Monday morning it rained cats and dogs . . . err, goldfish and eels, let’s not be politically uncorrect. Gray skies, dripping trees and puddles did nothing to wash away the Rive Gauche charm of lower Tujunga Avenue around Aroma Coffee & Tea.
We led Joey and Red through a wooden gate over wet pavers around tightly packed, but empty tables and chairs. We were seated at our wobbly iron table, mopping up spilled coffee, waiting for breakfast to arrive, when a woman approached us.
“I am so sorry,” she began. “But we’re expecting a visit from the health department today and they request people with dogs be seated outside the patio.”
She gestured toward the street where a substantial double-bowled watering station stood at the sidewalk. The tables and chairs just beyond it were puddled in rain dripping from the trees above.
“I know it’s raining, but perhaps the dogs could stay in the car . . . I’ll do anything I can to make this easier . . . ”
A woman at a nearby table shook her head. “This place is losing all of its French Bistro-ness!”
