Bella Julia Archives - AJ Feuerman

If you’re any kind of foodie, you’ve probably heard how food cooked with love tastes better – yes? Well on a side-street in Hollywood, Chef Chaza Smith is cooking up a STORM of love at Bella Julia and it radiates out of the food as much as it does out of her very being when she greets you or tells you a little about herself. She is positively charming and has a joyous spirit — I was (obviously) really taken with her. In her kitchen she combines Italian and French influences to conjure up delicious, fresh and unique plates with seasonal ingredients that are sustainably grown and non-GMO.

But enough about my new girl-crush. I guess I ought to tell you about the food, yes?

My friend and I shared two dishes. My favorite was the Biscuit du Jour – a flakey biscuit, fried egg, cheddar, crispy bacon, arugula and roasted onion aioli. I only ordered it because the waiter said it was “wonderful savory heaven on a plate” and it turns out the man speaks the truth. It was so, so good – I immediately announced to no one in particular that I could eat it for every meal.

My other favorite (see what I did there?) was the Lemon Basil Pancake. We chose that because it just sounded so unusual! Served with scrambled eggs, Roma tomatoes, creamy rosemary butter and a perfect syrup (sweet, but not too sweet), it was definitely unusual but also shockingly good. While I may live with the regret of not trying the Brioche French Toast, I’m quite happy I took a chance on this menu item.

We also had a side of bacon. Because no brunch is complete without it. Rest assured it did not disappoint either.

While brunch is always my favorite meal, I do feel a little remorse because I so very much wanted to try more items off of Bella Julia’s menu. But oh well! I guess I’ll have to return soon! Luckily, Chef Chaza found a sweet way to treat me — when she saw me eyeing a neighboring table’s order of chicken wings, she brought us a sample! Not your typical wings, by the way — I don’t know how she fries them but OMG. And crusted with parmesan, I tell you. DELICIOUS. Not your typical dessert but it was a perfect ending to the meal.

As I began this post gushing with love for the Chef, let me just close by showing you this. The tattoo on her arm of a lemon, because it’s symbol to her of freshness and flavor and, in essence, life. She smiled as she told me about it. And so I left the restaurant full… and smiling as well.

Bella Julia is located at 6363 Yucca St. in Hollywood and not to worry, there is a ton of street parking available in the area.