Another Way To Slow Down Your Weekend
4720 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Phone: 323-257-7626 | map

It's where the opening scene from Reservoir Dogs was filmed, and you can recognize bits of it when the camera pans around the table. But that's not its sole reason to visit. It's been there just over thirty years, still a strong staple along the boulevard. Inside is a homelike dining room with tables and chairs rather than booths, where all the grumpy old bastards who hate new people eating at their restaurant sit; outside is a covered patio where seemingly all the young women in Eagle Rock congregate. There are stacks of red plastic Coke cups and Farmer Bros. coffee grinders along the wall.

Some people have bitched about the price of coffee here, but really, at this stage in our Western cultural downfall, two bucks and a quarter for coffee isn't outrageous. Okay, a "bagle" (sic) with cream cheese is $3.95. I can't speak for that. But then I go here to get full on breakfasts that make me useless for the remainder of my day.

Where to start? P&L's has typically American breakfast offerings like hotcakes and French toast, but also stuff like chipped beef on biscuits, pork chops and eggs, and 25 different omelettes from which to choose. The biscuits are fist-sized (my fist, not Bianca's) and are traditional Southern style, where you can taste a touch of sour cream. You weren't planning on going jogging later today, were you?

This time Bink zeroed in on the Chile Verde Omelette special: green-sauced pork? With eggs? Yes, please. It came with a mountain of diced potatoes that don't do much except soak up last night's endeavors. As for me, I always love a place that puts Spanish or Mexican flair into breakfasts, so I went with Chorizo con Huevos, nicely burnt with some lovely orange grease underneath, with rice and refried beans and corn tortillas. With a squeeze bottle of salsa and a big bottle of Cholula, we went to town.

Lunch isn't much lighter. There's several sizings of Mariachi Chicken, mysterious to us until we get the chance to try that out. Otherwise sandwiches and burgers and Mexican lunches (and salads, sort of... this is not a vegetarian's paradise, I fear) are your lot, and there's no shakes made here. But look: a grilled sourdough bacon cheeseburger? Geez.

The service can be leisurely inside, but quick enough on the patio. They close at 2:30pm on weekdays, 3:00pm on weekends, so it's a breakfast and lunch thing. It's cash-only, and there's plenty of parking in the lot or on the street.