la.foodblogging

Jonah: The first time I went to Urth Caffe was by accident. My now fiancee and I went to the quiet end of Melrose to take a look at Elixir, the fancy tea garden with an on site Chinese Herbalist (Herbalogist?). It happened to be around lunch time and we were hungrier for more than Elixir had to offer. Across the street and down a block, we saw quite a crowd outside a chic looking cafe on the corner. Being the lemmings we are, we followed the crowd. My stomach is glad that we did, my wallet, not so much so.

SoCalorie: The original Urth Caffe, on Melrose in West Hollywood, has a funky little coffee cabin vibe, one you’d find in Colorado or Vermont (or Alberta, Canada, perhaps). The Beverly Hills location, on Beverly Drive, south of Wilshire, is newer with a big beautiful pastry counter and a more generous scattering of indoor and outdoor tables — although parking is wretched. To me BevHills Urth feels more like going into a cafe at the mall, in which case, I’m just as happy with a vanilla latte from Peet’s right across the street. The Santa Monica shop is more like a balmy seaside restaurant. It’s only a few months old, and I have found that parking nearby is the easiest of all three locations. It’s bright and airy with lots of seating. In fact, I saw Mariel Hemingway easily land a table on a busy Saturday last week. Why she was dressed like Joey Ramone I’ll never know.

Jonah: I am a creature of habit when I visit Urth, I almost always order the half Urth salad with a bowl of soup. In the winter, I opt for the tomato rice or the asparagus, in the summer I enjoy the gazpacho. As gazpacho goes, it tends towards the pureed side and I generally prefer the chunky kind. It has the right blend of vegetables and vinegar though and with the beautiful weather we have been having, enjoying it on their patio signaled summer to me.

I have a hard time going to Urth and not ordering the Urth salad. It is the right mix of greens, pine nuts, garbanzo beans, palmitos (hearts of palm), tomatos and goat cheese, lightly tossed in a vinegarette dressing. Simple? Yes. Over priced? Probably. Comforting? To me.

The nice thing about ordering the soup and salad combo is that often you get two sides of bread. The bread replaces my spoon in eating the soup. The crust provides plenty of support, so a good drenching with the pureed tomatos was in order. As with everything served at Urth, the quality of the ingredients in the bread is high, and it comes through in taste and texture. Even Mr Atkins would have a hard time resisting their loafs.

SoCalorie: Me, I start to act like Mothra when craving Urth’s honey vanilla latte. Have you had it? Caffeine ambrosia… It’s flowery-organic honey and round-woodsy vanilla flavors beautify the meteoric organic coffee. I’ve ordered the Honey Vanilla Latte at all three Urth locations. The best rendition, two times in a row now, was from the new Santa Monica outpost. Maybe the baristas just have more space to work their magic, with the new espresso machines and steamers, behind the brand new marble counter. I also like Urth’s Arnold Palmer, and there seems to be little variation between locations with this iced tea and lemonade classic. The lemonade is perfectly snappish and the freshly brewed tea has a tropical hum.

Jonah: On top of great food, the people watching and eavesdropping is top notch at Urth. Amongst the conversations I heard the other day were laments from actions at a Maxim party, debate over whether a colleague could “redefine his producer role” as well as a mom and daughter arguing over who was more spoiled. The entertainment comes free. Unfortunately, everything else comes with a (hefty) price. Just a bowl of soup and a half salad will set you back a little over $14, and that is without a drink. I love Urth’s iced tea, but prices have been creeping up steadily over the years I have been going there and I have a hard time plopping down that much cash for a simple meal. I reserve Urth for treats and guests, and definitely for days I can sit out on the patio.

SoCalorie: I don’t get butterflies, I get a bunch of drunken brawling gypsy moths in my stomach when I prepare to enter Urth Caffe’s ozone. It’s just something about the life forms there — so self-assured, smug, brusque. I’m not talking about the always gracious staff, I’m talking about the customers. For some reason the place attracts grouchy yogis, outtawork hustlers, arrogant scenesters. I typically run in, grab my precious fuel, and jet-pack back to my peaceful planet.

But something happened yesterday that turned my world upside down. I was in the Urth on Melrose when I saw just about the last person I ever expected to see in that orbit: Miss Chatelaine. Canada’s ‘angel with a lariat.’ Roy Orbison’s sob sister on the ‘92 cover of “Crying”… none other than k.d. lang. Who knew that k.d. ’s constant craving is two Urth iced soy lattes to go?

Jonah: Just as it was the first time we visited, Urth Caffe is consistently crowded. So much so, that there has been escalating rules of eating and seating. First, there were signs with a gentle suggestion of not staying more than the time it took to eat your meal. Next, the bustling servers were tasked with making sure that no one took a seat before they had ordered their food. Now, Urth has gone so far as to outlaw the dreaded “Games”. Another new (to me) feature is that the patio is non-smoking. I’m sure that cuts down on the amount of time the trendy crowd can stay put as well.

SoCalorie:
As with the other two Urth locations, the stress points in Santa Monica are:
1. waiting in a confused line to place your order
2. making your preferences known to the cashier over the din
3. trying to claim your selections, as they roll out onto the counter in dribs and drabs, identified only by someone softly calling your name in an unfamiliar key and accent

But yesterday, back in West Hollywood on Melrose, I ordered a vegetarian chilli, an AP, and a honey vanilla latte. Although typically cramped, the customers habitually snooty, it was pretty painless — given the crooner company I was keeping. Now that I’ve seen k.d. effortlessly move through that crowd, I’ve vowed to pull back the reins, and try to remain tall in the saddle.

Urth Caffé

Urth West Hollywood
8565 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood
(310) 659-0628

Urth Beverly Hills
267 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills
(310) 205-9311

Urth Santa Monica
2327 Main Street, Santa Monica