I didn’t bother with the civilized offer from The Four Seasons to pack me an “airport breakfast” the night before, because I assumed I’d grab a coffee and something at the airport. Needless to say, the whole wheat killed the whole grilled-cheese idea, so after a couple of fries, my cousin David kindly shared his matzo brei with onions. I ordered grilled cheese on whole-wheat bread - don’t ask me what I was thinking. A forkful of sauerkraut, and I was ready for my main. Before the whole family was even seated, I had inhaled five pickles.

The fifteen of us practically bombarded the place. and in California, that’s really, really late - it was unanimous: We all went to Junior’s. My usual morning double espresso with some half-and-half, and I was good to go.īy 5:30 p.m., I was with my family trying a mini hors d’oeuvres-size pizza - and a glass of red wine. The Hollandaise sauce was perfection, the asparagus made me feel less guilty, and I tried chutney for the very first time in my life - which was so seriously good that I was not shy to ask the waitress to explain what it is: currants and sweet onion, a few mustard seeds. So when the waitress arrived, I chose the eggs Benedict with all the trimmings. I was determined to eat a hefty breakfast (unlike my NYC routine), because I wasn’t going to get a chance to eat again until late in the day. I arrived in Los Angeles the night before for a family gathering. Read about it for yourself in this week’s Grub Street Diet. “It’s pretty neighborhoody up here,” Cates says of the hood where she lives, works, and eats. Of course, the Cates-Klines are also longtime regulars at a few UES restaurants, including Elio’s, where Cates says servers know her family’s orders by heart. The store isn’t food specific, necessarily, but Cates admits that she has “so many customers that love food.” As for her own taste in food, Cates tell us, “I’m pretty erratic when it comes to anything other than my coffee,” though she says she cooks for her family - husband Kevin Kline and their two children - about three times a week. Though Phoebe Cates is probably best known for her roles in classic eighties movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Gremlins, she’s actually spent the last six years running the Blue Tree boutique on the Upper East Side, selling everything from dark chocolate to diamonds.

Cates digs into a cheesecake from Pepolino at her shop, the Blue Tree.

Phoebe cates now