I was in Los Angeles for a quick recruiting trip, and stayed at The Westin Bonaventure. My schedule was jam packed, and, I quickly learned that downtown LA was not somewhere I'd want to walk around to find options anyway, so, I just had breakfast at the hotel restaurant, the "Lakeview Bistro".
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| Breakfast: Day 1. |
Sadly, it was inconsistent. It was great one day, but, alas, not the next.
Setting
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| Indoor Entrance. |
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| View Up. |
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| Place Setting. |
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| Buffet. |
Drinks
Once you are seated, a server pretty quickly approaches to offer orange juice and coffee. Both are included if you are getting the buffet.
The first day I asked if sparkling water was an included, and was told yes. I was brought a small bottle of Peligrino. The second day, my server said, "from the soda machine? Or do they give you a bottle?" I told him bottle, and he seemed satisfied with that response, so, I think the policy here isn't quite well known.
If you go a la carte, flat and sparkling water are $7, Starbucks coffee is $6. Freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice are $7.75, apple, tomato , or cranberry juice (presumably not fresh), are $7.00.
Tea and espresso beverages were also available, not sure if they would also be included in buffet.
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| Coffee. |
Coffee is ordered from your server when you sit.
I started with regular and it was ... awful? Very harsh, it tasted like it had been brewed hours before and left sitting and intensifying. I did not like this at all. The same was true the second day.
I moved on to decaf and it was much better. Still a darker roast than I prefer, but, it wasn't as acidic. It was nice and hot.
I did appreciate the large mug.
Creamer was brought with the coffee, and standard choice of sweeteners were on the table.
Food
Breakfast prices are high, particularly with a la carte. I'll lead with that. But this is pretty standard for a hotel.
There are two buffet options (continental or hot as well), plus a decent a la carte menu. I only had the buffet (the extended option), but I was impressed with the quality. The selection was average, and things *looked* average, but it was better than most hotel buffets in actual quality.
Superfood Continental Buffet $23.75.
"Browse our SuperFoods cold buffet and choose from seasonal cut and whole fresh fruits, cold cereal, low-fat and greek plain and flavored yogurts, vegetables, olives, hardboiled eggs and feta cheese. Enjoy a toast station with a large selection of breads, gluten free options, bagels, and pastries. Served with freshly brewed Starbucks Coffee and Tazo Teas, and fresh juices."
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| Assorted Cereals. |
No super sugary cereals (e.g. Fruit Loops) and no granola.
I thought it was nice that they served these in boxes rather than the standard, hard to use, messy, cereal dispensers with stale cereal, but I wonder if it leads to people snagging extra boxes to stash away and not purchase breakfast the next day?
If you order any of the cereal a la carte, it is a whopping $7.50! Yes, just for the box of cereal. And then you could add bananas or strawberries for $4.00!
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| Milk. |
Vanilla soy milk, whole milk, lowfat milk, and nonfat milk. I grabbed a vanilla soy milk to chug after the gym, so I appreciated this.
And if you wanted a la carte for this ... $6. Ouch!
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| Yogurt. |
Again, ripe for the plucking as they were individuals, and sealed.
The a la carte price? $7!
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| Honey, Walnuts. |
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| Whole Fruit. |
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| Cut Fruit. |
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| Smoked Salmon, Red Onion, Capers, Tomatoes. |
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| Olives, Cucumbers, Lemons, Hard Boiled Eggs, Feta. |
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| Cream Cheese, Butter. |
Strangely, I did not see bread, english muffins, or bagels. Which was very strange given the cream cheese. Maybe plain cream cheese goes with smoked salmon, but what were you supposed to do with the strawberry cream cheese?
The a la carte menu did have toast (choice of white, whole wheat, sourdough or raisin) and english muffins for $6.25 and bagels with cream cheese for $9.95!
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| Breakfast Pastries. |
The top row held pecan sticky buns, chocolate croissant-like things, and assorted danishes. On bottom were two types of muffins and plain croissants.
These were all available for $6.25 a la carte.
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| I tried ... many of them. |
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| Pecan Apricot Danish. |
And at some level, I was correct. The pastry itself wasn't great. It wasn't flaky, laminated, nice croissant dough. It was kinda spongy. So, not a quality pastry itself.
But I really liked the filling, which is usually just a touch of some generic jam. This was apricot, really fresh and fruity, quite flavorful. And there was tons of it. I also liked the crunch from the pecans on top.
While the pastry wasn't great, the filling certainly was, and I gladly scooped it out and eat it by the spoonfuls. I bet it would be great on my pancakes too!
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| Lemon Cheese Danish. |
The pastry was again lackluster.
#notforme
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| Blueberry Crumb Muffin. |
It ... was not very good. It tasted like one that had come from a bag, if you know what I mean? Kinda ... stale, gummy, and no real flavor to the base. It had only a couple blueberries in the whole thing, and, as you can see, very meager crumb on top.
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| Pecan Sticky Bun. |
I grabbed one of these immediately, and they looked much better than average.
It was a decent pastry, crispy exterior, moist inside, totally coated in sticky (that seemed honey based?), and generously loaded with pecans.
Better than average buffet pastry, and I would have been happy with this as my sweet carb item of choice, but, actually, the hot foods buffet had even better options.
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| Chocolate Croissant Like Thing. |
This was not a chocolate croissant, even if it sorta looked like one. I don't think it was trying to be one.
The top was coated in a sticky glaze, which made my fingers a mess immediately. Each layer was rolled with a small amount of chocolate filling. The pastry itself was somewhat crispy on the exterior, in a nice way. But it was more like a soft sweet bread than a flaky croissant.
Again, another item that I actually would have been totally pleased with, but, the hot foods had more to offer.
The final day, I went for the almond sliced topped creation, expecting it to have almond paste inside.
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| Chocolate Bear Claw. |
Surprise! It didn't. Inside was a very mild chocolate paste. Huh.
This was not good. Spongy pastry, strangely sticky, and the chocolate paste was flavorless.
Ultimate Superfood Breakfast Buffet $29.75
"The ultimate SuperFoods buffet provides all of the selections from the continental as well as a variety of hot items. Enjoy favorites such as smoked salmon, a SuperFoods hot entrée and a SuperFoods eggs dish (items rotate daily) scrambled eggs and eggs benedict, fresh hash brown potatoes, Applewood smoked bacon, pork sausage, freshly made pancakes or French toast with caramelized bananas. Additionally we feature congee, miso soup, assorted pickles and noodles. Served with freshly brewed Starbucks Coffee and Tazo Teas, and fresh juices. *Your server will assist you with your choice of toast, omelets (three items maximum), and eggs or egg whites cooked to order."Aha! The missing toast. Only included in the extended buffet option, and the server was supposed to offer it? I was offered drinks, but there was NO mention of toast or cooked to order eggs. I didn't hear them give these options to anyone else around me, nor did I ever see toast or eggs delivered to my neighbors who were dining from the buffet.
Hot Foods - American
The hot foods selection was about what you'd expect, with a few Superfoods thrown in, since, Westin Wellness. There were some hits here, but it really depended on how fresh you caught batches, as is standard with buffets, hot foods, and steam trays.
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| McCann's Irish Oatmeal. |
From a la carte menu they jazz it up with golden raisins as well, for $11.
Roasted pumpkin? Hmm. I like pumpkin!
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| Roasted Pumpkin. |
But this I didn't like. It was soft, nicely cooked I guess, but it had a strange flavor to it. It reminded me of Thanksgiving sweet potatoes, which I do like, but, I just didn't want for breakfast.
Westin's healthy focus shows up here, with scrambled whites only with broccolini.
#notforme
And the requisite sad looking scrambled eggs.
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| Egg whites and broccolini. |
#notforme
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| Scrambled Eggs. |
Remember, the hot buffet also *should* have included eggs cooked to order too, so omelets, poached, etc *should* have been available to everyone.
When I first cruised through the buffet line, there was a single egg florentine remaining, and I quickly moved on. But after I did my circuit taking photos, it was replenished with fresh ones.
Now, I'm not into eggs, or english muffins, and really not for buffet eggs, but I've had some really, really good buffet benedicts/florentines at the Sheraton on the Park in Sydney, so when a fresh batch was brought out, I had to try it.
As expected though, I didn't care for it. Soggy english muffin on the bottom, way too bitter and chewy steamed spinach, soggy slice of tomato, decent enough poached egg, and rather congealed hollendaise that had no real flavor to it.
My server told me that this is benedict some days, and her favorite of the buffet items. She was happy to tell me about how they make the sauce fresh every morning. I do think the standard of quality for this buffet was unusually high, even if I didn't like this.
This was basically the poached eggs, steamed spinach, grilled tomato, on toasted english muffin on the a la carte menu, just, with hollendaise. That one is served with roasted baby white rose potatoes for $24.95.
I like crispy bacon, so I tried this my second morning. It was crispy indeed ... as in, I couldn't chew it. At all. Almost like jerky.
$7 a la carte.
I also didn't try the sausage, also $7.00 a la carte.
I took this photo when I first cruised through, and there was a moderate amount of hash browns left in the serving vessel.
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| Eggs Florentine. |
Now, I'm not into eggs, or english muffins, and really not for buffet eggs, but I've had some really, really good buffet benedicts/florentines at the Sheraton on the Park in Sydney, so when a fresh batch was brought out, I had to try it.
As expected though, I didn't care for it. Soggy english muffin on the bottom, way too bitter and chewy steamed spinach, soggy slice of tomato, decent enough poached egg, and rather congealed hollendaise that had no real flavor to it.
My server told me that this is benedict some days, and her favorite of the buffet items. She was happy to tell me about how they make the sauce fresh every morning. I do think the standard of quality for this buffet was unusually high, even if I didn't like this.
This was basically the poached eggs, steamed spinach, grilled tomato, on toasted english muffin on the a la carte menu, just, with hollendaise. That one is served with roasted baby white rose potatoes for $24.95.
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| Applewood smoked bacon. |
$7 a la carte.
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| Country pork sausage. |
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| Grilled Fresh Housemade Hashbrowns. |
But while I was collecting my platter, a fresh batch was brought out. And I knew that they take pride in these hash browns. But buffet hash browns? I usually skip them, and most potato products, as they are usually the frozen variety, lukewarm, soggy, and lackluster.
These however, were amazing. They were grilled, and super crispy on the outside. Moist shredded potato inside. Well seasoned (salt!).
I loved these. Like, really, really loved them, more than any potato product of any kind that I've had in recent ... years? They showed up every diner I've visited.
They were even better when drizzled with maple syrup. But, I think they were my second favorite item. Although that is a toss-up, really.
The second day, the batch was old and soggy. Watery even, as condensation collected in the steam tray. But no fear, I kept an eye out, hung around, and waited to snag a fresh batch. They were again great, nicely crispy, and delicious slathered with syrup and salt.
The second day, the batch was old and soggy. Watery even, as condensation collected in the steam tray. But no fear, I kept an eye out, hung around, and waited to snag a fresh batch. They were again great, nicely crispy, and delicious slathered with syrup and salt.
You can get these from the a la carte menu for $7.00, and, you totally should.
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| Buttermilk Pancakes: Day 1. |
Again, I benefited from the fact that the pancakes were empty on my first circuit, but were replenished while I was there. Fresh pancakes.
They didn't look like much, but, as the only hot carb item (besides potato I guess, but no french toast, bread pudding, etc), I decided to try them.
They were a thin style, not super fluffy or anything, but ... the flavor was great. Buttermilk. Great tang. I think I'm just a sucker for buttermilk pancakes? They reminded me of more reasonable sized IHOP pancakes (and you know how much I love those!)
I clearly lucked out with getting fresh ones though. When I told my server how much I liked them, she was surprised, and told me she never hears that. And, that her own experience is that the edges are usually dried out. Mine were not dry in any way.
I clearly lucked out with getting fresh ones though. When I told my server how much I liked them, she was surprised, and told me she never hears that. And, that her own experience is that the edges are usually dried out. Mine were not dry in any way.
I really enjoyed these, and the hash browns, both when drizzled with syrup.
From the regular menu you could order blueberry pancakes with blueberry compote, Vermont pure maple syrup, lightly dusted with powdered sugar for $20.75 or Belgian waffles with berries and whipped cream for $20.75, no french toast was in sight actually.
Pretty sure this is going to be predictable, but, uh, on day 2 the pancakes were ... not good.
Dry. Soggy. Lukewarm. Overcooked. Broken to pieces.
I even waited for a fresh batch, and those too were just soggy and lacked buttermilk tang. Disappointing.
I coated my first pancake half in mixed berry syrup, half in maple syrup, since there were no little bowls on the side to keep it separate.
From the regular menu you could order blueberry pancakes with blueberry compote, Vermont pure maple syrup, lightly dusted with powdered sugar for $20.75 or Belgian waffles with berries and whipped cream for $20.75, no french toast was in sight actually.
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| Buttermilk Pancakes: Day 2. |
Dry. Soggy. Lukewarm. Overcooked. Broken to pieces.
I even waited for a fresh batch, and those too were just soggy and lacked buttermilk tang. Disappointing.
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| Mixed Berries Syrup, Maple Syrup. |
I did not like the berry syrup. Not sure why, but just not an enjoyable flavor.
The maple syrup though was great. I'm not certain it was real syrup (it was on the a la carte offering), as it tasted a bit too buttery, but, uh, even though I was raised on real syrup (produced by family members), I have a soft spot for pancake syrup. And sometimes prefer it. Don't tell my family, I think they will disown me, really.
The syrup certainly helped make the pancakes and hash browns into the glorious things they were.
Both congee and miso soup were available to form the base of your creation.
This was the first place I stopped, given my love of these stations in the Tokyo hotels.
Hot Foods - Asian
The other side of the hot foods bar is "Asian". I wonder if they get a lot of Asian guests? My visit was a week after returning from Tokyo where I was obsessed with the pickles, so I was excited to see this lineup. Sadly, I didn't care for any of it.
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| Congee, Miso Soup. |
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| Toppings. |
Sadly, none of this was very good.
The lineup had pickled cucumber, plum, and daikon radish, kim chee, and pork fu (aka, pork floss!). They all looked fine, but didn't really taste fresh or quality.
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| Soft Noodles, Sauces. |
You could also add soft noodles, chili sauce, and soy sauce to your creations.
The second day, I opened the lid of the "soft noodles" and was surprised. I thought these were just noodles to add to your soup! But nope, they were stir fried with assorted veggies.
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| "Soft Noodles". |
I eagerly tried some, loaded them up with toppings, but, they were still somehow flavorless and soggy. Oh well.
