organic egg dishes, $6.50 to $9; waffles and pancakes, $5.75 to $6.75; salads, $8 to $11; sandwiches, $5.50 to $8
Info: (323) 934-6900, www.go2bloom.com
