American

Prana Café — Studio City

A sister restaurant to the one on La Cienega, and situated beneath Romanov Restaurant, Prana Café is a welcome addition to Studio City (even if some of us miss the Albano’s Pizzeria place it supplanted).

Indoor seating is along the west wall, opposite the closed in but windowed kitchen, is reminiscent of the old Out Take Café layout. Subtract the irritatingly squeaky swinging doors to kitchen and it’s very comfortable to dine inside.

The decor is pleasant and warm, featuring large, live bundles of lucky bamboo along the wall. Comfy wicker arm chairs face the chocolate brown leather banquettes, offset by thin cream and brown striped fabric. The ceiling is painted a deep red hue with sculpted paper light fixtures in cream giving a soft light overhead. Add the sun flooding in from the front outdoor patio, set back from Ventura Boulevard, and you have a really cosy vibe.

Their menu offers sandwiches, salads, burgers and wraps, all ranging within $7 to $14.00. You can get breakfast items all day long, including buttermilk pancakes ($7), “crispy” french toast ($9), homemade granola ($7) and scrambles (rather than omelettes) ($9-$12).

Their eggs benedict include classic ($12) and smoked salmon ($14). I was especially impressed with the hollandaise sauce that accompanied my crab cake benedict ($16). Everything on the menu is made in-house, and it shows. Arriving on a huge, square ceramic platter, you get two toasted muffin halves with a crab cake and poached egg on each. The yolk is delightfully runny, as it should be, and there is no trace of nasty vinegar. Smothering that is the divinely thick and golden hollandaise sauce; a perfect blend of the piquancy of lemon juice with the rich yolks and butter. The crab cake is quite fishy but good and meaty, speckled with corn kernels and tiny pieces of red pepper. This meal also comes with a giant and golden hash brown, severed into a curious semicircle, which makes me wonder where the other half got to (not that I needed it!) I found the hash brown to be a bit too oily and too darkly fried, but then again, I am not a hash brown aficionado. At the center of this platter is a delicate little nest of alfalfa dressed with a tangy vinaigrette.

The Mediterranean Wrap ($13) is an inspired blend of slightly spicy shrimp with the crunch of fresh cucumber and the tang of yoghurt. It comes with french fries that are perfectly salty and crisp, although you can opt for salad greens or fruit.

The chef gives us a sample of the crepes that will feature on the menu of the Russian Tea Room, opening next door to Prana Café later this month. The French Connection is a little on the crispy side and stuffed with soft, ripe banana slices and smooth chocolate sauce. Savory as well as sweet crepes are already available to patrons of Prana.

The only weakness here is the coffee, which arrives in a large, attractive glass mug. The latte is, understandably, milder than the cappuccino. But the cappuccino is too bitter and the foam too airy. At Prana Café they would do well to employ experienced baristi who are expert at creating the necessary microfoam for a milky espresso drink worth returning for.

Owner Mikayel Israyelyan seems to know what he is doing, having found success with the elegant Republic Lounge on La Cienega as well as the opulent Romanov upstairs. As my dining companion observed, “You certainly never walk away from any of his places feeling hungry.”

There’s no higher praise than that in my book.

Prana Café
12229 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
Tel: (818) 301 7616

Open for breakfast and lunch, daily.

By MaxMillion (see more of her posts). Max Million is the nom de 'net of Pauline Adamek. Born in Sydney, Australia, Pauline has lived in Los Angeles for the past ten years and finds it agrees with her. She has been reviewing films and filing celebrity-based interview articles since 1991, and has filed stories from various international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance. She is completing a family cookbook and also writes novels for 8-12 year olds.

© 2008 la.foodblogging.