The Kindest Cuts/Best of 2007: Caroline On Crack

Exhibit A: Meltdown Etc.

Caroline on Crack weighs in on the food and drink that makes her lay down the pipe.

Meltdown Etc. This is genius. Campanile is famous for its grilled cheese sandwich nights and Meltdown is a whole eatery dedicated to the grilled cheese sandwich. Absolute faves include the Classic 3 Cheese with Ham and the cheddar, ham and apple-butter sandwiches.

Boule Atelier. Gotta love the delectable macarons, plus I think I'm over cupcakes and this offers a satisfyingly cute and tasty alternative.

Milk. The ice cream by itself is meh but, damn, that coffee toffee ice cream sandwich is to die for. And I especially love the double-chocolate croissant pudding with its Jack Daniels sauce and side of vanilla ice cream.

The Wine House. Awesome selection, helpful staff and you gotta love that wine sampling room (a la Vinum Populi) where you can sample from more than 32 wines, depending on how much you put on your pay card.

Wally's Wine & Spirits. If only for the whiskey/bourbon/Scotch aisle, where employee Max was more than happy to tell me why I should stop drinking Jameson and start drinking the good stuff. They're a lot smaller than the Wine House, so you're sure to get help from someone who can spend a lot of time with you to help you decide.

Meltdown 9739 Culver Blvd. (310) 838-6858
Boule Atelier 408 N. La Cienega Blvd. (310) 289-9977
Milk 7290 Beverly Blvd. (323) 939-6455
The Wine House 2311 Cotner Ave. (800) 626-9643
Wally's Wine & Spirits 2107 Westwood Blvd. (310) 475-0606