Valerie Echo Park

On the heels of her Grand Central Market outpost in DTLA, Valerie Gordon sets her sights on Echo Park, opening a bakery/cafe focused on teas. An American Tea Room–curated selection of 15 teas is on offer for Eastside's darjeelings, along with herbal teasan infusions featuring fennel blossom, tarragon, lemongrass, mint, lemon verbena and lavender. Try an orange, bay leaf and black pepper infusion paired with a curried chicken sandwich ($4, tea size; $10, full size) or onion marmalade galette ($9). Other brunch and lunch options (served after 10:30am) include tea-sized sandwiches—we love the prosciutto with tangy lemon butter and pickled asparagus ($4, tea size; $10 full size)—and tea-infused dishes from savory (smoked salmon, avocado and Lapsan Souchong tartine) to sweet (jasmine panna cotta, matcha and Earl Grey petit fours). Housemade muesli—a combination of oats, almonds and dried apricots and pears over yogurt, honey and seasonal fruit—makes for the perfect morning fuel or afternoon snack. Ladies who lunch (or take afternoon tea) can sit on the alfresco patio with black sesame seed cookies and vanilla and almond tea cake, or vegan butternut squash bread or gluten-free blue corn muffin for the diet-restricted.