Restaurants

After last week’s amazing breakfast at Huckleberry, my mom and I decided to stop by Huckleberry’s sister restaurant, Milo & Olive for lunch with a girlfriend this week. For not being a “westsider,” I’ve been heading over there quite a lot recently thanks to this whole dentist thing! We headed to Milo & Olive early (11:30) since the small restaurant, which seats around 20, fills up quickly during the lunch rush. The menu is mainly pizzas with a few pastas and salads thrown in for good measure.

We ordered the Burrata Pizza, cauliflower and chopped salad. Don’t be confused by the caulifower which you think is going is going to be a pile of veggies only. Instead it is a bowl filled with goat cheese, spinach, pine nuts and roasted cauliflower, a perfect side salad. The chopped salad was filled with garbonzo beans, red onion, cheese, salami and cherry tomatoes and was equally as delicious as the cauliflower. The pizza is the true star here. With a perfect crust and unique toppings, the pizzas at Milo & Olive are perfection. We had the burrata pizza which was creamy, salty (there is some prosciutto on there) and a little spicy thanks to some arugula thrown on top. I would definitely try the mushroom next time, which are neighbors got and loved.

The wait staff is SO friendly, the coffee is one of the best I’ve had and the baked items are to die for. Yes, we did order a glazed doughnut before we had pizza. If you can come early and without a line, this place is unbelievable. I guess even with the line it would be well worth the wait!

Milo & Olive 2723 Wilshire Blvd.  Santa Monica, CA 90403 p 310.453.6776

BAKERY Opens at 7am. BREAKFAST 8am to 11am daily, LUNCH & DINNER 11am to 11pm daily

Oh and just for fun, what I wore to lunch:

Jean Jacket: Earl (old, but similar from J. Crew $128) / Tank: J. Crew $18 / Skirt: Jessica Simpson (old, but same skirt, different pattern $36) / Sandals: Sam Edelman $65 / Necklace: Similar J. Crew $85

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I rarely head out to Santa Monica unless it’s for a dentist appointment or if I need something from the Promenade. On Tuesday, one of those lovely dentist appointments came up and my mom and I headed out to the westside for a little lunch before my can’t-eat-real-food-for-3-days surgery. We decided on Huckleberry, which is known for its baked goods and yummy breakfasts and we were in heaven!

To start, we ordered coffees and the Maple Bacon Biscuit, one of the more famous bakery items. Much to my mom and Q’s chagrin, I’m not a bacon person. I’ll eat bacon, but I don’t ever order it on purpose. But I figured if this biscuit is as good as everyone says it is, then I have to try it. This biscuit makes a non-bacon lover love bacon. It is a great consistency and the saltiness of the bacon offsets the sweet of the maple perfectly. YUM.

For our mains, I got the fried egg sandwich (bacon on the side…) and my mom got the half roasted chicken. We both loved our dishes. The sammie I got was on fresh homemade bread with a perfectly cooked, very yellow egg. The chicken was juicy and cooked with a Moroccan/cinnamon type spice which was unusual, but delicious.

We were lucky that we headed over for lunch early (11) because by the time we left at 12, the lunch crowd was pouring in. Huckleberry is owned by the same people who are behind Milo & Olive (bakery similar to Huckleberry), Sweet Rose Creamery (an ice cream shop), and Rustic Canyon (fine dining). Fun fact: Q actually learned most of his impressive chef skills at Rustic when he worked there for a summer. The food at Huckleberry’s wasn’t only delicious, the ambiance and decor was lovely. I never thought I would say this, but I can’t wait to go back to the dentist’s office, so I can stop by for lunch here first!

Huckleberry / 1014 Wilshire Blvd. / Santa Monica, CA / 90401 / 310.451.2311

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