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Press Reviews LA Weekly - S. Irene Virbila - Jessica Strand - Restaurant Guide 2003 - L.A. Times Magazine L.A. Weekly by Michelle Huneven, July 21, 2000 The convergence of retail and repast has also resulted in a number of odd hybrids, a shop that is also a lunch spot. Rita Flora on La Brea Avenue, for example, is a florist-adjacent café. Further north on La Brea, Maison Midi, a fabulous housewares store, shares its address with Café Midi, which also opens right into American Rag Company. In the back, with a long, dark bar and a charmingly European ambiance, Midi serves breakfast and light lunch. Best try on your Martine Margiella shifts and Caniper sandals first, then, if it’s early, refuel with eggs, omelets, pancakes or cereals or, at lunch, try the quiche (baked on the premises) or a curried-egg-salad sandwich or any number of good salads, including a lovely Belgian endive with Fourme d’ambert and walnuts. Go shop for gorgeous Jar pottery or yellow Provençale napkins, then slip back for a shot of espresso and a fruit tart, wedge of chocolate cake or slab of banana bread — all are baked on Midi’s premises. Take your dessert outside, at a table in front of the shop. The weather’s simply perfect for it. Critic's Corner By S. Irene Virbila L.A. Times Restaurant Critic, September 21, 2000 From a car, it’s hard to spot the small café that’s part of Maison et Café, the housewares arm of American Rag on La Brea Avenue. The fashion at American Rag is a mix of vintage Americana and edgy young designer ware, whereas the Maison side of the adjoining stores is a Francophile’s dream. It’s a café, sometime epicene (selling herbs, olive oils and the odd ingredient), and housewares store rolled into one. For anyone exploring the galleries and boutiques along La Brea between Melrose Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard, Café Midi Is a lovely spot to stop for lunch. At the back of the sprawling Maison shop a few tables ire set up next to a long bar. An inviting banquette with plump French fabric pillows offers additional seating. But who wants to sit inside on a crystal dear day in early fall? That's why the handful of sidewalk tables are so much in demand. At lunch, Café Midi’s chef, Edouard Moyal, who cooked at La Chardonnay, turns out an appealing array of salads and sandwiches. His salade Niçoise, for example, is more like one you’d find at a small cafe in Nice than any of the gentrified versions around town. It’s made with the traditional tinned tuna—water- packed albacore instead of the dark, tasty tuna packed in olive oil, so the fish tends to be a bit day. But the hard-boiled eggs, haricots verts and potatoes mixed in with the greens are perfectly cooked. The chef also makes a mean club sandwich with Black Forest ham and Gruyère on a tall, fluffy Ciabatta. His take on a burger is ground sirloin and mozzarella on Foccaccia. The lemonade is wonderful— freshly squeezed and not too sweet For dessert, stroll past the fresh fruit tarts displayed on the counter. If nothing strikes your fancy, there’s always chocolate—as in “Edouardo’s brownie.” Mornings, slackers can stop hi for an espresso or a frothy café au Lait And if you’re feeling peckish, you can order an omelet, a short stack of buttermilk pancakes or a bowl of granola. Maison et café has an offhand chic that’s seductive enough that an innocent coffee can easily turn into something dangerous. Before you know It, you’re lusting after the Moroccan tea glasses decorated with a filigree of gold, a butter yellow café au Lait bowl, a French damask linen tablecloth, or a huge ochre-glazed pot for your banana palm. Once I found myself lugging a huge tin of lavender honey home; another time yards of French cotton ticking to make some cushions. On my last visit, I got lucky when I found some glazed oval baking dishes perfect for potato gratin or clafoutis at 75% off. Since lunch didn’t set me back too much, I left feeling virtuous, dreaming of fall’s gratins. Jessica Strand L.A. Times Calendar Weekend June 27, 2002 What could be better on a hot summer day than a light, whole some Spinach salad? Café Midi: What a charming place to while away the hours. Have a spinach salad with a vinaigrette dressing, topped with roasted fennel, grilled asparagus, caramelized walnuts, tomatoes, goat cheese, and some crisp pear. L.A. Times Magazine - The Restaurant Guide 2003 Café Midi is a lovely spot for lunch for anyone exploring the galleries and antiques along La Brea Avenue. Chef Edouardt Moyal offers an appealing array of salads and sandwiches. Specialties: salade Niçoise, curried egg salad sandwich, burger on focaccia, Edouard’s brownie. L.A. Times Magazine - January 3, 2003 In the back of the store Maison Midi, this charming French café serves a revolving list of interesting soups. Bean soups include pink lentil with cumin, black bean with chives and roasted garlic and Fava bean with smoky bacon. Relax on a pillowy banquette with a bowl of soup and a slice of fresh Ciabatta. |
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