Pedaler’s Fork (Old Town Calabasas, CA)

4.5/5 stars

May 2, 2015– Sitting right next to the fresh, vibrant flower booth at the Calabasas farmers market is Calabasas’ unique three-stop shop: Pedaler’s Fork. With it’s eclectic mix of organic and industrial decor against a small creek, this restaurant serves more than just the hungry. Keeping its name in mind, this farm-to-table restaurant serves also as a coffee joint, and bike repair shop, all in one. This, at first, may appear to be an odd combination and set up that could be distracting; however, I was pleasantly surprised by its cool, cohesive atmosphere. It appeared as though all of Calabasas’ bike fanatics were packed into the little coffee shop tucked in the back of the restaurant. Clearly, Pedaler’s Fork brings in a lot of Saturday traffic, whether it be bikers arriving from the trails or farmers’ marketers. Tim, whose family owns the 10 Speed Coffee company, wanted to open a restaurant where neighbors could gather to enjoy good, reasonably priced food, and know exactly where that food came from. Robbie’s passion was cycling and an overall healthy, active lifestyle. This somewhat unusual pairing resulted in Pedaler’s Fork, which combines a farm-direct restaurant, artisanal coffee shop, full bar and high-end cycling boutique under one gorgeously designed roof in charming Old Town Calabasas. Choosing to sit outdoors right beside the creek, my friend and I were surrounded in our own little enchanted forest.

The story behind the Pedaler’s Fork is also quite fascinating. The duo behind the restaurant/cafe, Tim Rettele and Robby Schaeffer, merged their uniquely cohesive ideas Tim owns the 10 Speed Coffee company and wanted to create a restaurant where locals could come together and enjoy good, reasonably priced fresh food. Robbie is a cycler and advocate for an overall healthy, active lifestyle. This unusually appealing pairing conceived the Pedaler’s Fork.

To kick off our breakfast, we ordered a scrumptious plate of blueberry banana quinoa Johnnycakes. The perfect balance of sweet, salty, crunchy and gooey, these cakes watered in both of our mouths. The quinoa serves as a nice, healthy offsetting to what could be an overwhelmingly sweet bite. For our main dishes, we each selected something to share: a mushroom, caramelized onion, burrata, cherry tomato, avocado, goat cheese, broccoli, asparagus, spinach and feta omelet with classic buttermilk pancakes. The pancakes were, as we expected, delicious with a tantalizing twist: the added banana and walnuts. With its array of flavors, textures and colors, our mouths couldn’t help but also water over the omelet sitting before us. Although it was good, I’m afraid to admit it wasn’t knock-your-socks-off great, like the pancakes still wavering on our tastebuds from our earlier indulgence. To balance these flavors, we sipped some original iced teas with mint.

The service at Pedaler’s Fork is standard. There were no refills every two minutes like I had when eating at Emeril’s Commanders Palace in New Orleans. Our server was relatively accommodating and friendly. One slight set back we experienced, however, was the slow serving time. We had to wait about 20 to 25 minutes before our pancakes and omelets arrived. Having an open schedule that morning, this didn’t pose much of a problem. For customers on a time crunch, however, this definitely would be. Our stop at Pedaler’s Fork concluded with a trip to the coffee shop to see what all the hype was about. Squeezing our way to the front, we each bought an iced coffee. This, out of everything we had that morning, was our absolute favorite. Refreshing, sweet, with the perfect punch of caffeine, we finally understood why the coffee shop was always so packed. Exiting the back door, we left our fork, the bikes and an irresistibly unique ambiance behind us.

Le Pain Quotidien (Calabasas and West Hollywood, CA)

4/5 stars

May 9, 2015– From the moment I set my eyes on the decadently French architecture, lounge and name of this cafe, my Mom and I knew we had no choice but to try this place out. In typical European style, we found our own little table beside a running fountain with a striped umbrella for shade. I was thoroughly excited, hungry and ready to eat after hearing good things from Calabasas friends.

The first item we ordered that our meal “could not be complete without,” as my friend and junior Megan Herbert said, was the side of spreads and fresh baguette. After my first bite, I fell in love. I would coin myself as a bread-lover/connoisseur and, with this in mind, I can honestly admit that Le Pain’s baguettes are the best I’ve ever tasted. Eyeing their breakfast/brunch menu, my Mom and I decided to split their avocado toast and vegan quinoa taboule. I lost my taboule virginity that day with the savory mix of organic chickpeas, avocado, wild arugula and basil vinaigrette. Delicious. One even better fact of the matter was how healthy almost every dish Le Pain serves is. Our quinoa taboule was only around 200 calories with a beautiful balance of vegetables, carbs and a tasty vinaigrette. The avocado toast perfectly balanced the taboule drizzled in organic chia seeds and extra virgin olive oil. I was taken by pleasant surprise when I took my first bite, and had to ask just what kind of salt crystals lay across the toast. I learned it was “citrus cumin salt.” With this array of flavors, unique ingredients and whole foods, Le Pain makes for a delectable, healthy mini-vacation from SoCal living.

Comparing my service at Le Pain and that of Pedaler’s Fork, I do have to admit it was rather slow and subpar. Besides us having to find our own table, we were never approached by a server until 15 to 20 minutes after we sat down. Once our orders were finally taken, it took an additional 20 or so minutes to get both dishes we ordered on the table after our bread and spread appetizer. Our server was regularly polite and accommodating, moving another umbrella over us due to a lack of shade.

Besides these minor setbacks, I am happy to say I also love the vibe, location, but, especially, the food of Le Pain Quotidien. We left that Sunday bellies full, our minds refreshed, with the French countryside on our mind. Making sure to grab another baguette for us to enjoy at home, we asked the cashier how the cafe came to be. The title itself is translated to mean “the daily bread,” commemorating the French baker, Alain Coumont, and his amazing baking abilities. This in mind, I went home to look a little more into his story. In 1990, Coumont opened his first Le Pain in Brussels, attempting to recreate the “classic, rustic” loaves of his storied childhood. From such humble beginnings to its 200 locations today, it warmed my heart to see how someone’s lifelong dream had become a reality.

If you ever happen to be browsing the Calabasas Commons/Old Town area, I highly recommend stopping by either of these eateries for a uniquely yummy experience.