brunch
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Silver Lake: Brioche, Jam & Pesto Bowls from SQIRL
Sep 10 2013
Since their opening last October, I find myself at SQIRL once a week, mostly because their food tastes like home cooking ratcheted up to a notch that I myself would never bother with, but am happy paying $5-12 dollars to enjoy. SQIRL summons a steady cult following that consistently crowds its small Silver Lake space for their simple, farm-fresh fare (focusing on homemade jams and ingredients sourced within 350 miles) and adventurous daily specials. Their changing chalkboard menu lists such basics as brioche toast slathered with nut butters and house-made jams, pesto rice bowls, pies and quiches as well as unusual seasonal specials, like squid ink cavatelli, lobster rolls and duck confit.
My usual meal at SQIRL is some variation on their brioche toast—they make it savory or sweet, buttered and browned with any combination of spreads, house-made ricotta, jam, and nut butter, or heaped with sautéed kale, tomatillo jam, a subtle lacto-fermented hot sauce and a fried egg. This week I settled on the brioche topped with a silken ricotta and Black Mission Fig & La Clarine Mourvedre jam. Basically that is a fancy, hifalutin way of saying fig and red wine jam, but SQIRL, with their tiny kitchen and mismatched serving plates and silverware, does not come off as pretentious in their execution or follow the farm-to-table fad blindly. There is an earnestness and sincerity to all that they do.
My brioche toast, as usual, was optimally crisped on the outside while remaining soft and buttery in the center. The warm toasted bread paired well with the slight chill of the smooth ricotta, and the fresh fig jam added just the right note of sweetness, with satisfying chunks of chewy, marinated figs.
Highland Park: Brunch at Ba Restaurant
Jan 31 2013
When Ba Restaurant opened on York Boulevard almost a year ago, it gave a decided yank to Highland Park’s gentrification tightrope. Part of the new wave of restaurants and shops on the neighborhood’s trendiest street, the French restaurant came on the scene with a teeny menu of 20-something dollar entrees and without the populist bent of fellow newcomer Maximiliano.
Despite some detractors who view the relatively fancy restaurant as a foreshadowing to a Silver Lake-like future, Ba seems to have found an audience. And now, they’re even serving weekend brunch, which is a good option if you, like me, have been weary of the nighttime price points.
Highland Park’s Best Kept Secret: Brunch at Garvanza’s
Sep 19 2012
By all rights, Garvanza’s should be wildly popular, but its tucked-away location keeps it undercover. The neighborhood restaurant focuses on pan-Latin flavors with an emphasis on high quality local ingredients. The produce is fresh and seasonal, and the service is super friendly. A lot of people, including me, are rooting for it.
The bulk of Garvanza’s menu is burritos and tacos, including tender barbacoa with pickled onions, pork shoulder slow cooked in garlic and peppercorns, and flaky mango-salsa-topped fish tacos. Plates, comprised of those same meat choices and some of the most flavorful rice and beans in a 10 mile radius, are also served.
The one must of the appetizers is the Garbanzo Bean Salad, a simple mix of fried garbanzos, tomatoes, onions and cilantro. The cool veggies and a drenching of lime juice really brighten up this highly addictive dish. The chips and salsa are also notable for the same reason—the chips are thick and greasy, making them the perfect match for the tangy salsa their served with.
Atwater Village Farmer’s Market: Olive Bread from Old Village Bakery
Aug 01 2012
This bread. It’s the reason I never miss Atwater Village Farmers’ Market on Sundays. To me, it’s the main draw. And that’s saying a lot because that little market, though compact, is full of all the stuff I love to eat—top notch fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, fruit pies, artisanal cheeses, and this bread from Mission Viejo’s Old Village Bakery.
There must be fifty Kalamata olives in every loaf. The outer texture is golden and crusty, the inside soft and chewy. It’s a fantastic (extravagantly fanciful; marvelous) addition/focal point to a Sunday morning breakfast:
Though not exactly necessary, adding a thick schmear of unsalted butter or some goat cheese from Soledad Farm’s (also available at the market) is pure bliss. But whether you doctor it up or not, this bread is ideal for sopping up yolky eggs. I imagine it would also be pretty spectacular as part of a chicken salad sandwich or dipped into some soup.
If I could ever make it past breakfast before tearing into it, I’d find out.
-Valentina
Echo Park: Brunch at Sage Organic Vegan Bistro
Jun 28 2012
I’m glad I live in a city where the mention of “vegan brunch” actually brings to mind more than a few delicious possibilities. Echo Park and Silver Lake, alone, have more full-on vegan restaurants (that are actually good) than most states in this country. It’s pretty exciting that, once sneered and rolled eyes at, vegetarian food’s hard-core sibling is becoming a cuisine like any other in L.A.
One of the best vegan menus in town, doing tons to make the cuisine more accessible, is at Sage Organic Vegan Bistro. Open for a little over a year—replacing their not-so-successful predecessor Mooi—Sage has evolved into a comfort food haven of non-meaty goodness. Think: bacon chili cheese burgers, eggplant parmesan, clam chowder, and bowls stuffed with everything from kale and quinoa to fried macaroni and cheese.
How to Eat a Buffet Brunch: A Plan of Action
Dec 20 2011
A brunch buffet is serious business. Not windpocalypse or electromagnetic field attack serious, but you know, relatively important in the moment. Let’s face it: when a sushi station, charcuterie table and five-foot pastry platter are confronting you, you need a strategy.
I realized as much when I was recently invited to sample the Sunday brunch at the Catalina Kitchen at the Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes—yes, I drove to PV (in the rain) to eat brunch. You would, too, if you saw this menu, which promised cheese boards, Italian meats, three types eggs benedict, smoked fish, Belgian waffles, gelato, etc. etc. etc.
Talk about overwhelming.
But in the end, I think I did well. I executed a three-plate plan to make sure the experience was properly exploited. Take note:
Avoid the Malo Scene. Go for Bueno Brunch.
Jun 30 2010
I’ve always liked Malo, but I really don’t like the crowd it has been attracting. Sounds snobby, I know, but the last time I was there on a Thursday night, I had to endure a table of loud/flashy/drunk executive types, who harassed the waitress, hit on other diners and made a general ruckus. It’s depressing—like when a band you like blows up and suddenly you have to share them…with people you don’t like.
The problem is that I don’t want to give up on Malo. Even after all these years, I still crave their Ground Beef and Pickle Tacos (pictured) more than is dignified. But, if I’m spending more than a few bucks and a few minutes in a restaurant, I also crave a good vibe. And all the Habanero Creme Salsa in the world won’t make up for a bad one.
So, what’s my solution?
Brunch. I’ve been a few times now, and it’s freaking delightful. The atmosphere is laid back, service is extra attentive, and there are Bloody Marias to boot! Could you ask for more on a Sunday morning? There are even open tables on the patio. It’s completely different from the nighttime Malo.
Another high-point is this Pozole dish that’s on the brunch menu. It’s a tasty rendition of the popular soup, complete with poached eggs—like Mexican Hotpot. Lots of smoky flavor. My grandfather’s wife, a pretty traditional Mexican cook, said about this dish: “I don’t know why there are eggs in my pozole, but I like it.”
My grandfather is a Mexican dude from LA, and he was impressed by Malo’s salsa. So, maybe the astronomical price (4 for $12—Ay yi yi!) is worth it.
You can get the Cucumber Tomato Salad at night, too, but the orange-flavored dressing works better in the AM.
-Valentina
Downtown Brunch Spot: French Food at Angelique Cafe
May 28 2010 Angelique Cafe doesn’t get enough props. Maybe it’s because they don’t have a liquor license, but even if you can’t have a mimosa, you can have quiche, which is almost as good.
If you haven’t been, you’ve probably seen it-it’s that place that sits on that island where Main and Spring Street become one. It’s a cozy little restaurant with a big menu that includes most of the Frenchie stuff you’d want: lots of different croissants, crepes, ratatouille, escargot and a few duck dishes.
Josh got the Spinach and Goat Cheese Quiche, which was very good. The goat cheese made it light and the crust was nice and flaky, so it didn’t give you that ton-of-bricks feeling that plagues many quiche-eating experiences. And since they make them in-house, it was also really fresh.
