Aroma Coffee & Tea
Fonte Coffee
Chocolate Bread Pudding
Morning Sticky Bun
Carrot Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Cowboy Cookie – Pretzel, Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip
Monster Cookie – Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Reese’s Pieces, M&Ms
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Bar
With a last minute change of plans causing me to leave Las Vegas on Thursday morning as opposed to Wednesday night it was with a 2am wakeup call and four hours of driving under my belt that I approached Aroma Coffee and Tea, and with the proper breakfast menu not beginning until 7:00am the decision was made to instead indulge in pastries – a baker’s half-dozen selections plus coffee tallying a steep $38 after tax and tip.
Set in a large former house in Studio City, on the very edge of Burbank, Aroma features no less than thirty daily cakes and pastries in addition to a menu of breakfast and lunch plates, and with a strong following of local retirees or work-from-home sorts already partially filling the patio surrounded space it was only after long perusal that tough choices were made, a large cup of Fonte coffee prepared to my liking while two items were warmed and plated, the cookies and bars individually wrapped and bagged.
Opting to take my goods indoors as the lovely al fresco dining was still a bit chilly, it was with no difficulty that Free WiFi was accessed and starting with hot items it should come as no surprise that the $7.95 Bread Pudding was an early favorite, cubes of brioche crispy on the exterior with a good custard infusion and plenty of Chocolate Chips standing in stark contrast to a spiraled morning bun that unfortunately came off a bit underwhelming, the light sweetness and spice coming through on first bites but subsequently giving way to a core that was flavored only of yeast and butter with nary a note of cinnamon to be found.
Moving next to the Pecan Bar, it was perhaps my lack of attention to the description of the small square that led to some disappointment as the chocolate completely dominated the flavor profile, and casting the majority of this item aside for the birds enjoying the backyard birdbath it was onward to a wedge of carrot cake that the tasting progressed, the moist cake coming across quite dense and extremely natural with no lack of shredded carrots juxtaposed by raisins, nuts, and the sort of cream cheese frosting that makes you wish every kitchen were willing to sacrifice sweetness in favor of a more tangy approach.
Taking a bag of cookies to the road, but not really waiting more than an hour or so to let temptation take hold, suffice it to say that while several places in Los Angeles are turning out a superior Chocolate Chip one would be hard pressed to not smile at either the Cowboy of the Monster – the former punctuating sugar-sweetened oats with salty pretzel crunch and dark chocolate while the later was all sorts of chewy goodness, the peanut butter perhaps a bit heavy handed when taking into account the candy, but pretty darn delicious with a cup of coffee none the less.
http://www.aromacoffeeandtea.com/
