Cafe Bolivar is one of my top three favorite cafe offices. You can go to Yelp and learn about the varied experiences of casual patrons who don’t really know what they’re talking about and who base their review on 1.5 visits (though it is rated quite high by most yelpers, I should add); meantime, I’m here to tell you that you should come to this cafe and work for three reasons:

• The green sauce
• The yellow lentil soup
• The arepas
• The guava pastries

Oh. That was four. Anyway, OMG I love those guava pastries. Haven’t had one in ages, ‘cuz I can’t eat that wheat poison no more. But as far as wheat poison goes, it’s pretty terrific.

»continue reading Under $10 Westside Free WiFi Watch: Bolivar Cafe

Novel Cafe on Ocean Park: Under $10 AND a great cafe office.

I have seen many Novel Cafes around town. The one I’m talking about is on Ocean Park in Santa Monica. It’s a splendid place to get work done for many reasons:

• you can get a nice meal for under $10
• the staff takes care of you, and doesn’t give you a hard time if you stay there a while
• there are outlets every few feet.
• There is a cushioned banquette so your bum doesn’t get sore.
• Outside seating means regular lunch people still have a place to sit.
• Wifi signal is very good.
• Cooking smells stay in the kitchen.
• The food is good.
• Loads of free parking!

Food
Enjoy tasty breakfast and lunch at the Novel Cafe. They have the usual breakfast fare, and it’s all quite satisfying. While the menu may sound middle-of-the-road, believe me, you are in for a rollercoaster, because the preparation varies from day to day – in a good way. I love this. I love it because it means that they are making it fresh. If stuff tastes the same every time you go out, it might be because it’s from a can. Now, if you’re paying $5 or more for someone else to open a can for you, you are a chump. Or it might mean that you are frequenting a place owned by a corporation. How good does that feel? Not very good. It reminds one of hog farms, and feed lots. Yuk.

If the food is variable, it may also mean the cook is emotional; but an emotional cook is the spice of life.

I always get the Novel Rancheros. Last week the Novel Rancheros was darned spicy. Today it was mild. I feel very close to the cook.

»continue reading Under $10 Free WiFi Watch: Novel Cafe, Ocean Park