La Brea. Saturday morning 10:45 AM. Here we are, in mood for a pastry.
The line is long, we wonder how much we would have to wait. I can't but admire the industrial planters that are outside on the sidewalk. There is a huge outside dining area. It looks welcoming and communal but it's full. Their parking lot is, too.
We are asked if we have pre-ordered the pastries. Apparently, you go to exploretock.com and pre-order food in advance. There is a separate pre-order window.
We had done no such thing, and I am now thinking this was a waste of a trip but then we are told we can still order pastries at the counter so we decide to wait in line. The menu could be easily accessed with red labels on the floor but then someone handled us a physical one too.
Most folks are here for the French-inspired brunch. Us, not so much. We had already ordered Ethiopian food, and we were picking up baked goods for the week.
Soon, we were inside. Really high ceilings and so much on display. We were definitely in for a treat!
We picked up a bunch of different things (Raspberry Pistachio Kouign Amann, a savory Danish, a fruit tart) from the bakery, see below. We also picked up a bag of chocolate meringue cookies and biscotti.
After this COVID nightmare ends, we will be back here. Unquestionably.
Their menu has several vegetarian items, perfect for brunch.
And, this place has great reviews, it's an easy sell to throw a brunch party here.
