Last year I wrote about Lovebirds, the bakery/cafe on Colorado Boulevard, just east of Lake Avenue. And when, a few days back, a friend suggested that we have lunch at a great bakery/cafe she’d found on Colorado just east of Lake, I assumed she was talking about the same place.

But when she specified the south side of the street and went on about the egg salad, I knew we weren’t thinking of the same menu.

Maybe it was EuroPane? I’d only stopped in once for a breakfast croissant and a brief glance at the pastry racks and never thought of it as a lunch place. Meanwhile, my friend had taken to the Internet. “Do you know,” she announced in her next phone call, “there’s a raging battle going on about Lovebirds vs. EuroPane? We’re stepping into a maelstrom.”    

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Lovebirds
921 E. Colorado Blvd.
(626) 583-8888
No liquor/Major cards

EuroPane Bakery
950 E. Colorado Blvd.
(626) 577-1828
No liquor/Major cards

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Well, that got my interest. Soon, I too was on Yelp.com checking out what bloggers were saying. The arguments pro and con are as heated as those about Clinton and Obama, and just as subjective. Warm/cool, foreign/American, too far out/nothing new. At least nobody was accusing either place of pandering or elitism (at least, not directly).

Some folks think Lovebirds is spacious and EuroPane is too small and crowded. Others find EuroPane cozy and Lovebirds cavernous. Some rave about the unusual creations of the EuroPane chefs; others find comfort in the more familiar Lovebirds’ offerings. Aficionados excuse the sometimes lax service at both, while critics are unforgiving.

But let’s get this straight: At Lovebirds, there are no chintz curtains, comfy banquettes, schmaltzy music or private corners. It’s a no-nonsense eatery with basic furnishings and a counter where you place your order. Along the left-hand wall, there’s a display case of house-baked marvels — ranging from homey muffins and Danishes to precious miniature fruit tarts and intricately decorated cakelets.

It’s almost exactly the same at EuroPane, except for the smaller space and the case, which lies parallel to the entrance, partly blocking the kitchen view. The pastries aren’t as gaudy. No gaily frosted cakes, fruit-jeweled tarts, harlequin napoleons or sugar-dusted raspberry hearts to catch the eye. But there is true beauty in the deceptively plain EuroPane sweets.

Take the caneles. Look up a traditional recipe for these Bordeaux treats, which look a bit frumpy and overdone, and you’ll find an odd baking method, using tin-lined copper molds coated with heated beeswax before the rum, bitter almond and vanilla-laced batter is poured in. There are substitutes, of course, but I didn't inquire. Whatever. The crisped, creamy-centered pastries were luscious.

Absorbing Lovebirds’ sandwich selection is mind-boggling. The choice of 14 breads is an immediate problem. Cheeses (they offer six) aren’t that difficult; American and Monterey jack are just TOO boring. And sharp cheddar, pepper jack, Swiss and provolone almost decide for themselves based on other sandwich components, of which Lovebirds has about 20.

EuroPane doesn’t leave that much to personal whim. There are seven breads and about 12 fillings. You can add provolone, goat cheese or cheddar for a buck or so, but I can’t for the life of me see where. And, unlike Lovebirds, where each sandwich comes in half, regular and large sizes, EuroPane only deals in one — quite large enough.

No matter, the online supporters of each bakery seem to have fixated on a single sandwich. At EuroPane, it’s an idiosyncratic egg salad ($7.25), which we ordered on multigrain bread. Writers
wax poetic about its makeup: poached eggs, chunked rather than mashed, mixed with lots of mayo and chives, served warm. Magnificent!

And, at Lovebirds, there’s a quintessentially American “Thanksgiving turkey” with hot meat, mayo, lettuce, tomato, stuffing and cranberry sauce on the side ($4.75/$6.25/$7.95). What? No gravy? Well, maybe. I have to confess, I haven't tried it — yet. But I have enjoyed a “Vermont” turkey with apple slices and cheddar on seven-grain bread with walnuts, raisins and honey.

Interesting how the macaroons at the two bakeries differ. Lovebirds’ version is a huge moist coconut confections dipped in dark chocolate — luscious, familiar and, at $1, a real bargain. The “macaroons”
at EuroPane are, in contrast, truly French, egg whites and sugar flavored with espresso, sea salt and caramel, raspberry and the like. They’re smaller, a little more expensive than Lovebirds’ and a lot more exotic.

During my Lovebirds lunch, the whir of coffee drinks and nutritional drinks being foamed and frothed was unceasing. According to the menu, the latter all start with ice cream and protein. Most get a dollop of honey and several have bananas. I was mildly tempted by the “Arnold Schwartzenberry” (with blackberry juice, get it?) but saved a couple bucks by choosing fresh-squeezed lemonade ($2.25) instead.

EuroPane’s drinks are more restrained and definitely lack overt humor. The berry iced tea ($2.25) is tart and tastes healthy. All the basic whipped coffees are available; but they’re, well, basic. There’s no white chocolate or syrup or whipped cream to jazz things up — and certainly no ice cream or protein powder.

If I had to guess, Hillary’s favorite would be Lovebirds. I can see her slogging down a peach pizazz ($4.25) with a BLT on bagel ($5.95) and a side of “hot air” fries ($1.95).

Barack? He’d be over at EuroPane, munching a red pepper and goat cheese on baguette ($6.75), a green tea ($2.25) and, perhaps, a macadamia tart to commemorate the state where he was raised.
But what about me? I'm conflicted, and it’s a hard decision. They’re different in style but close in substance. The prices are similar, satisfaction level almost the same. So how to choose?

To paraphrase James Carville, it’s the egg salad, stupid. You be the judge!