Everything went wrong in the morning. My friend had food poisoning from last night’s outing with friends and couldn’t go to the Easter brunch we had planned weeks ago. Disappointed, I got busy doing my normal routine, juicing and preparing my mom’s breakfast. When Sandy arrived to help out with my mom, I decided that I really wanted to get out and do something fun.
I called up a friend of mine who had no plans for the day and decided to meet at I cugini. When we got there, the place was packed, but no worries; I had a reservation for inside seating for two. Except that the hostess told us we had to sit in the patio or wait a longtime. I asked to speak to the manager and when he came over, he told us the same thing.
I told him that there were a bunch of empty seats in the back and why couldn’t we go sit there. At first he was defensive because he couldn’t come up with an excuse. I think he was saving those seats for a very large party and didn’t want to say so because he knew I would get on his case. He said he had no space and that there were others waiting. And to make matters worse, he offered me a crappy table in the bakery. I told him that I did not want to sit there and that I did not care if others were waiting. That was his problem and not mine for overbooking. I had made a reservation for inside seating long ago and that he should honor it.
We got into an argument and all I could think about was that if he doesn’t seat us, I’m going to write a bad review about the place on Yelp. Luckily, he gave us a good table and tried to fake a smile. I didn’t really care whether or not he liked me. The point was that we got a good table and a nice person to serve us. Yes I know, I sound mean, but I just don’t like people pushing me around and making me feel bad for their mistake. Besides, the other guests were nodding their heads and agreeing with me as I complained, but they didn’t have the guts to speak out. I mean really…why the heck did they overbook and especially on Easter? And why didn’t they offer a discount or free mimosa and appetizers at the bar for making their guests wait for so long? Truly not smart of them.
Anyway, as I said, all turned out okay and after that things went by smoothly. Below are a few pictures I took while there and later on when my friend and I went for a walk. And by the way, I do recommend this place for Brunch even after all my prior complaints. They had a decent selection of dishes and once we sat down, the service was good. And in case you’re wondering why I waited way past Easter to write this, my photos didn’t turn out well because of the lighting and I had to fix them.
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| The Bar |
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| The inside |
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| Salad table |
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| Main entrées |
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| Seafood: Oysters & shrimp |
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| Freshly made Pizzas, pastas & omelets |
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| Chocolate fountain & fruits/Behind it, a bakery w/vaious pastries |
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| Prosciutto, beets, Sautéed mushrooms and grilled vegetable salad |
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| Tiramisu, banana dipped in chocolate, fudge tart & chocolate custard puffs. Make sure you save room for dessert, especially for the tart and the puffs |
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| Earlier before this band, there was a jazz band. |
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| Member of the band, posing for me to take his photo |
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| The patio with heated lamps |
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| Bunch of people celebrating a birthday |
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| We walked outside, I bought a purse at a nearby store and then we headed to the Santa Monica mall |
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| This man outside the mall had his dog dressed like an Easter Bunny. Everyone was stopping and taking a photo. |
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| The old Santa Monica Mall, now renovated |
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| On Saturday afternoons, this outdoor mall is packed with crowds dinning, walking, shopping & watching various performers |
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| After the old mall, we walked back past I cugini toward a walkway and a cliff |
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| The cliff overlooks the Santa Monica beach & pier, a restaurant w/a water view, roller coasters and a Ferris wheel. I used to spend numerous hours on the pier as a teenager |
