By Laura Medina
Starbucks' new restaurant, La Boulange for All Day & Night, http://laboulangeallday.com/
The Chef Pascal Rigo has a long history going back with Los Angeles. It was at this spot, 359 La Brea Ave., that he was baking and selling baguettes for wholesale to Ca'Brea across the street and down the street at legendary restaurants then baking in Santa Monica's 3rd St. Promenade before he moved to San Francisco to start La Boulange.
He knows the first location of La Boulange All Day and All Night's Los Angeles neighborhood cold, the Fairfax District, "You people (yes, we foodie bloggers love a party as much as we love a feast) are party people. You party late. You wake up at 11am. We will give it to you right now."
Pascal called Starbucks a savior because they gave him the resources to not only expand physically in size and scope but also to grow and diversify the menu. In San Francisco, on his own, he can't do dinner. But with Starbucks' help and a re-do of a fresh start back in LA, Pascal can do what he always dreamed of, a full-fledged bistro restaurant like any other chef.
Pascal and Starbucks want to give you what you want whenever you want in the best quality possible. Because La Boulange, the Los Angeles version, has extended hours from 1o am in the morning until 10pm at night, they twisted and extended their menu, way beyond the stereotypical Starbucks' coffee and pastries breakfast list.
They have Duck Confit Hash for breakfast. Upscale sandwiches, such as Croque Monsieur and Smoked Salmon Tartine, for lunch and dinner. But the biggest yummiest, and pleasant shock to the system, a list of gourmet burgers and Build-Your-Own-Burger Menu to keep a carnivore happy and satisfied way beyond breakfast, well into late night dinner until 10pm.
La Boulange's Premiere Night Sampler, https://www.tastemade.com/@the_arriviste/3gvICNoQTNWW7GsMuL-NmQ
To further whet your palate, La Boulange LA has a list of gourmet french fries: Parmesan Truffle Fries, Classic Fries, and Sweet Potato Fries, to accompany your juicy, gooey burger as a side dish or as a basket to snack on and share with friends or business associates.
Since Pascal knows his LA/Fairfax District market and the classic All-American Fare of burgers, fries...and a shake!
https://www.tastemade.com/@the_arriviste/3gvICNoQTNWW7GsMuL-NmQ
Say "Hello" to: Strawberry with fresh strawberry jam and tiny, cute palmier cookie in it (like above), Caramel, Espresso (Starbucks coffee of course), Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Bean, and PB & J of strawberry jam, crunchy peanut butter pain de mie.
Influential "Tastemakers" and food bloggers raved about the quality and diversity of the meals...and the fair prices. Thanks to Starbucks fueling behind the scenes, La Boulange manages to keep the majority of the food under $10! What would normally cost $15 to $20 else where, because they're "boutique," La Boulange can give the exact same culinary expertise and taste for half the price. Great for the Fairfax locals which mainly consists of young, fresh college graduates with educated palates but with twenty-something budgets who can't help but sleep late. They want gourmet meals, a decent breakfast and brunch that transitions well into lunch.
Using, alright let's admit it, Fairfax hipsters as test subjects is a good way to test out a new concept. Don't worry Starbucks, your already built-in audience of educated and cultured coffee sippers who stood by you when duplicate your cafes in one block, are ready to stretch their educated palate into affordable but cultured fare of gourmet salads, sandwiches, and burgers.
The real deal marble cocktail/wine bar, https://www.tastemade.com/@the_arriviste/3gvICNoQTNWW7GsMuL-NmQ
Since these sophisticated palates needs a trust-worthy locale and they did made their local neighborhood Starbucks a trusty locale already, Starbucks' grown-up La Boulange came and can meet their needs for a trusty place for a wine and sip.
Since Starbucks can afford the best tastemakers in the world, they got a really ingeniously cool, hip cocktail menu of beer cocktails of Michelada (Bloody Mary with beer), their own Bloody Marie, and a Lemon Raspberry Panache where the beer base is mixed with berries and lemonade, a Starbucks Shandy.
https://www.tastemade.com/@the_arriviste/3gvICNoQTNWW7GsMuL-NmQ
Trays of refreshing Sangria Blanca awaited thirsty foodie bloggers and tastemakers in yesterday's hot and dry California sun.
You can sit at the white marble bar and be a sophisticate sipping their sparkling wines and WINE ON TAP. Yep, you heard it here first...WINE ON TAP.
For those designated drivers or suffering from an hangover or just want to be refreshingly hydrated, La Boulange has wholesome, organic, diabetic-friendly House-made Sparkling Sodas made with freshly muddled sprigs of thyme. They're cocktails sans the booze. This scribe happily order, for free, all three sodas. One at the premiere supper then two for the road: Ginger Lemon Thyme to help digest the feast, and Raspberry Lime Thyme and Cucumber Lime for the road.
If you still insist on having that singular "Starbucks" experience at La Boulange (which can and does so much more and excellently exceeds expectations), La Boulange makes it "special." You can order a tea latte of: Hot Cookie with cookie butter sprinkled with graham cracker dust, Dark Chocolate Mocha, and Maharaja Chai Oolong Latte with ginger, clove, nutmeg and honey.
They even have "Cocktail Con Leche," shaken not stirred Con Leches without booze. Their mixologists aren't snobs. They can whip up Pine Street Con Leche, it's a French Roast with nutmeg, cinnamon, and sweetened condensed milk; and Cal Con Leche, Kenyan Coffee with orange and sweetened condensed milk.
Los Angelen's tastemakers raved about the diversified array of drinks and meals that reach deep into quality at fair prices. They clamored for expanding La Boulange's LA concept to other reaches of their own home neighborhoods when they can walk in whenever they want. They said it's a great place to chill and connect with their colleagues or friends. That's the one thing, La Boulange doesn't have wi-fi.
For Fairfax's local hipsters of screenwriters, directors, actors, writers, and musicians, you all have to be content with just strictly writing (which is good for keeping developing projects under wraps) and having a decent and fair place to conduct business meetings.
For Fairfax's neighborhood food and restaurant critics, La Boulange has answered our prayers for a top-notch quality place to nosh around the clock with an equally killer food boutique, to boot, to take home...at a fair, non-pretentious, non-pompous prices.
It's the bistro that Chef Pascal Rigo has always wanted; and Starbucks has finally caught up with its core fan base, that cultivated "Starbucks" experience around the clock.
Knowing that you're stuffing your face, okay...you're pigging out, La Boulange will donate $0.35 cent for every Club Sandwich you order to Los Angeles' Regional Food Bank. Every $0.35 cent, the LA Regional Food Bank distributes enough food for one meal.
Know that for every time you pig out at La Boulange, you might be feeding someone who needs it the most.
Knowing that you're stuffing your face, okay...you're pigging out, La Boulange will donate $0.35 cent for every Club Sandwich you order to Los Angeles' Regional Food Bank. Every $0.35 cent, the LA Regional Food Bank distributes enough food for one meal.
Know that for every time you pig out at La Boulange, you might be feeding someone who needs it the most.
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