AJ Feuerman

Publicist | Social Media Strategist | Brunch Fanatic

  • Home
  • About
    • Portfolio
    • Affiliations
  • New Business
  • Pro Tips
  • Foodie
    • Brunch Is My Favorite
  • Tech
  • Pop Culture
  • Around LA

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES

December 28, 2017 By AJ 2 Comments

The 2nd Annual installment of THE BEST BRUNCH IN LOS ANGELES IN 2017

Last year, I selected some of my favorite brunch spots to win a very prestigious “brunchie” honor and now the tradition continues. What’s more, last year, I designated seven restaurants as “must try” brunches for this year — Post & Beam (Baldwin Hills), Spear Steak & Seafood (Downtown LA), Odys + Penelope (Mid-City), Magnolia House (Pasadena), Sonoma Wine Garden (Santa Monica), Sunny Spot (Venice) and Wolf (Mid-City). I fell out of love with the idea of some but managed to try three of them and have carried over the rest into my wishlist for 2018 (see below). Enjoy these honors for the best Brunch in Los Angeles:

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Best Benedict: Barrel & Ashes (Studio City)

The King of Brunch menu items; hail! Last year, I named B&A the “Best Non Traditional Brunch,” but this year, at a recent visit in fact, I became taken by their smoked salmon Benedict. Their hollandaise is perfectly lemony and much more light and fluffy than heavy and creamy. Also, though the dish is primarily served hot, they leave the lox cool which is wise — warm lox are gross and the hot/cold contrast really worked to my surprise.

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Best Toast: Republique (Mid-city)

Avocado toast is still trending but I’m seeing more and more toast variations on brunch menus and LOVE the Ricotta Toast at Republique — sourdough toast, ricotta di finnisma, persimmons, pomegranate, pistachios and honey. I liked it so much that I went to the market and bought myself some thick wheat bread, some ricotta and some honey just to make my own variation at home (it’s not as great as theirs but it gets the job done). They also offer a beautiful Smoked Salmon Tartine with avocado, pickled persian cucumbers, onions, fresno, capers, dill and lemon. I love seeing this ingenuity because I can only take so much hipster avo toast.

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Honorable Mention: Bellwether (Studio City) – That said, the avo toast at Bellwether is phenomenal and they too have a smoked salmon toast I love!

Best Bloody Mary: SOCA (Sherman Oaks)

Someone let me know when you go to SOCA and try their $145 “Baller Brunch” — a 32oz 30 Day Dry-Aged Prime Creekstone Tomahawk Ribeye, 1/2 Dozen Fried Eggs, Sautéed Onions & Arugula, Béarnaise. In the meantime, I’ll be happily sipping their Boneyard bacon Bloody Mary with Balsamic, Jalapeno, Salt and – what else? BACON. It’s got a rich, deep flavor I am addicted to.

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Best Alt-Brunch/Best Newcomer: Kismet (Los Feliz area)

Some tips on newcomer Kismet — street parking in the area is a pain in the tush.  The restaurant is small and presently at the height of its popularity so plan to wait and pray to get lucky. Do not come expecting to order bacon and eggs. But every moment spent searching for parking and waiting for a table is worth it for offerings like their Shakshuka (poached eggs in a tomato stew – my favorite!), Freekeh Polenta and/or the Kuku (a Persian Frittata). There are also some incredible, savory sides and I highly recommend the flaky breads.

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Best Potato: Wolf (Mid-city)

So when I went to Wolf this year, I enjoyed their Tortilla Española which is like breakfast pie. They use a finely whipped egg, potato, onion, pimentón, and a chive aioli. It. is. exquisite. However looking at their website now, it’s not listed so I’m wondering if it was a special? But worry not, because the side of crispy potatoes could be a meal unto itself, too. It’s everything you could ever need from a potato in a heap of bright yellow aioli, an “aji amarillo aioli,” which is South American inspired. That aioli is everything.

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Honorable Mention: Little Dom’s (Los Feliz) – Their fried potatoes are largely considered their signature daytime dish. A must-have.

Best MexiBrunch: Red O (Santa Monica)

Last year’s “Best Mexi-Brunch,” Mercado, is still way up there, but I was really taken with the discovery of Red O Santa Monica’s brunch. The setting, just across the street from the ocean, is stunning and vibrant. Everything we tried off the menu was delicious and there is no topping their desserts.

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Best For Groups: Spring (Downtown)

I said it before and I’ll say it again, Spring is the perfect setting for groups. Stepping inside magically transports you to a simple, clean and pretty Bistro in the South of France. And in that setting, it’s hard to believe you’re actually on the corner of 3rd and Spring, at the base of the Douglas Building in the Historic District, a short walk from the iconic Last Bookstore.

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Honorable Mentions: Market Provisions (Mid-city) is a small place but they handle groups well. With about 15 people in our party, we had a great time and the bottomless mimosas didn’t hurt. Similarly, The Raymond 1886 (Pasadena) is an intimate lodge-style setting that takes on groups with ease. I found it especially festive at the holidays.

Best Brunch Cocktail: Black Market Liquor Bar (Studio City)

The “Painkiller” at BMLB is one of those dangerously tasty cocktails you can put away a lot of because it doesn’t necessarily taste like booze. The tiki themed beverage is made up of rum, pineapple, orange, coconut cream and nutmeg. You can also take advanatge of their $32 “Make Your Own Mimosa” option. You get a bottle of Cava and your choice of two juices from prickly pear, peach, cranberry, grapefruit, orange,  or p.o.g. They also have a cocktail called “No Es Importante” that is, if I may say, quite importante.

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Best Patio: The Ponte (Mid-City)

R.I.P. Terrine (yeah, still not over it) but I do love The Ponte, which took its place. The patio remains the same, ever-charming and quaint — serene. I love their menu, too, so it may be earning a permanent residence in my heart this year. When you’re not near the beach, it’s shockingly hard to find a pleasant patio setting so this place is valuable.

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Honorable Mention: Mohawk Bend (Echo Park) is unique because their patio is more of an indoor/outdoor patio. El Tejano (North Hollywood) is about as casual as a brunch is gonna get but their margaritas are as big as yer head and their patio is huge with the added benefit of some bar games. It’s a super fun spot and, believe it or not, great for kids.

Best Aesthetic: Faith & Flower (Downtown)

I’m not sure any restaurant in Los Angeles is as beautiful as Faith & Flower. It’s light and airy in the daytime but becomes chic and sophisticated at night. Either way, it’s packed with vintage, high-end charm all the way down to their green wine goblets, which I am pretty obsessed with. (Fun fact: At dinner service, they use converted bongs to aerate their wine.)

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Best Makeover: Messhall Kitchen (Los Feliz)

The first time I went to Messhall, the service was atrocious and the food came out cold so I swore up and down I would never return. But when “Chef Foxxie” departed Churck Key in West Hollywood to become Messhall’s Executive Chef, I was suddenly wanting to give it further consideration…. And I’m so glad I did. Keep in mind these are really the only guys in town serving brunch SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, til 3 PM, with a large menu and a ton of incredible desserts to boot. you absolutely have to save room for the banana cream pie in a jar. Unbelievable.

THE 2017 BRUNCHIES: The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

Brunches I Need to Try in 2018

  • Ca Del Sole (North Hollywood)
  • Post & Beam (Baldwin Hills/Downtown LA)
  • Laurel Point (Studio City)
  • 189 by Dominique Ansel (The Grove)
  • Baltaire (Brentwood)
  • The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker (West Hollywood)
  • The Henry (West Hollywood)

Brunches Other People Keep Telling me I Need to Try in 2018

  • Neighbor (Venice)
  • Square One Dining (East LA)
  • Ingo’s Tasty Diner (Santa Monica)
  • Topanga Table (Topanga Cyn)
  • Pedaler’s Fork (Calabasas)

Filed Under: Brunch Tagged With: Best Brunch, Black Market Liquor, Brunchies, Ca Del Sole, El Tejano, Faith & Flower, Greyhound, Ingo's, Los Angeles Brunch, Messhall Kitchen, Neighbor, Pedaler's Fork, POst & Beam, Sqirl, Topanga Table, Wolf, Ysabel

The 2016 BRUNCHIES

December 22, 2016 By AJ 1 Comment

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016

Happy holidays, fellow foodies and welcome to the 2016 Brunchies, recognizing the best brunch in Los Angeles in 2016.

In Los Angeles, Brunch is a part of our culture. It’s oversized sunglasses and purposefully tousled ponytails, three-day-old beards, and whatever wasn’t already in the laundry when you got dressed. It’s bottomless mimosas and craft Bloody Marys. Brunch is a celebration of all things — the end of a fabulous (or not fabulous) weekend! Our fabulous lives! Our abysmal lives! A day that ends in ‘y’! Whatever. It’s delicious. Who cares.

In 2014, when I was freelancing for The Bold Italic’s short-lived Los Angeles bureau, I was charged with giving out a series of Brunch awards, which I lovingly named “The Brunchies.” Alas, they are a defunct bureau yet my love of Brunch lives on in infinitum. So I decided to resurrect the honors and let you all in on the biggest hits of my 2016 brunch life.

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

Best View

The Penthouse (Santa Monica)

I’ve cited this one before but you just can’t beat their view. The food is good — you’ll find traditional items like Benedict and baked eggs but you’ll also find a killer rigatoni and pan seared Branzino. Make sure you save some room and your calories so you can start the meal with their cinnamon rolls or enjoy some dessert afterward. You get 360 degree views there but ladies, make a stop in the bathroom, too. The view from the last stall is something patrons wait in line for!

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

Honorable Mention: The Castaway (Burbank) — and complimentary champagne is included in their brunch buffet!

Best Avocado Toast

Flower Child (Santa Monica)

I don’t know what these magical wizards do over there but this simple combination of avocado, a soft egg, black sesame and a little white cheddar on their dense, whole grain toast is so good that you may actually order two pieces. And by the way, it’s only $6 and 360 calories so in addition to being utterly delicious, it’s guilt-free.

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

I’m pretty obsessed with this place, by the way. It’s worth mentioning that their whole menu is delicious and I’m gutted that it’s not closer to where I live.

Honorable Mention: BLD (Mid-city).

BLD’s Avocado Toast puts a unique spin on the trendy menu item. They bake poached eggs, chorizo, manchego cheese, smoked paprika right into the avocado and serve thick, lightly-toasted sourdough on the side. The chorizo really elevates the flavor.

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

Best Group Brunch

The Church Key (West Hollywood)

I love The Church Key’s sprawling space that can open up in the front to the street so that you can enjoy the indoor/outdoor dining West Hollywood Brunches are meant for. With all their space and vintage charm, a lot of their big tables are like their own tableaus and what’s more, they have many tables set up with large groups in mind. The first time I enjoyed brunch there with a large group, we sat around a big, round table, which is always ideal to me so that no one feels cast away to the end of a row and is unable to chat with the folks at the other end. Also clutch for any group brunch? They take reservations.

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

Best Mexi-Brunch

Mercado (locations in Santa Monica, Mid-City and on the Cahuenga Pass)

Everything at Mercado arrives on your table looking and tasting fresh. As a second honor, I might also reward them with “Best Breakfast Burrito” — the massive wrap is stuffed with scrambled eggs, nueske bacon, mexican rice, frijoles negros, roasted potatoes, pico de gallo and oaxaca cheese. Their “Chilaquiles Rojos con Huevos” is a true winner as well but you must add the carnitas to it because the way they prepare their carnitas alone is unbelievably delicious.

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

Got room for an appetizer? Their chips are just as fresh as anything else on the menu, made in house. The queso will leave you wishing the portion was bigger but only after you’ve also polished off their guacamole, topped with spicy pepitas.

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

Best Bloody Mary

Hyperion Public (Locations in Studio City and Silver Lake)

Even though they may be best known best for their “f yeah” fries and their “omg dip,” their simple, classic Bloody Mary leaves a mark. The mix is made on site and though you won’t find it bacon infused or loaded with a slider-on-a-stick, there is nothing flawed about it. Now that they’ve opened their second location in Studio City, there are two locations to enjoy it at. (P.S. They also started offering bottomless mimosas this year and lord-have-mercy do they make a great stack of pancakes!)

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

Best Brunch That’s Not For Me

Au Fudge (West Hollywood)

Founded by Jessica Biel, the cleverly named Au Fudge is a restaurant that caters to children first. You enter through a rustic, country gift shop that sells baked goods along with tchotchkes and toys. Beyond, a bubbly cafe setting adorned with marble, pastels and plenty of kitschy kid-friendly space. (Even the bathrooms have kid-friendly sinks and toilets!) The hub of the restaurant is a large creative space that runs the whole length of the restaurant. It is enclosed, filled with craft tables, toys, and staffed. It is available for parents to drop their kids into at a rate of $15 for two hours so they can dine “in peace” though plenty of patrons bring their kids to the table where a rather indulgent kids menu and crayons await. It is a super-energetic space where you seldom hear the word “no” among the noise and clutter of it all. My meal was delicious, my company was lovely, but it’s never going to be my first choice because I’m quite the snobby bruncher.

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

Best Patio

Eveleigh (West Hollywood)

Eveleigh may be located in the heart of WeHo but once you walk through the restaurant and out to their rear patio, it’s like being transported to an chic, rustic tree-house escape. The one thing I’ll caution is that the breathtaking setting might leave you with rose-colored glasses. The food is good, but not great. The service is adequate though the servers are all modelesque and not particularly warm. And the prices are a bit high. So it’s up to you how badly you want to dine in this setting!

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

Honorable Mention: Terrine (Mid-City)

Best Brunch Nachos

Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern (West Hills)

Jimmy’s “Totchos” are tater tots, cheese sauce, sour cream, bacon and salsa and they. are. everything.  It’s not a fancy spot, set in the new outdoor half of Westfield Topanga, but it’s comfortable and the staff is exceptionally friendly and accommodating. Jimmy’s puts their own spin on American classics with everything prepared by hand in small batches with high-quality, fresh ingredients. The result is super flavorful, elevated pub food that will have you passing your fork around the table for a bite of everything. And the Totchos. Definitely have the Totchos. (Pictured below with the sour cream on the side because someone at our table doesn’t like the stuff. Insanity.)

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

Best Non-Traditional Brunch

Barrel and Ashes (Studio City)

The South comes to the San Fernando Valley with a Brunch that includes BBQ, small plates, craft cocktails and a boatload of charm. They’s also doing a good service by opening for brunch at 10:30 in a town where most places open their doors at 11. I’ve narrowed my favorite menu items to two: The Frito Pie and the Hoe Cake. The first is essentially white trash nachos — a Fritos bag popped open on it’s side and loaded up with goodies like chili, cheddar cheese, sour cream, peppers and onions. The latter is a cornmeal flatbread loaded with maple butter and green onion, served on a sizzling skillet. They have some hoe cakes with toppings on the menu but all I’ve ever needed is the “regular.”

The Best Brunch in Los Angeles in 2016 - The 2016 Brunchies

Best Sleeper Brunch

Cannibal (Culver City)

Why wasn’t this place more crowded when I went? Was it an off day? Are people intimidated by menu items like the “Double Down” – a sandwich with bacon, ham, sausage, cheese, two eggs and avocado pesto served on bread that is actually hash brown patties? Cannibal, which doubles as a hip butcher shop, is an indulgent experience but if you can shove your guilt way down deep, it’s so freakin’ delicious. Surely it must be on it’s way to being one of the most popular brunch spots in Los Angeles.

Honorable Mention: Ledlow (Downtown)

* * *

So what is, OVERALL, the best brunch in Los Angeles in 2016? It’s just too hard to say and there are still so many I need to try! So I just refuse to answer that question. When someone asks me for a recommendation, I always respond by asking what area they want to be in, what kind of setting they’r seeking, what they want to spend… It’s impossible to name the best brunch in Los Angeles, but I think that’s a GREAT idea of how much the city has to offer! Thank you, 2016, for some amazing Sunday meals with friends! And now…

Brunches I Need to Try in 2017

  • Post & Beam (Baldwin Hills)
  • Spear Steak & Seafood (Downtown LA)
  • Odys + Penelope (Mid-City)
  • Magnolia House (Pasadena)
  • Sonoma Wine Garden (Santa Monica)
  • Sunny Spot (Venice)
  • Wolf (Mid-City)

Don’t forget! If you love brunch as much as I do — or hell, even half as much as I do, you’ll want to put your email address into the newsletter subscription box in the top right corner to receive reviews and exclusive content.  2017 will be a whole new year of brunch adventures! 

Filed Under: Brunch, Foodie Tagged With: Au Fudge, Barrel and Ashes, Best Brunch, BLD, Brunch, Brunchies, Eveleigh, Flower Child, Hollywood, Hyperion Public, Jimmy's Famous American Tavern, Los Angeles, Mercado, Santa Monica, The Church Key, West Hills, West Hollywood

"Today I will be classy and elegant. Or, I will spill on my shirt and trip over things."

SUBSCRIBE


AJ's Hollywood Brunch: An exclusive e-newsletter about my favorite subject! E-mail address:

Reach Me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Tweets

Most Recent Posts

  • AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO SLANG: VOLUME 6
  • THE 2021 BRUNCHIES
  • Friday Favorites – It’s Been a Minute!
  • 10 Things About Me – Business Bits
  • AN OLD PERSON’S GUIDE TO SLANG: VOLUME 5
  • Confessions of a Glasses Addict – SmartBuyGlasses Review

On Instagram – @AJFEUERMAN

Follow on Instagram

ADS


Categories

Archives

PRIVACY | TERMS & CONDITIONS

COPYRIGHT © 2018 · AJ FEUERMAN

AJ@AJFEUERMAN.COM