LA GRANDE ORANGE

June 11th, 2010 | Posted in Diary, Food, Photos, Places | By Jayd Lovely | 5 Comments

Or referred to as “LGO” for short was where I ate lunch on Thursday. Bringing my laptop as my date, I took advantage of their free Wi-Fi service to create some clever rap review, but hit a road block. NOTHING rhymes with “orange!” Sure, I could’ve came up with something more clever, but I found myself easily distracted with this new tidbit and had to share it!

Okay, okay…now back to LGO. I grabbed a fresh smoked salmon chopped salad ($8.25), which had bits of asparagus, sunflower seeds, couscous, tomatoes, craisens, and a side of champagne vinegerette dressing on a bed of romaine lettuce. Not being a fan of the dressing, I was more impressed with the generous amount of fresh smoked salmon, which was delivered at the right temperature mixed with the fun texture of couscous. Adding a bottle of water, it was the perfect and delicate lunch to balance the heavy, 98 degree weather. The portions at LGO don’t look large, but they always fill me up. Maybe it has to do with the backdrop of super attractive, earthy, trendy looking people in sunglasses, chic capris, yoga wear, and sandals that keep my appetite in check? Either way, LGO is a great place to grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner with their casual menu. I’m slowly becoming a fan of their pizza as I’m getting use to the taste of sourdough crust, but love, love, love their array of freshly baked pastries, muffins, cookies, cakes, etc. Many slices of heaven await my eager and grubby hands as I fog up the glass case, while admiring their perfection. The price points are a tad high, but considering they use fresh ingredients and bake in-house, it’s quite reasonable. When the weather is cooler, the patio is a great place to seat and catch up with friends. A lot of bikes are usually parked along the brick wall, adding a bit more flair and color to the place. The music is always on point with an eclectic mix of Jay-Z, Kings of Leon, indie pop, or electro-often making me want to bottle pop from their large selections of wine. Not only do they carry an array of vino from the floor to the ceiling, they also have a classic candy isle with modern day pricing, pet and kiddy goods and treats, a coffee bar (not a fan of it personally) and lots of other unique trinkets and gift items to browse through while you wait to order.

Which now brings me to the only 2 things I dislike about LGO: The California-like traffic in their parking lot and grocery store/restaurant/pizzeria/coffee bar and…that nasty coffee. If you come during rush hour, you should expect to fight for a parking spot or be cautious of someone backing out (hopefully, not into you), and those randoms (don’t assume they’re  all Asian ) driving the wrong way. If you survive that, you’ll be entering into a mess of people browsing up at the menu, with those that are annoyed because they know what they want, with the “regulars” who are actually in “line” to order, to the people frozen in place looking at the pastries, in-between the “pick up” area where people are actually picking up their orders, standing next to those who are still waiting to pick up their order, while getting in the way of the people in line at the coffee bar who just want to order their damn coffee and OJ, and the rest are now just trying to grab their silverware and napkins to eat. Just remember to breath…and breath. Kundalini. Some how, some way, you do end up with a seat somewhere and actually enjoying your meal. Otherwise, come in at an off beat time where the place is yours for the taking As for their coffee…have ordered it 3 different times and still hate it. They rank 2nd to Pita Jungle when it comes to the worse coffee I’ve ever ordered, which is too bad since the open air ambiance would perfectly compliment a great cup of Joe.