You’ll find 100% natural hormone-free chicken but you won’t find monkey at the C & M Cafe in Palms. This popular restaurant, which takes its moniker from the nicknames of the owner’s kids (Chicken and Monkey), updates classic diner food, with an organic, locally-sourced sensibility.

If you have kids, there’s a menu just for them with breakfast (cinnamon roll French toast or breakfast sandwich) to sandwiches. My daughter, ever the traditionalist, picked Grilled Cheese (Havarti and Provolone), served with housemade chips. It was a cold and rainy day when we visited, so when I saw her sandwich with the cheese oozing out, I instantly craved one myself.

Luckily that all changed when my sandwich, the Don’t Let Your Meat Loaf, arrived – warm turkey meatloaf, Havarti, red onions, pickles, arugula with Dijon aioli on sourdough bread. I gobbled down my sandwich quickly. Sandwiches come with your choice of side – chips, potato salad, salad, or carrots and hummus. Mine was the baked potato potato salad, dense with potato, light on dressing.

The Lil’ Stacker, their take on the English toad in a hole, features eggs cooked in a hole in the bread, with layers of sautéed spinach, pesto, red onion, roasted tomato and cheese (my husband chose Swiss). It’s even served with a couple of toasted strips of bread which can be thereby dunked into the still runny egg. This breakfast sandwich was simply magnificent. Once again, my husband’s choice showed that the vegetarian choice was just as good, if not better, than my meat-filled one.

C & M is famed for the B.A.M! – cinnamon roll french toast sandwich with bacon, sausage, cream cheese, over-easy egg with maple syrup. I am half-fascinated with trying it – 100% convinced that I would probably keel over after eating one.

C& M is only open for breakfast and lunch, closed by 5pm.  This cafe may be my new fixation – delicious food with a reasonable price point, with minimal hassle. May it be yours as well.

Location – 10640 Woodbine St., Los Angeles 90034.
Website – http://www.cmcafela.com
Kid-Friendly – Yes
Kid’s Menu – Yes
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly – Yes
Gluten-Free Options – Yes