Jin Patisserie

Jin Patisserie is one of those hidden places on Abbot Kinney in Venice that you could easily walk past if not for the delightful aroma of butter pastries wafting onto the street from the courtyard. The courtyard is reason enough to stop by and enjoy a coffee or tea, with low slung chairs, tables, and a nice bubbling fountain in the middle; this is an ideal summer spot to spend an afternoon at the beach if you don't want bake on the sand.

They offer handmade (on the premises) chocolates, cakes, cookies, and light bites of sandwiches (salmon to roast beef) and salads (organic greens with or without meat/fish) on their menu, all for around $15. If you don't live in Los Angeles, they do sell and ship their cookie and chocolates to other places, but I would recommend going for tea, as in High Tea, if you are anywhere near here. This is Tea without the pomp and formality of a stuffy English Tearoom. They offer an assortment of finger sandwiches served with a pot of tea, jam, and clotted cream (yes the real deal). There is nothing stuffy here; this is Californian all the way, from the whole grain breads to the organic greens, but all done with an aesthetic that is as dainty and beautiful as you can imagine (perhaps the one exception is that they do not cut the crusts off the sandwiches), served on clean white plates.

Finding a secret hideaway with nice nibbles is great fun, even more so if you share it with a friend, so go play hokey one afternoon and go to your own grown up tea party.