la.foodblogging

Years ago, at my first out of college job, I had to set up a business meeting for someone. The client suggested Julienne in San Marino. The following week, after the meeting, the lady in my office who met with the client said very little about the client but loads about Julienne. The week after that, I found my way there, and I continue to go back.

Julienne is usually very busy, even more so around the holidays. Julienne serves wonderful breakfasts and good lunches, but right next to the small cafe is a little store. It’s usually fun to wander about the store when you’re waiting to be seated. The store is part gourmet market and part to-go catering food. When I went on Christmas Eve for breakfast, the place was packed! All the food for sale in the market were orders placed at least a week ahead. We are talking about soups, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, entrees, etc. You name, Julienne had it packed up and ready to be picked up. On the day I went, walking through the store was agony, as everything looked good, from the red pepper soup to shrimp scampi to the espresso cheese cake/bars.

Fortunately, we had a very short wait and were seated within 10-12 minutes upon arrival. We started off with a nice big cup of cafe au lait. While Julienne does not charge for a refill with regular coffee, I recommend passing on it. The cafe au lait was wonderful, but the plain coffee was not. The hot callebaut chocolate is also very pleasant, for those who enjoy a slight bittersweet taste. What took the longest for us was getting our actual meals. I was dining with first-timers to Julienne, so I assured them the food was worth the wait. I was glad that Julienne proved me right. My friend was very happy with her mushroom and bacon quiche ($8.95). Do not be deceived by the light and fluffy texture of the quiches here. The quiches at Julienne tend to be very filling. The aroma of the bacon in this dish was very appealing.

Another breakfast winner at Julienne is the omelette. You can build your own with either gruyere or cheddar cheese starting at $7.95 and then 50¢ for each additional ingredient. I ordered the scallions, ham, spinach, and avocado omelette with gruyere, and I devoured it rather quickly. My friend’s husband followed suit and ordered a similar omelette, except with cheddar and no scallions. All of our entrees came with Julienne’s famous rosemary and raisin toast. The restaurant makes the bread itself, and if you enjoy it, you can purchase a loaf at the gourmet market next door.

Julienne is only open for breakfast and lunch, so definitely don’t show up after dark.

Breakfast:
Mon-Fri: 7:00AM-10:45AM
Sat: 8:00AM-11:30AM

Lunch:
Mon-Fri: 11:30AM-3:30PM
Sat: 12:15PM-4:00PM

Julienne
2649 Mission Street (between El Molino & Los Robles)
San Marino, CA 91108
(626) 441-2299

By Pauline (see more of her posts).