ALONG COMES MARY

A few years back when I was living near Orange County, I discovered an absolute gem of a restaurant: The Marmalade Cafe. It was still difficult for me to find a good amount of eateries that were gluten-free friendly, so, The Marmalade felt like a blessing as they offered so many awesome dishes that were perfect for me, like their famous Portobello Benedict; gluten-free and vegetarian, it boasts the traditional poached eggs & hollandaise sauce, but, in lieu of the typical english muffin, it’s served over a large Portobello mushroom, & its perfection.

Each location is decked out with adorable french decor & fun, lively oldies music like Sinatra playing. Despite that the cafe is always filled with hungry patrons, I have never waited longer than 10 minutes to be seated (They take reservations, too). Just feel like a small bite & one of their awesome drinks like the Raspberry Lemon Drop? They’ve got you covered as this small chain offers a bar, too.

Speaking of drinks, Marmalade Cafe is continually name dropped throughout Los Angeles as one of the best places for mimosas & brunch. While they offer lunch & dinner, I always have gravitated towards their massive selection of breakfast; this is the only cafe I have found that offers you gluten-free toast when you order the common egg dish that includes potatoes & bread…no asking if they will switch out for fruit here 😉 & its Udi’s, too, making it even more awesome, no? (Their coffee is spot-on, Mary approved, too.)

I was so excited last week to finally meet up with one of my favorite bloggers & friend, Anita, from One Sleepy Mommy. I decided to try their Garden Vegetable & Egg White Frittata; Carrots, squash, red onions, mushrooms, baby spinach and tomato are baked into a flat omelet with 3 egg whites. It sounds so ‘healthy’, but, Marmalade Cafe knows how to do healthy well!

While they do not currently have any OC locations, you can find multiple Marmalade Cafe’s throughout SoCal from Santa Barbara to LAX area. Whether you want a great place to catch up with friends,meet with clients, have a date night or simply enjoy a meal on your own, The Marmalade Cafe is perfect for ANY occasion. Psst, they’ve got an E Club with a $10 off coupon on their web-site HERE ;)You might even see me there! xo

(Featured image: Gluten free french toast.)