A small, rich shop in a big, rich city, this Beverly Hills cafe offers unusual sweets to start (or break up) the day.

Under the glass counter is a constantly changing selection of doughnuts whose names sound more exotic than, say, "cream-filled." We've sampled (and approved) the toffee nut, cranberry orange, and lemon poppy seed cake with lemon-zest glaze; on other days, peanut-butter-and-strawberry filled doughnuts might sit alongside chocolate Bavarian creams, green apple fritters and Vermont maple glazes. Liquid accompaniments include coffees, loose-leaf teas, extra-dark hot chocolates, cinnamon lattes and creme caramels. A few small tables are clustered outside under the sidewalk sun; a few more inside offer an amusing view of the (quite literal) gears turning inside a way-Beverly Hills salon across the courtyard corridor. —Lonny Pugh