Republique

This pumpkin sticky bun at Republique was very, very good. I savored every single bite. I have eaten at this place of joy and wonder a few times now and it makes me so happy. Walter and Margarita Manzke have created a thing of (food) beauty with their restaurant.

I can be a little jaded about LA food, but Republique is everyday magic* and has quickly made its way to the top of my take-people-I-love-here list. On my first visit, I had their salmon tartine and it was magnificent. It sounded simple on paper, but when I took a bite of all the components together, it was like time stopped. But, that's what Republique does; it surprises you about something you thought you knew (case in point: smoked salmon and some type of bread. I have had this combination many times in life, so didn't have high expectations. But, goodness, gracious, it was so good.)

If you go for dinner, you must have their bread, order something with butter and/or cheese and save ample room for dessert. They really know what they're doing on all fronts. Two things to keep in mind:

1. it is super popular. Patience is a virtue, but maybe have a snack before you leave the house; if you're going for dinner, make a reservation.

2. speaking of dinner, the price point veers towards "celebration" level. Fortunately, they have their menus with prices on their site (it is so helpful when restaurants do this!).

So, in short: I love Republique and hope you do/will, too.

Republique
624 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
310-362-6115

*this phrase means that even though I understand real people make this food, it boggles my mind.

Huevos a la Mexicana

Sometimes, I choose a recipe because it looks easy and the ingredients list is fairly short (okay, on most occasions, this approach is how I decide what to cook). When I was looking for something new to make for breakfast, this Huevos a la Mexicana recipe from Simply Recipes spoke to me (like, eggs? I know how to crack eggs. Tomatoes? We have great tomatoes here! And so on and so forth). I made a couple ingredient changes: instead of green onions and jalapeno, I used half a yellow onion and canned green chiles.

Well, I was floored by how good these turned out! I am so happy I made this dish!!! Don't think I've been this excited about eggs in a long time, not exaggerating. This thing was so good. I highly recommend it for a weekday breakfast when a packaged granola bar just won't cut it or a friend brunch gathering that needs some pizzazz; it will be a surefire hit. I'm definitely adding this one to my repertoire.

Rush Street

My love affair with the Bloody Mary only started a couple years ago. I never disliked this "anything goes" cocktail; I just hadn't made the time to get well acquainted. I weep on the inside when I think about how much time I squandered. Now in the short time since I saw the spicy-tomato-vodka light, I've had some that were pitch perfect and others that were really terrible and should not have been allowed to see the light of day. (Note: the definition of a good Bloody Mary is a highly subjective matter, much like what is love or what is the best recipe for chili?)

I took matters into my own hands over the weekend at Rush Street, where they offer a make-your-own Bloody Mary bar ($10 for one, $20 for bottomless) at brunch. I opted for the single glass of the vodka they hand to you before letting you loose on the spread; Campbell's and Clamato tomato juice, an assortment of hot sauces, a few different olives, pickled veggies (they had okra, yesss!), carrot and celery sticks, Worcestershire and A1 (not trying to judge with this ingredient, I guess someone out there must like it). My illustrious partners in crime were Yutjangsah and HungryHungryHanh and we brunched for 3 hours!


My Bloody Mary in all its splendor. The glass the vodka came in was much smaller, but the nice bartender offered us these bigger vessels to carry our bounty. It tasted awesome, but I wish I had put more veggies in. Considering I had to sip some down while preparing it, I think I didn't want to risk an overflow situation. I do like how the carrot and celery look like they're cuddling.


Yutjangsah was super virtuous and ordered the jumbo herb shrimp salad. Very pretty and a bigger-than-expected portion.


My fried egg sandwich with prosciutto, tomato and three cheeses (I am guessing one was cheddar, I don't know, it was all melted together when it came out).


Inside shot. A bit too cheesy, but overall it was a satisfying hearty breakfast and I took half of it and the tots home.


Hanh opted for the blackened red-eye burger. Intense! Fried egg, bacon and a burger patty are not for the weak. I can't tell from the picture, but according to the menu, there were also caramelized onions, arugula and HOLLANDAISE.


And we shared a basket of the truffle asiago fries. Approach with caution: they are harrowingly addictive.

Rush Street can be very crowded and loud at night, but it was very serene (read: empty) when we came in for brunch on a Saturday. Thanks to Yutjangsah and Hanh for their company and the non-stop laughs!

Rush Street
9546 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 837-9546

Ugo

My friend Mike and I have a long-standing brunch tradition we call Coffee'n'Cobb. Our latest meet-up was at Ugo, a casual Italian spot in Culver City (a place that does not offer Cobb salad, but we had a delightful time regardless). They were still serving breakfast, but I already had pasta on the brain.


I had the rigatoni with bolognese sauce. Pretty flavorful and the pasta was not overcooked! As Jean K. Jean would say: incroyable! And the basil on top complemented the bolognese really well; sometimes I find fresh basil overpowering, but I loved it here.


Mike ordered the egg, bacon and mozzarella breakfast panini. I believe his eyes rolled into the back of his head upon his first bite, so I'm guessing quite good. Didn't get a good shot of the filling, but yes, there was a lot of bread (not an optical illusion)!

And if there's an immense display case of gelato directly across from our table, you know we had to order some:


Mike's mango gelato (an intense fresh mango flavor and would be really good in the summer. Thanks to our server for the initially-confusing-but-later illuminating two spoons per dish, which allowed us to try each other's gelato!)


My dulce de leche gelato (very sweet and awesome! I know I should try another flavor next time, but it'll be hard to branch out from this caramel-y goodness.)

I thought maybe Ugo was yet another hyped restaurant with mediocre food, but I enjoyed the food and the prices were reasonable (with the above and two coffees, our bill was under $40). Their menu has many items I'd like to try, such as lasagna and ravioli, salads and antipasti. Service was okay; friendly, but it took us a while to pay the server. I plan on coming back to Ugo soon (hopefully next time I won't be knocking stuff off the table while trying to photograph my dining companion's food)!

Ugo
3865 Cardiff Ave
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 474-4482