Well the damn blue potatoes weren’t going to be ready to eat anytime soon, so my Saturday lunch came in the form of a tofu scramble from Interim Cafe.

We’re talking a very yummy tofu scramble, full of caramelized onions and spinach. Whatever marinade they use here, it’s delish — flavorful without being too salty or cloying.

The scramble came with a couple slices of the heartiest whole grain toast ever; each bite delivered something subtle and new, from a hint of cheesiness to various chunks of nuts to sweet fruity bits. The only downer was that the potatos were rather bland. Maybe I should’ve eaten them with ketchup, but I’m of the opinion that yummy breakfast potatos shouldn’t require ketchup dousing.

Still, one of my yummiests lunches in a long time. Never heard of the Interim Cafe? Well, you might know of it as the Newsroom Cafe, which has a branch in Beverly Hills I used to go to before I moved to Santa Monica.

But the dude who started Newsroom Cafe sold the name and the Beverly Hills location — and decided to keep this Santa Monica location to reopen later this year as something new. In the interim, it’s called the Interim Cafe, though the place still has a bunch of Newsroom signs up.

All of this info I got because the staff and people at Interim Cafe are so friendly and sweet. The nice guy (right) who delivered the tofu scramble to my table told me he painted the floor himself — in Pollock-esque style — with some coffee-related implement. The guy at the table next to me gave me his New York Times and wished me a nice weekend before taking off.

In general, the restaurant has a very open, chilled-out feel. You get to pick from a very vegetarian and vegan friendly menu when you order at the counter, then stake out a table either inside or outside. Plus, the coffee here’s all organic and fair trade :)

Nice people, fast and friendly service, yummy food, more than reasonable prices: It’s enough to make me wanna eat there every day. After all, Interim Cafe’s just a dozen blocks from my place. Maybe I can at least make it a once-a-week habit –

Interim Cafe. 530 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica. 310.319.9100.

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