Welp, Jan is off to a healthy start.
Went to Frenchifornia last wk (partner had read about it in… the NYT? LA Times?). Never had King’s cake b/f, so I can’t compare. Puff pastry + almond filling sounded a bit heavy to me, but it tasted quite good (and wasn’t overly heavy). Raisin roll fine, but I (strongly) prefer Clark Street’s. The shape of the kouign-amann was the strangest I had ever seen; I have no memory of what it tasted like (so it couldn’t be bad).
I think this is a very good neighborhood place but not necessarily worth a trip across the city.
Tried Ludivine today along Pico, just went of Beverly Glen. Really tasty. Partner liked the fig jam in the brie sandwich; I thought it was a bit sweet for me but the sandwich overall worked well. Partner’s “Paris-to-Rome” sandwich was VERY good.
Bread for both of these were EXCELLENT, as in, like, maybe approaching the platonic ideal for these items. We walked back in to buy a boule; we already have a La Brea baguette at home, so didn’t need that. Also, the baguette is not as sour and tangy as La Brea.
Salad needed to be tossed much more thoroughly to mix in the dressing.
Croissant (very much) needed to be reheated, and I singed the top of it (“after” not pictured). 
Toasted, the outside was nicely shattery w/ a fluffy-ish and more bread-y interior. Some butter flavor, but Chaumont is still my favorite. Ludivine’s croissants would make an excellent sandwich.
Lemon meringue very good. Sugar in the meringue was undissolved. I didn’t mind the textural contrast w/ the custard, but partner wish it had been dissolved. Nice mix of sweet and tart.
I wish my boules looked like this. ::sigh::
Very cute space and well worth a visit (at least based on this one trip).
People living in the area (@Omotesando) are lucky to have this + Tuscan Son.
Edit: had the boule tonight. Like the croissant, it’s got a fluffy(ish) crumb, and it worked beautifully for our toast + mushroom.
For eating bread on its own, I would say that Acme in SF remains the gold standard for me.
But! It was indeed just a well-made cheeseburger with all the elements of the infamous movie burger - two patties smashed on the griddle, crispy edges, onions griddled underneath one patty, lotsa melted american cheese, pickles + Irv’s sauce on a toasted sesame bun. We loved it. 
The crinkle cut fries were under-cooked and not well-made.
(tagging