[This Location Closed] Doesn’t Great Maple just sound like the quintessential brunch spot? Simply hearing the name conjures for me vivid images of bountiful pancake stacks and stuffed omelets and never-ending pours of mimosa. For this brunch-a-holic, Great Maple was a must-try.
My girlfriend Jeannine first told me about it. Sounded great, but it wasn’t conveniently located. Torrance is not far in direct mileage, but it’s home at the Del Amo Fashion Center isn’t quick to get to from the LBC – you’ve got to navigate a few city streets to get there. A first-world problem, getting to a restaurant that isn’t just right off the freeway. Poor me. (I hate driving, okay.)
But then, lucky me!, spotting Great Maple while out on a shopping date at Del Amo with my husband (he drove) while our youngest was away at volleyball camp. With a quick stop at Nordstrom, I decided then that our shopping date (we didn’t really label it that way) would morph into a dinner date, with visions of waffles and bacon dancing around in my head (and I don’t even eat bacon).
(Mostly)
As I’m often doing, I was dieting at the time. I ordered something tasty but unsexy – the maple glazed salmon served upon “ancient grains.” Nothing says unsexy like ancient grains (but it happened to be quite tasty). My husband went the opposite direction, full-on salacious with his fried chicken and doughnuts order (holding the bacon on the doughnuts – he’s like me…mostly). After trying a bite of one of his piping hot, soft, and sweet confections topped with a maple-y glaze, I knew it would just be a matter of time before I returned. Envy is a real thing.
And I did a few weeks later, this time during the dreamy brunch hours, my kids in tow (which meant I did the driving but for more of those doughnuts, it would be worth it). This time, I’d tip my order slightly away from the healthy side, asking for the GM turkey burger with brie, caramelized onion marmalade, and aioli. Not the brunchiest brunch choice, but it was one of those days when I had burger on the brain. If I’d ordered something else, the rest of the day would have been filled with what ifs; what could have been if I’d have gotten the burger?
It was excellent. What wasn’t excellent my second time around was the service. Not horrible. Just not excellent. Pleasant, but slightly under good. Even with a reservation, we were seated in no-man’s land, the only small table in a section of large parties that finished and left before we ordered. The doughnuts we requested as an appetizer with our breakfast cocktails (one of my kids is legal) came five minutes after our brunch plates.
Still, I’m willing to chalk it up to bad timing. The service during my shopping/dinner date proved absolutely superb. And the doughnuts were on point each time (either served late or on time; without bacon or with – I picked the bits of bacon off of mine…mostly).
Great Maple in Torrance (with locations in San Diego and Newport Beach as well)
21434 Hawthorne Blvd., next to Nordstrom at the Del Amo Fashion Center
Visit One: Rosé-All-Day, Prickly Pear Margarita, Maple Glazed Salmon, Fried Chicken & Doughnuts
Visit Two: Hot Cocoa, Orange Juice Mimosa, Pear Mimosa, Maple Bacon Doughnuts, GM Turkey Burger, Steakhouse Burger, Breakfast Burrito