anisette & SM farmer's market

after a flurry of FB chats, jeannine and i decided to check out anisette, a new brasserie apparently being raved about by the likes of jonathan gold. after skimming through some online reviews (which i almost never do), i got myself all psyched up for breakfast at this new santa monica spot. and i must admit, in no way was i disappointed by this dining experience!

as soon as we walked into the restaurant, i was floored by the architecture and design of the space. the ceilings were so high that they seemed almost unreachable. the mirrors were delightfully antiqued by light smudges of faux smoke. the wood was dark, the bar was long, and the booths were comfortable enough for diners to lounge in for hours and hours. more than anything, i loved the airiness of the space. perhaps this was due to the early hour (we walked in around 9:30am), but i appreciated not bumping elbows with adjacent guests and having lots of space above my head. yes, midget that i am, there's something about having lots of head and leg room that really does it for me.

not only was the atmosphere everything i'd hoped for, but the food was absolutely amazing. after some deliberation over the delicious menu (which took longer than usual since none of the menus have been posted online for pre-meal perusal), we decided to go family style and order to share. jeannine made a fabulous point about the challenge of choosing between sweet and savory for the first meal of the day. so we decided to order one of each! for our sweet option, we decided on the french breakfast, which consisted of 3 different pastries (croissant, chocolate croissant, soft roll), a cup of coffee or hot chocolate (she chose the chocolate), and a cup of juice (i chose the grapefruit). for our savory option, we picked the savory croissant sandwich that came w/eggs, spinach, a bit of turkey (i think), and a bit of cheese (i think). (this is the problem with not blogging right after the meal -- and with not having a snazzy new digital camera to record my gastronomic adventures. *hint hint*)

what i do remember is that the pastries were absolutely phenomenal. the croissant was light and flaky (probably due to an incredible amount of butter, but who cares, right?). the chocolate croissant was similarly so, and encapsulated just the right amount of warm chocolate (not too firm, not too melty, pretty much just right -- and yes, i totally feel like goldilocks right now). i think the roll could've been slightly moister, but otherwise, it was quite delicious. the savory croissant was yummier than i expected, especially since i'm not the biggest fan of sandwiches. i'm not sure how people eat croissant sandwiches generally, but i'd definitely consider it a fork-and-knife venture, especially since really good croissants will most likely soak up all the moistness from the rest of the ingredients. just so i don't leave them out, the hot chocolate was yummy and the grapefruit juice was perfect with just the slightest bit of tang.

as an aside, i must admit that i wished i'd been hungrier b/c the english breakfast looked amazing and had received rave reviews. i'm thinking i *have* to go back and try the blood sausage. anyone up for some hearty fare??

anisette brasserie
http://www.anisettebrasserie.com/

to walk off some of our breakfast, we decided to check out the SM farmer's market that was going on just a few blocks away. i must've been here on a weekend the first time b/c it was *so* much less crowded on a weekday! there was tons of produce (more so even than the union square farmer's market in nyc, which tends to be slightly more bread-heavy) and everything was soooooooo fresh! and god how i love samples.... despite being stuffed, i couldn't help myself to some delicious strawberries and peaches. mmm....

SM farmer's market
http://www.smgov.net/farmers_market/