For the festive week sandwiched (no pun intended) between Christmas and New Year, we thought we’d do something a little different. Tanner’s Coffee Co. is directly across the street from the Culver City News office, so we’re tempted by its delights every single day.
Here in Southern California, we’re fairly lucky when it comes to the weather. While we’re complaining and turning the heaters on because it drops below 65, Americans to the east are dealing with dangerous snow conditions and frozen pipes.
That said, psychologically there’s something about the winter that encourages us to reach for a piping hot drink even if it stays quite warm outside.
Tanner’s, of course, has a wonderful selection of coffees and loose-leaf tea. But the vanilla chai tea latte is to die for. We had it with skimmed milk so it’s not quite so heavy on the stomach, especially because of all the food that we’re eating during the holidays.
But the drink is piping hot, spicy and incredibly comforting.
We breakfast at Tanner’s too; the menu assures us that the egg-and-cheese bagel is a Culver City breakfast staple (how long has that tradition been a thing? Letters to the editor please), and it sure is good. It’s all egg-white, which is great for the waistline, although the option of full eggs would have been nice.
Still, the rich combination of gooey cheese and soft, springy egg on a firm bagel (we chose plain, but these are plenty of bagel choices) is irresistible, and a wonderful way to start a day.
Tanner’s also has a dangerously attractive selection of cakes and pastries under glass, and we caved and picked a mini-chocolate yule log. It was Christmas, after all.
The cake is small, but that’s a very good thing; it’s so rich, it would be tough to get through a bigger piece. The size is perfect for a few bites of chocolatey, creamy deliciousness.
On top is a holly leaf made of white chocolate, and two red berries made of marzipan. It looks beautiful and tastes better, and if we weren’t in the Christmas spirit when we entered, we sure were by the time we left.