Eat Chow, Costa Mesa

Last night was dinner at Street, a very cool place in West Hollywood that specializes in street food from around the word. A bunch of dumpling small plates were shared including a Vietnamese beer and a drink my friend said was th best of her life. On the $15 drink, she tipped $10. I had a sip, and while it wasn’t my type of drink the cantaloupe vodka drink was nice.

 

A mellow evening followed by a mellow Orange County brunch. Eat Chow is off Newport Blvd where the 55 ends. It’s very easy to miss the place as the listed address is 1802 Newport Blvd. 1802 Newport Blvd is a store called, Closet. So where the heck is the restaurant? The answer is: 1. Walk through the store or 2. turn the corner and there it is.

 

Eat Chow is a very simple restaurant with cool furniture, outdoor seating and simple but delicious food. My friend had the egg sandwich, eggs, bacon, cheese on sourdough bread. It looked good to me. I had the Amy’s egg white omelet with goat cheese, avocado, and some other veggies. The goat cheese really sold the thing. There’s not a ton of flavor in egg whites, but the goat cheese made the omelet totally worth it.

Kinda hard to find unless you know where to look. Once you’re there, it’s good food, bad coffee, nice service and cheap prices.

 

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Roosters Cafe, Costa Mesa

Pretty close to one of America’s most famous and elegant high-class shopping malls is a place called “The Lab.” Originally known as the Anti-mall to South Coast Plaza, the small outdoor space features some very cool hipster shops, great eating spots like the Gypsy Lounge a magazine stand and um, an urban outfitter. Ok, well, someone’s got to pay the rent. The Lab spurred a mini-Silverlake in the shadow or Orange County’s Rodeo Drive. Near The Lab is another spot called The Camp which features an organic restaurant, surf shops, camping shops (Patagonia, again, someone has to pay the rent) and a maternity and baby wear store.

Outside of the malls, but not too far, is a spot called Roosters Cafe. I wasn’t sure what to expect before I went, but Yelp’s reviews were very positive.

Roosters is a small store with some indoor seating, a few tables outside and a pretty cool menu. You order at the counter and they bring it out to you which makes sense at this place. Breakfast, which is served all day, is very egg-centric. The lunch items are sandwiches and salads and more.

I had the Huevos Rancheros. Poached egg, cheese, avocado and salsa served over black beans and a crunchy tortilla and a side of potatoes. I was pleasantly surprised on how great it tasted. This place is so unassuming, tucked in a small strip mall next to a salon and a saloon, I even dined next to a woman who was in the middle of getting her hair done. She was sitting there in a robe and curlers in her hair. I think my meal came out to under $10.

Come early because Roosters is open from 7am-3pm daily. Sleep in, figuring that you’re getting a late breakfast and you’ll miss out.

You can find Roosters Cafe at: 750 Saint Clair St. Costa Mesa 92626

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La Grande Orange, Santa Monica

The night before was pretty fun. Tacos, party crashing, refreshing drinks capped off with a late night breakfast. The morning started a little early as I left the window open to cool the room down as I was drifting off to sleep, the open window was cause for the neighbor’s (who I assume wasn’t home)  alarm clock to wake me up at around 7. Sundays are usually for sleeping in. But since no one told the neighbor, I’m up.

Watched a little Meet the Press then went to a 10:15 spin class.

After spinning my buddy and I went to a place he recommended La Grande Orange. Located on Main Street in Santa Monica, this place was awesome.

It’s a very cool space with funky art, a full bar, patio seating and a bakery. For breakfast and brunch you order at the counter and the bring it to you. Ok, not ideal, but the food makes up for that.

The menu was large, but honestly, I really didn’t look at it. My eyes went straight for the Acapulco Omelette and I never looked back.

Boom: avocado, jalapeño, white cheddar and oaxaca cheese, cilantro, side of salsa. The omelette was $7.95 and I ordered an ice coffee.

Fantastic. I mean really, really great. I enjoyed every bite of it. The presentation was beautiful: omelette, cheese, nice avocados and then these delicious tomatoes over it. The eggs were cooked perfectly and there was something special about the tomatoes. maybe they were soaked in lime. What do I know.

They messed up my friend’s order but fixed it in literally under a minute.

Eat here. Now. Seriously.

2000 Main St. Santa Monica

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Name Change…Goodbye Pipes, Hello Wavos

No not mine. The restaurant formally know as Pipes is now called Wavos. Instead of having just breakfast burritos (Pipes, get it?), Wavos has lots of egg dishes (get it? huevos) like scrambles and breakfast burritos. In addition to egg dishes, Wavos has sandwiches and burgers and more. So far I’ve had the soy chorizo scramble and a egg white scramble. I don’t have any pictures, but trust me, these are big plates of food! Served with home fries with cheese and an english muffin, you’ll leave full. Unless you don’t eat it all. But that’s your choice.

Wavos, unlike the prior restaurant, now takes plastic.

325 Old Newport Blvd# 1

Newport Beach, CA 92663-4159

(949) 515-3907

Cafe Zinc and Market, Laguna Beach

 

A light easy meal in the heart of Laguna Beach. At Zinc, everything on the breakfast menu is vegetarian. Most are light, all are really delicious. Coffee bar serves lattes, caps and just regular coffee.  We went before our Mother’s Day hike up the hill and overlooking Laguna Canyon Road. 

I had the double poached eggs on toast. Two eggs and toast. Pretty simple, but very delicious. The eggs are greaseless, the plates are colorful and sitting outside in Laguna is great almost any lazy Sunday of the year.

Poached Eggs

 

 

Eggs and Veggies

Zinc is at 350 Ocean Ave, Laguna Beach, CA‎ (949) 494-6302‎

 

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Baja Sharkeez, Newport Beach

Yesterday afternoon was spent watching the NCAA tournament (and watching my bracket become a funnier joke) and while my afternoon was busy, my evening was pretty mundane.

The morning came, I watched some meet the press, then off for a run with a friend in Newport Beach. The run was really nice. It was about 65 degrees with a nice bit of  June gloom. Being in Newport Beach near the peninsula, there aren’t too many good places to find brunch. I talked about Mutts and Wilma’s Patio, but I’ve been there and done that. We were close to Sarkeez and there was an outdoor patio, so we went.

Sharkeez is a very cheesy bar in Newport Beach. In my humble opinion, Sharkeez is a lame way to spend an evening. And while there were some downfalls, Sharkeez was a great place to brunch.

Nestled on the beginning of the sidewalk, partially facing a parking lot and partially facing the boardwalk and ocean, sitting on the patio, diners have a nice open air view of the beach. A dedicated brunch menu has some really nice options. Mostly eggs, mostly meaty, I had the Huevos Camerones: Shrimp and Eggs. The scrambled eggs came with really nice white shrimp and had a bunch of cheese. The sides were blackbeans (instead of potatoes) and what they called sweetbread. But it wasn’t sweetbread. It was more like bread pudding and honey. It was nice.

My friend had steak and eggs fajita, but he could have ordered his meal with chicken or shrimp. People at the restaurant were eating what looked like bratwurst and one guys was chowing down on poached eggs and pancakes.

Sharkeez has a make your own bloody mary bar and that’s a plus, but there really isn’t any table service. You got to the bar to order. Now here’s the funny part, there are plenty of people working at Sharkeez. They come to your table to check on you, “How are you doing?” and “is everything ok?” but when you express the need for more soda or more water, they tell you to go to the bar.

When a group of six knocked our table and spilled our drinks all over us and the ground, the non-waiter who came by seemed really annoyed to clean up the mess. I don’t blame him for not being thrilled with cleaning up the mess but it wasn’t like we were the really drunk group of three sitting next to us who if they spilled it was probably their fault.

Other than the self service style, the meal was very nice. Totally chill and comfortable. Heat lamps for when it’s chilly (and it gets chilly at the beach), nice food, fun staff and more, Sharkeez was a nice way to spend the morning.

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Mutt Lynchs, Newport Beach

Last night was St. Patrick’s Day at a friend’s house. So this morning got off to a bit of a slow start. However, it got going in a hurry. Up at 7:30, watched MTP and CNN’s State of the Union.

10:30 was the meet up time. Got there closer to 11:00.

Mutt Lynchs is a Newport Beach restaurant that sits off a parking lot that sits off the beach that sits off the ocean. In other words an amazing location. Mutt’s is kind of hard to explain. The ceilings are adorned with beer sponsored banners and Laker flags. The walls have some random Angels stuff and there is a series of large flat screens above the bar. But it doesn’t feel like a sports bar. But someone who had been there before let me know that during football season if you aren’t in a seat by 10:00 you aren’t sitting. So maybe I just have the wrong feeling.

The long communal tables were perfect for our group which went from six to eight. I had a view of the TV, but if I turned just a bit, there was a view of the beach obstructed only by the window panes.

The breakfast/brunch menu is huge. Tons of scrambles, omelets, pancakes and benedicts of every way imaginable.

My choice this meal was the crab cake benedict hollandaise on the side with the potatoes. The nice thing about the benedict is that it’s just two eggs, so it can’t get too out of hand, but somehow this meal was just too big!

Crab cakes really aren’t good anywhere outside of the mid-Atlantic area. If you aren’t using lump crab there really isn’t a reason to eat it.  This cake was a little over done and for some reason had shrimp in it. Nice surprise, but only made for an ok crab cake. Maybe better than average outside of Maryland. The poached eggs were really nice. Runny and delicious.

So many potatoes were piled on that plate and with some coffee, this was a huge meal that I could not finish. Pretty nice.

Other plates on the table were Huevos Rancheros, an omelet scramble something that was COVERED in gravy. I took a picture because I couldn’t believe it.

Huge breakfast anyway you can imagine it, potatoes plain and chipotle which were nice a spicy.

Great scene, nice food, great looking people, ocean view Mutt Lynchs is a perfect way to end the weekend or start Sunday Funday.

My meal of crab cakes benedict, coffee, tax and tip was $18.

The sun got in the way and messed up this picture then the battery ran out. Don't like the picture, get your own brunch blog.

Not sure what's under the gravy

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Wilma’s Patio, Balboa/Newport Beach

Friday night was a late night. Some comedy, some 80s music and dancing (which if you’ve seen me dance, that’s even more comedic). My morning started a little too early with a buzz from my blackberry.
Friend: Brunch?
Me: Too early
Friend: How about 10:30
Me: Too early
Friend: Wilma’s Patio Balboa Peninsula 10:30
Me: See you there

Sat in bed until about 9:00. Watched the UNC/Duke doc on HBO

Showered, dressed, out the door.

An overcast morning at 60 degrees means that one of the two outdoor seats was available. We’ll take it.
From this seat in Wilma’s Patio alcove, we ruled over our Newport Beach kingdom. Everyone coming or going had to pass through our gaze. And we looked hard.

The menu was expansive with your traditional fare. Breakfast, lunch, specialties. Plenty of Scrambles, omelets, sandwiches and more. In a fit of creativity, I took the create your own omelet.
Bye-bye yolk, jack cheese, green chilies, spinach (I think) and avocado. While that’s four things and only three come with the $12 omelet, I lived large and spend the extra buck for the 4th ingredient. Uhhhh! The Omelet came with a side of melons, tomatoes, hash browns or cottage cheese.

Melons-Please. Fruit salad is berries or nothing
Tomatoes- Out of season
Hash browns- Too fattening
Cottage Cheese-What?

Joe’s, Venice

People who love food, love Abbot Kinney. A street that’s about a mile long and kind of out of the way, Abbot Kinney has some of the best restaurants on the west side and Abbot Kinney in Venice is known as a foodies paradise. A small restaurant, Joe’s is bursting with people looking for an open table because of broken reservation and people checking in on their reservation. Walk past these people and you’ll see the bar is packed with people probably without reservations sitting at the bar eating their meal.

My friend and I stopped by a natural foods market on Main in Santa Monica for the wheatgrass, apple, ginger smoothie (that has a great deal of ginger). That was brunch until my friend said that he always wanted to try brunch at Joe’s. We poked our heads in and my friend was greeted with a huge hello. He knew the manager. And while I was woefully underdressed, wearing track pants and warm up pullover, Boom! front of the line…sort of. We waited about an hour and a half to be seated. But that gave us time to walk Abbot Kinney to work up our appetite.

We were met by two more people and our table for four ordered.

Two at the table had the breakfast burritos. They enjoyed them but ultimately gave the response to the question, “how is it?” with, “it’s a breakfast burrito.”

The other person had a salmon with creme fraiche, caviar, eggs and a potato (latka type base). He ordered his eggs poached, they come scrambled. I saw the scramble and I think the poached eggs looked more amazing.

With the meal comes an appetizer a very small fruit plate with honey cream (small but delicious) or a veggie plate OR a soup. Sunday’s soup was cauliflower and it looked amazing.

I won for best order with the crab hash. Potatoes, perfectly poached eggs (beautiful texture, creamy taste and visually appealing) over lump crab. No imitation or canned crab here. It was perfect. My friends ordered bloody marys. Joe’s make their Bloodys with Tito’s Vodka and they taste better that way.

For such a popular place, in the most popular street in the most popular city in town, Joe’s isn’t too expensive. That being said, it would have been cheaper  had my friends not drank so much. I’m not complaining, but I think my meal doubled in price when my friends kept drinking. Maybe I should have drank too. That would have taken the sting out of subsidizing their drinks.

Four entrees and appetizers, three bloody marys, two tequila and lime juices and a coffee ran about $160. My crab hash was $16… not complaining about paying for my friend’s drinks, I’m just saying.

Make your reservations here.

Crabs, poached eggs, potatoes = blurry

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Blue Plate, Santa Monica

I spent this weekend in LA’s West Side. A beautiful weekend after a few weekends of rain and general blah. My friends have “always wanted to go” to blue plate but  never had. After striking out at a few other places, we called ahead and asked if Blue Plate had room for “three very hungry” people. “Come on in”, they said. 

A simple store front, with a dozen seats inside and a few more outside, this cute coffee shop like restaurant is anything but. With a large menu featuring breakfast, lunch and dinner, Blue Plate has many more items posted in various walls around the store. Turn your head one way and you’ll find soups, turn your head the other and you’ll find specials.

After a rough friday, a friend ordered a smoothy to help restart the day. I followed suit. An apple, ginger, carrot combo was nice, but too sweet. I to taste the ginger.

I ate (pictures coming) an egg white omelet ($1.50 extra for egg whites only! No Yolk…what!) with mozzarella, veggie sausage, spinach and tomato. It was nice…however, dear reader, I found a secret.

I HATE fruit salads that are filled with melons. Melons are cheap…I want berrys. Blue, black, rasp, give me berries. Ok, it’s winter and aforementioned berries are expensive. But when I balked at the idea of melons, I was told that I could sub out the pedestrian melons for Strawberrys and bananas. Looking around, I was the only one in the store to get in on that action. 

And now you know!

Now is the time to check out Blue Plate. Down the street is Huckleberry and the new Santa Monica Fish Market. Both were featured in DailyCandy.com so the line at Blue Plate might be shorter, especially if you’re three hungry people.

Total bill for three: Two brunches, a big “detox” salad and two smoothies including tip was $60

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