THE BASICS:
WHAT: Local Kitchen & Wine Bar
WHERE: Santa Monica (ish)? That’s what they’re saying at least. But if you’re thinking of that fun Main Street section then you’re way off — It’s in the more family friendly/less boozy brunchy area off Ocean Park Blvd and 17th St.
WHEN: Brunch, Lunch & Dinner. But after our visit the only time we’d consider going back is if we happened to be in the area during their daily 3-6PM Happy Hour.
THE DISH:WHAT TO ORDER: Alie liked the Bacon & Egg Brunch Pizza ($14) with Weiser farm potato, ricotta, Swiss chard, and parmesan. While it wasn’t the best ever, you can’t go too wrong with those basics (pizza for breakfast? with bacon and eggs? yes please). However, Alex thought it fell extremely short in both flavor and portion- bland and pretty tiny (if you’re going as far as pizza for brunch, you might as well go big…). On the other hand, Alex’s favorite of the outing was the Anson Mills Polenta ($18) with Anduja sausage, mushroom, soft egg, crisp kale and parmesan because it was the most unique. BUT it was Alie’s least favorite…can you say mush? I need some diversity in consistency people. So, WHO DO YOU TRUST MORE?!? Just kidding… we won’t ever put you in that sitch – order based on your mood and what you’re craving. All in all, if we ever return we’d completely switch it up.
WHAT TO SKIP: We never thought we’d say this but: The Avocado Toast ($10) with smoked king salmon, bruschetta, preserved lemon and herbs. We’ve tried hundreds of avo toasts around town (how are we not sick of this trend yet?) and while we were initially excited by the addition of smoked salmon, this take wasn’t anything to write home about. When we told the waiter that the three of us were going to split it, he should’ve given us a heads up that it would be IMPOSSIBLE considering how tiny it was. On second thought, maybe those are the kinds of portions we SHOULD be eating… Needless to say, we make a better version at home ourselves; the few times a month we’re not eating out serving you people and contributing to the economy.
THAT SERVICE THOUGH: Wait, is this place self-serve and we didn’t get the memo? Alie ordered a coffee when someone FINALLY came up to us after 10 minutes of being seated and we kid you not, it took 30 minutes to get it (did they take a quick trip to Hawaii to get some Kona coffee??) They ended up taking it off the bill because you know we’re not ones to hide our feelings. And when we tried to ask a waiter for the bill, he wouldn’t even make eye contact because he wasn’t OUR waiter. RUDE. The only saving grace was one of the waiters who took about 100 pictures for us.
WHERE TO SIT: Lots of tables inside but the covered front patio is really cute. Or maybe at the bar since they can’t ignore you as easily- anything to get that coffee/cocktail service moving.
WHAT TO WEAR: Honestly, come in your pj’s, your lulu’s, or your chic-est brunch outfit. Kinda like the food, whatever you’re feeling.
WHO YOU’LL SEE: The area is more neighborhood-y than trendy- babies and DILFs are fair game. And there’s a middle school right across the street so if it’s anything like BH, maybe you’ll see those lush parents grabbing a cocktail before they pick their kids up from soccer practice. We can’t say for sure since were not ‘rents yet, but it sounds like a good idea to us…
WHERE TO PARK: On the street, FO FREE. We even managed to snag a spot right out front. Are we even in LA anymore? Parking has never been this easy.
EDDR LIFE LESSON:You should never be above asking for help. BIG THANKS to the beautiful and talented lifestyle blogger Jen of Modern Ensemble for joining this brunch party and letting us newbies pick her brain on this crazy world. That’s what friends are for. If someone doesn’t want to help; BYE Felicia… no one got time for people like that in their life.
A2 FINAL THOUGHT: While we might give this place a second chance if it was closer to civilization, as of now, there’s no plan to head back any time soon. Looking for the next greatest brunchy pizza… ideas?!
Hope they flew first class to Hawaii for those coffee beans,
A2
eat.drink.dish.repeat. 