Jeff B.
Yelp
(Snacked 05/31/14 SA @ 3:00pm): In Roman numeral speak, "C+M" could possibly sum up how much their milkshakes cost - yowzers!
This was my second time in recent weeks that I stopped in at C+M at LACMA - this time their actual brick-and-mortar location in the L.A. Time Central Court right outside the Ahmanson Building - as I needed something to cool down from the hot weather. I had an unused Yelp check-in deal (20% off any milkshake) when I last visited their cart located in the BP Grand Entrance, so today was a perfect day to redeem it:
Chocolate Covered Cherry Shake ($8.00) - Was this fanciful milkshake of chocolate ganache blended with milk sorbet and topped with black cherry syrup worth $8.00 (heck, the milkshake in "Pulp Fiction" was only $5.00)!? Granted, artinsinal ingredients were used under the banner of the Patina Group name, but come on! Sadly, this was more of a thin chocolate-lite drink with hardly any black cherry syrup topped with a meager shapeless cherry. Milkshakes should be thick enough that you might collapse a lung as you tried to suck it through a straw. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=RDjTUZiJ58xhvEW1-6sCfw&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw
Strawberry Cake & Simply Orange ($8.00) - Purchased from the cart during my first experience with C+M at LACMA, both of these items were adequate but nothing truly to write home about. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=NkXmqRlh-hAjy97ppxNBhQ&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw
Service - Oddly enough, there was no line (there was always a line!), so I went immediately to the counter and greeted by a friendly young girl who tok my order. It took 10 minutes as other drinks were also being made for those who came before me. No worries as I wasn't in a hurry. No complaints from me.
Parking - Thankfully, I bought the parking pass with my annual LACMA membership so it was "free" for me. Otherwse, an onsite private underground parking structure or a lot across the street was $10.00. Or, there was metered street parking all along the main drag of Wilshire Blvd. There were nearby side streets but unsure about their situation.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience - The actual store (inside http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=aooA12Ezr4-JTcpBafjo6Q&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw and outside http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=AazsByggf68iAO5bMQ0UTw&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw) was like any other chain coffee shops (i.e. Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Gloria Jean, etc.), which should be self-explanatory. No TVs but there was background music. As for the cart http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=lrSaxYsayCrY2I12isKH8g&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw, it was exactly that - 'nuff said.
Attire - Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops.
Overall, C+M at LACMA always appeared to do wonderful business based on the usually steady flow of patrons at each location. However, for me, I felt that the Patina Group was resting on their legacy (don't get me wrong I'm actually a fan of their full restaurants) and slapped these places together. Now, I'm not a coffee drinker and that was the bulk of sales I'd seen so maybe those drinks were amazing, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. But the prepared items I had seemed lazy and pedestrian with prices that didn't match. I found good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total paid experience was around $16.00; before discounts and tip). The main issue I had was the lack of value. And, they accepted my credit card of choice...AMEX! 3 STARS