Gjusta
Cold Brew over Ice
Butter Croissant
Quiche Lorraine
Buttermilk Biscuit, Butter, Apricot Jam
Baklava Croissant
Cinnamon Crumb Brioche Doughnut
Chocolate Babka
Banana Cream Pie
Blueberry Chess Pie
Having visited Gjelina far too long ago, but generally impressed by the experience and food, it was after an early morning half-marathon run through the hills of Sherman Oaks that I made the 25 minute drive to Venice, and meeting a friend just after 9am as the jack-of-all-trades standing-room-only space slowly crept towards capacity suffice it to say that Travis Lett has another hit on his hands.
Long and narrow, with space to browse along one wall and several stations as well as cases featuring everything from fresh bread and pastry to smoked fish and bagels, the service-style at Gjusta is best described as ‘free-form’ and with several helpful clerks happy to answer questions and gather provisions it was a large order that was crafted – eight items plus a cold-brew from Stumptown tallying just under $55 after tax and a small tip.
Nearly assaulted by a ‘bro’ who seemed to think that my annoyance with his stepping on my foot in an attempt to secure a spot at the food bar was unwarranted it was after avoiding crisis that the goods were unboxed, and beginning savory with a shattering bite of croissant the first impression was strong, a followup quiche, rich with cheese and fluffy eggs, equally impressive before delving into a six-pack of sweets.
Admittedly not ‘cheap,’ but also using top grade butter, organic milk as well as eggs, and locally sourced produce as Chef Lett bounced from station to station overseeing a team of at least two-dozen it was in a buttermilk biscuit that teeth next sank and with ample tanginess balanced by sweet jam and smooth butter the only way it might have been better was warm, a similar statement applicable to the soft ball of brioche rolled in cinnamon sugar, a virtually oilless masterpiece that very well may have been baked as opposed to fried.
Working up to laminated pastry before culminating in pie, there has been much written about Gjusta’s Baklava Croissant and biting through the golden shell to find notes of honey and plenty of nuts it was a pleasure to find out that rumors of the city’s best non-traditional croissant are true, yet moving on to another laminated pastry, a sizable Chocolate Babka, it warrants mention that the later was perhaps even better – both items featuring a feather-light crumb below the crunch and the sort of nuanced sweetness likely to appeal to those preferring a less sugary breakfast, but equally satisfying to those happy to indulge.
Having already mentioned the all-too-necessary ‘breakfast-dessert(s),’ it remains impressive just how different various Banana Cream Pies can be, and again avoiding the temptation to overwhelm with sweetness the version at Gjusta instead wows with densely packed bananas, relying almost exclusively on their own intrinsic flavors, beneath a veil of hand whipped cream – the lightly toasted all-butter crust well suited for its duties both here and in the case of a creamy chess pie that used blueberries amidst all the milk and butter to temper light notes of vinegar with outstanding results.
http://losangeles.menupages.com/restaurants/gjusta/