Brunchudxs enjoy good food & chop down the pretense

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A classic breakfast spot, Millie’s Cafe

After a year hiatus, the Brunchudxs have finally made it back to our regularly schedule meet ups to review some new and now classic brunch locations in our city of Los Angeles. 

This week we went to Millie’s Cafe located on Sunset Blvd., in Silverlake. They also opened up a second location in Pasadena last year. According to their site, they have been around since 1926 preparing food from scratch with fresh ingredients. The best part is that you can find breakfast items served all day and they also have a selection of vegan and gluten-free options as well.

The prices are reasonable ranging from 8.75-14.25, but those extras will raise the price of your order quickely. Plan to spend around $12-18 with regular coffee. Their brew is strong and refills are often. They also have coconut milk available.

We ordered chillaquilles, breakfast burrito, and a breakfast bun. Normally when I go, I get at least a short stack of their blueberry pancakes. Honestly they are the best pancakes I’ve had. They are fluffy and not too chewy, nor have that baking soda after taste.

Following is a short review of our dishes. Mind you we were hungry so we forgot to take pictures of when our dishes were served. 

Breakfast Burrito 10.75

This was a heavy duty burrito and could not be held with one hand. It is served with home potatoes. The burrito is filled with black beans, spinach, zucchini, eggs, and cheese. It was quite filling and delicious. Rating 9/10

Breakfast Bun (vegetarian) 8.75 + fake bacon (option of vegan bacon made with tempeh too). I ordered it with sweet potato fries. I actually enjoy the breakfast bun because the egg portion is filling. It’s a large, fluffy, and well cooked but not over cooked egg with the fake bacon. The ciabatta bun is well buttered. I always ask for a side of garlic aoili to top it off. Rating: 10/10

Chillaquilles with red sauce, $10.75

This was not our favorite dish. Though a good portion is served with black beans, guacamole, and sour cream, the salsa was not spicy enough for our Chillaquille connoisseur. And it was served luke warm. Grade 7.8/10

Overall, our experience was enjoyable as we were able to sit and enjoy our meal without interruption. Mind you, we came on a Tuesday. Weekends do expect a wait as there is also a waitlist to sit at the counter. The food is consistently good and making substitions is not frowned upon.  Brunchudxs Rating: between Más o Menos to Chido (it's cool but won't rush to eat there every week).

Address:  3524 Sunset Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90026

website: https://www.milliescafela.com

hours: 7am - 4pm 

2nd location: 1399 E Washington Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91104

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Cerveteca

This post is a bit late given that we went to brunch during the Martin Luther King, Jr. three-day weekend. For this installment, Brunchudos headed out to Cerveteca to try out their brunch. It was a beautiful Sunday and since it was a holiday, the restaurant got full quickly. Cerveteca opens at 11:30 & reservations are encouraged. The prices are on the high end. If don't have reservations then one has limited seating options at tables called "low". They are stools with no backs & not comfortable for folks with long legs. The other seating options are also not conducive to conversations across the table as the raised platform blocks view from other guests at your party. Parking can be challenging in the Arts District. Since it was a Sunday, we could park at the building’s lot. 

The cost per person will average to about $20-$25 per person if don’t drink alcohol. It seems that the big draw is the make your own bottomless mimosa where the selection of juices is brought to the table @$18 per person. This is actually are great deal if a drinking brunch is in order. As one of the brunchudos said “party brunch vibe” is on point but it’s not baby friendly (family friendly) place. 

Since we were there early we didn’t have a sense of the portion size if it merit the price for entrees.  http://www.cervetecadtla.com/menus/brunch/

Shown here is the waffle served with platanos and dulce de leche. The presentation was good however it was served lukewarm/cold. We figured that its preparation was done before our entrees were done. They did make another one and bring it out warm. Another brunchudo ordered the chorizo burger. It was dry and salty. Afterwards, the brunchudo experienced heart burn. I ordered the open-face omelet with mushrooms and turkey sausage. However, I believe my order was not sent correctly to the kitchen because the turkey sausage was served on the side. i suspect pork sausage was in the omelet. I’m allergic to pork, I got sick immediately. Could be that it was early but the kitchen seemed not to be coordinated the morning we went. Additionally, I was not impressed with their coffee selection. I get it’s a bar. It’s also frustrating that at brunch few places actually serve a good cup of joe. Cerveteca is a good place to enjoy drinks with friends and watch the game. If you’re buzzed on alcohol maybe you don’t think about the food quality. If want a fun place to brunch with las girlfriends then check out their mimosa option. 

Rating: Chido first impression but the shine wears off fast.

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The Briks

http://www.thebriks.com/

Yesterday, I had brunch with friends to celebrate one of them getting a new job and another’s success at work. The review i saw posted on a friend’s social media site made me curious about The Briks by L.A. Live. Friends spoke highly of the venue and their brunch. My friends and I decided to try it. Eater LA blog back in summer 2014 noted, “Chef Mario Christerna combines techniques related to where he’s learned to cook including North African, Spanish, French and Mexican cultures.”

Needless to say that the experience prompted the cliche of starting a blog about enjoying brunches, really about how food brings folks together and a willingness to try something new. It’s a great excuse to meet up at least once a month and test out a new brunch place. Between the three of us, I hope we get to share our insight and review of the food, environment, and overall experience. Our rating system is Chingon (a must go) Chido (cool spot) Más o Menos (ok but not impressed) y Chafa (it's about the reputation & not the food).

For me, in this millennium a digital footprint is vital. My review actually starts with the website. There’s no story there about the chef or the concept. The website immediately requires that a potential patron make a reservation. There’s no way to download menu or see what is available. Personally, this was a red flag.

I arrived for our reservation and the venue was too cold. Granted they had turned the heater on but it was a meal to eat with coats on. Until we left did I finally feel the heat from the heater. Feeling the chill, I wanted a nice cup of coffee. Unfortunately, the coffee was sub-par. When offering Brunch Service, coffee must be good as not everyone is going to partake in the bottomless mimosa special offered during their Funky Brunch on Sundays.

Review of the brunch menu…overall it is good offering but limited selections for folks who are vegetarian and /.or do not eat pork. Here I take a cue from chef Bobby Flay who said “There’s 5 vehicles to brunch: french toast, waffles, pancakes, homefries, and egg dishes. You sorta travel the world and bring the flavors to these vehicles.” Honestly, I was expecting those flavors of North African, Spanish, French and Mexican cultures in Chef Mario Christerna‘s brunch offerings. The item that came close to it is the Breakfast Burrito served with merguez (lamb sausage). The green salsa for the chilaquilles had too much vinegar and not a nice blend of green chiles or salt to balance out the flavor. Though the presentation of the chilaquilles in a cast iron bowl was great, the dish was actually served luke warm. If you want to try the stuffed french toast but can’t have the bacon then order something else. Unfortunately the bacon is part of the batter and you’ll miss the other delicious ingredients that make up the stuffed french toast and just get plain french toast. Honestly, the plain french toast and eggs are not worth the price. The menu prices are pretty standard for brunch but it’s a place I’d bring more folks to enjoy for this meal.

We did try to think about something positive. We’d come again for lunch or dinner to try the chef’s offerings that highlight the infusion of flavors that are the heart of this new restaurant in downtown L.A.

The review: Más o Menos for brunch, with a bit of eye roll. May amend for dinner / lunch service.

Next month, we’ll try another venue in downtown l.a. in the meantime, enjoy some good eats and wishing you all a happy new year.