In Search of Tart Tatin on the Sunset Strip
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Recently, I was entertaining a friend of mine from out of town (San Francisco, to be exact, it was amazing that someone from the grand SF deigned to visit Los Angeles), and, as usual, I became rather hungry. The quandry: it was late, I needed food. Luckily, there was a place I knew nearby that served desserts at midnight and had FREE parking. On Sunset Boulevard. Really. Free parking, it's secret, down a ramp in the back.. shhh. This little place is called Le Petit Four, and I always enjoy bringing visitors there as it is a mighty interesting place to watch people at.
I got the tart tatin, warmed, with vanilla bean ice cream, which is quite excellent. So did my friend, which seemed to annoy our waitress. Other than her initial seating arrangement next to 3 men smoking cigars (RIGHT next to them, mind you, so as we were sitting at the same table with them--a boggling affair as there were many other tables open) and then the inevitable move to another table, she was the best waitress I've had there. Which doesn't say much. Most of them are wanna-be actresses, wearing tight black pants, much to the amusement of men.
The hazards:
- wanna-be actresses with attitudes wearing tight black pants
- loud Italian men in loud shirts with an Italian entourage talking loudly on loud cellphones so you can hear his plans to attend Madonna's party that night, if he can get away from X's other party and if he feels like it because the next morning he has to do the deal with Y
- tourists who are dumbfounded at the novelty of a sidewalk cafe
- tourists who insist on pointing out every celebrity (or who they think is a celebrity) with wide gestures and obnoxious screeches
- the Rose Woman who insists that you buy a rose for someone, eve nif they are not even sitting at your own table
- the Picture Guy, who carries a Polaroid camera and will attempt to charge you $10 for a picture framed in a self-inspired xeroxed gray piece of paper of his own artwork (when you tell him that really, the couple next to you would prefer having their picture taken, he takes offense and makes it clear that he only wants to take pictures of YOU)
- luring clothing store windows where the average price of a shirt is $400
- Sunset Boulevard itself, 2-3 lanes wide in each direction, traffic stop-and-go even at 2am; out-of-state jacked-up trucks, lowered Honda Civics with loud exhaust systems and fake racing stickers; Thunderbirds with extremely loud bass ratting the windows; the occasional Ferarri; VW busses within clouds of grey smoke; convertible BMW's with giggling girls...
In all, if you want something to look at while eating a wonderful tart tatin a la mode, I highly suggest this amusing spot if you are in the right mind.
Over and out,
--WW
I got the tart tatin, warmed, with vanilla bean ice cream, which is quite excellent. So did my friend, which seemed to annoy our waitress. Other than her initial seating arrangement next to 3 men smoking cigars (RIGHT next to them, mind you, so as we were sitting at the same table with them--a boggling affair as there were many other tables open) and then the inevitable move to another table, she was the best waitress I've had there. Which doesn't say much. Most of them are wanna-be actresses, wearing tight black pants, much to the amusement of men.
The hazards:
- wanna-be actresses with attitudes wearing tight black pants
- loud Italian men in loud shirts with an Italian entourage talking loudly on loud cellphones so you can hear his plans to attend Madonna's party that night, if he can get away from X's other party and if he feels like it because the next morning he has to do the deal with Y
- tourists who are dumbfounded at the novelty of a sidewalk cafe
- tourists who insist on pointing out every celebrity (or who they think is a celebrity) with wide gestures and obnoxious screeches
- the Rose Woman who insists that you buy a rose for someone, eve nif they are not even sitting at your own table
- the Picture Guy, who carries a Polaroid camera and will attempt to charge you $10 for a picture framed in a self-inspired xeroxed gray piece of paper of his own artwork (when you tell him that really, the couple next to you would prefer having their picture taken, he takes offense and makes it clear that he only wants to take pictures of YOU)
- luring clothing store windows where the average price of a shirt is $400
- Sunset Boulevard itself, 2-3 lanes wide in each direction, traffic stop-and-go even at 2am; out-of-state jacked-up trucks, lowered Honda Civics with loud exhaust systems and fake racing stickers; Thunderbirds with extremely loud bass ratting the windows; the occasional Ferarri; VW busses within clouds of grey smoke; convertible BMW's with giggling girls...
In all, if you want something to look at while eating a wonderful tart tatin a la mode, I highly suggest this amusing spot if you are in the right mind.
Over and out,
--WW
