Follow the Yellow Brick Road

In a town full of diners, burger joints and hole-in-the-wall eateries... nothing's better than a good hearty breakfast. And while The Firehouse in Venice may still have the best views in town, I've found that nothing so far beats The Griddle.

Sure there are some super trendy breakfast places, like Toast and Doughboys, and others which serve up your good ol’ comforting greasy platefuls, like Mel's and IHOP. But The Griddle... Ah! The Griddle: it's a trendy hole-in-the-wall; frequented by celebs; staffed by butt-slapping Prada-Grunge waif-like hotties (think Ashton); the pancakes alone will send you into a blissful food coma; plus now it's just one quick hop, skip and a jump across the way. I love it!!!

Sure, even by 9:30am there's a line, but the crowd, like the staff, is cute (but not too cute). A seat at the low U-shaped bar is a great alternative to waiting for a table. And (CELEBFLASH) Steve Sanders is always there! You know, Steve, 90210, Ian Ziering, the cartoon voice-over king, looking much buffer than he ever did on TV.

But lets get back to the pancakes, with a dozen or so varieties, and stacks so big you should always order to share, it's gonna take a while to try them all. My favourite so far, the Yellow Brick Road - swirls of caramel and walnuts, topped with more caramel-flavoured cream. Heaven! The scrambles, sausage, dark French-Pressed Coffee, even the egg whites, are all well worth the wait!