LONG BEACH, Calif., June 6, 2017 — For me, that stretch of the 405 from Long Beach to points north until you reach Playa Vista and Culver City has always been a dead zone, culinarily speaking. It’s uncharted, unfamiliar territory, so I customarily ride out this section of roadway staying securely in my car, hunger pangs be damned.
There is, however, one exception to this rule. By exiting the 405 at Atlantic Ave. and heading north for a couple of miles, you’ll reach Bake-n-Broil, an eatery established in 1965, that provides 100 percent comfort food. It’s sort of like a See’s Candy shop with a menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The ambiance is cheerful and delightful. There’s a constant hum of activity provided by the customers sitting at the counter or their favorite booth served by fresh-faced servers who enjoy dishing out pot roast, grilled pork chops, baked macaroni and cheese and chicken fried steak to their happy clientele.
While the menu is ample, it is also pleasingly familiar because again who hasn’t hungered for a French dip, tuna melt or old fashioned hot roast beef or turkey sandwich with mash potatoes and gravy, all staples on the Bake-n-Broil menu.
Another regular on the menu is the chicken pot pie, served with soup or salad for $9.95. It often disappears. In fact, next to the listing on the menu are three chilling words, “while they last.”
Other items that doesn’t last around here are the pies. They are victims of their own success. Many times, I have come for the apricot pie, which delivers the perfect balance of tart and sweet, only to find the last one had been carried out the door minutes before.
But with Bake-n-Broil, there is always a fallback plan. Disappointed as I often am to find that my apricot pie has gone AWOL, I never mind ordering a slice or an entire pie made out of banana cream, cherries or some other lovely seasonal filling.
In fact, pies are what built Bake-n-Broil into the more-than- half-century success story that it is today. It’s probably what Marie Calender’s was like before it went franchise crazy.
Bake-n-Broil is one of a kind, just like stepping back into your mom’s kitchen when you were kid. It delivers wholesomeness, good value and a place at the table or counter where you always feel welcome and valued.
Phone: 562.595.0396
Web: thebakenbroil.com
3697 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach