Marmalade Cafe
by Liz Dodder
The smell of toasted bread and coffee fills the air,
exactly what you want to smell on a late Saturday morning as your stomach
grumbles for breakfast. Welcome to Marmalade Café, where deciding what to eat is
just as difficult as waiting for your table, watching the other tables being
heaped with hot, scrumptious dishes and full cups of steaming coffee.
You can get almost anything you want here; the menu includes extensive offerings
for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, with everything in-between like small
bites, soups, salads, sandwiches and bakery items. It is the kind of
French-inspired, cozy California diner that makes you want to stay in its dark
wood and floral fabric interiors all day.
Marmalade Café takes ordinary breakfast fare and turns up the heat. The
scrambled eggs come with avocado and bacon inside, or you may choose from
poached eggs with Canadian bacon and asparagus tips to filet mignon chili and
cheddar cheese omelet. The weekend brunch menu offers an even larger selection
including more gourmet omelets, with ingredients such as brie cheese, fresh
basil and mozzarella, chorizo and goat cheese. Buttermilk pancakes are
available, but why not try the blueberry pancakes or the seven-grain almond
granola pancakes topped with bananas? Most dishes come with Marmalade’s
signature pan roasted potatoes and choice of bread, toast or fresh fruit.
The lunch menu is even more generous. Marmalade makes nearly a dozen varieties
of soup fresh each day, and offers a long list of appetizers including stuffed
mushrooms, bruschetta, egg rolls, sashimi, taquitos and crab cakes. Or, have a
full-size salad from the list of over 20; some of the best are the Mediterranean
eggplant salad and the chilled oak-roasted filet mignon salad. There are also
several Asian and Mexican inspired salads.
For something a little heartier, try a sandwich or pasta dish. You can’t go
wrong with the teriyaki or grilled portobello mushroom burgers, as well as the
various vegetarian sandwiches such as the spinach melt or the grilled vegetable
sandwich. Pastas include classic dishes like spaghetti and meatballs or penne
arrabiata in addition to chicken ravioli and many shrimp, scallops and even
lobster creations.
Marmalade also serves many dinner entrees including chicken, steak, fish,
vegetarian, pork and lamb. Worldly influences abound: Alaskan Halibut,
Vietnamese bouillabaisse, country fried chicken, pollo carciofi, Tuscan lamb
shank, Kansas City pork chops, red snapper Provencal and fajitas. An extensive
wine, champagne and beer list is also available.
Marmalade Café offers up a steaming hot feast, sure to satisfy the appetite of
the finicky eater, and also one who enjoys trying anything new. The portions are
large and the atmosphere is inviting. There are also seven locations across the
LA area, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a line at each of them. Even when
you are thoroughly famished, this café is worth the wait.
Address:
14910 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
818-905-8872
Other locations:
Calabasas, Malibu, Palos Verdes, Santa Monica, Westlake Village, LA Farmers
Market
Link:
http://www.marmaladecafe.com/dxevo/index.htm