Breakfast Munchies

If you’re on the hunt for a filling breakfast in a hurry, look no further than Phanny’s at 1021 S. Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo Beach. Calling themselves the “healthiest fast food in town since 1982” might be a stretch, but they do serve up authentic breakfast burritos, omelettes, burgers and specialty sandwiches.

The building is fairly non-descript and sits between a variety of other local haunts, so it’s best to program this one in your GPS to ensure you don’t miss it.  There isn’t true table service here, so you’ll want to ensure you place your order at the front.  While it isn’t a place to choose for ambiance, it’s quality and you can tell by the volume of many locals in and out the door, opting to sit in for a quick bite or pick it up on their morning strolls through the area.

I opted for a Ham breakfast burrito with eggs, potatoes, cheese and salsa. You could definitely split this if you’re not too hungry, or eat the whole thing if you’re really ravenous.

Phanny’s

Looking for other great breakfast spots in LA and outside the city?  Try these:

• Tops Burgers – 1792 E. Walnut St., Pasadena, CA – Offers a great selection of breakfast plates, sandwiches and burritos and of course, burgers. There’s something about the butter they use in the potatoes that just makes it taste extra special.  Again, nothing fancy here, just take out or sit down in a low-key, off the grid building.
• Grand Burger – 710 S. Grand Street, Glendora, CA – Like Tops, this spot offers a variety of breakfast offerings, though they’re most famous for their burgers. I’ve been for breakfast and lunch and you can’t beat it. They also recently opened for 24 hour drive through service, so whatever time you have a breakfast craving or otherwise, you can swing through.
• Manhattan Bread and Bagel – 1812 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA – Can’t beat bagels if you’re on the go, but they also offer a wide selection of breakfast items from french toast to frittatas, oatmeal, “sinful scones,” “marvelous muffins,” and breakfast pastries. It’s also close to the airport so it’s a great place to swing through if you’re coming from the South Bay to LAX to beat those lines and overpriced breakfast sandwiches at the airport.
• Uncle Stavros – 201 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA – Cute (and small) so be prepared to wait for a table as it’s also right by the entrance to the beach. As it’s family run, service is a little slow, but enjoy a mix of greek dishes, traditional breakfast fare and sip a mimosa before you head to beach for a lazy day.

Have a recommended can’t miss breakfast spot? Let me know in the comments here.

Easter Brunch

One of the many beautiful things about New York is the spring and soaking in the sun outside over a Sunday brunch. Today was the perfect day for taking advantage of this which I did via Easter brunch Ukranian style at Veselka at 144 2nd Avenue (www.veselka.com).

Veselka is marketed as “Ukranian soul food in the heart of the East Village” and soul food is certainly appropriate as I opted for the poached eggs atop a bed of cheese grits with green onion … super tasty.

The sweet potato fries also make a great combination on the side:

And brunch wouldn’t be complete without a great libation. My recommendation is the prosecco mimosa:

Fun Easter fact: Did you know the tradition of the Easter egg known as pysanky in Ukranian, has its roots in Ukraine? According to Wikipedia, the “eggs were drawn on with wax to create a pattern; then, the dye was applied to give the eggs their pleasant colours… after the entire egg was dyed, the wax was removed leaving only the colorful pattern.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine)

I guess brunch Ukranian style was apropos today!

Ode to “Eggs Foreign to Me” on Top Chef Las Vegas

Dear Mike Isabella:

You really didn’t know what eggs florentine were?   I was so excited when you drew the eggs florentine knife. After all, that is one of the main inspirations for my blog. I know you can’t look up recipes, but that made me a bit sad.

In the spirit of Mike’s “eggs foreign to me,” I’m listing a few of my favorite eggs florentine brunch spots below in NYC. And, a quick recipe for traditional (not deconstructed eggs florentine) for all you aspiring chefs out there. I actually haven’t made it myself, I’ve only gotten to enjoy, so I can’t be too hard on Mike. After all, his dishes all look pretty excellent and he is from New Jersey, so he is close enough to any of these (even though he currently resides in D.C). So Mike, if you’re ever in Manhattan and want to go for some great eggs florentine, the pleasure would be all mine.

Check out:

– Bubby’s – 120 Hudson (at North Moore). Amazing eggs florentine. The hollandaise sauce just melts in your mouth; also opt for the side of crusty cheese grits. Even JFK loved this place so you really can’t go wrong with any of the dishes here. I also recommend the Bubby’s burger (locally raised too!) with maytag blue cheese and the grilled chicken club (fantastic tomato mayo). I’ve always been way too full to try the pie, but I’ve heard it’s excellent. www.bubbys.com

– Luke’s Bar & Grill – 1394 Third Avenue (at 79th Street). If you haven’t had too much to drink the night before, this is a great “brunk” spot (one of my friend’s terms for drinking on Sunday with brunch). The eggs florentine are served up here very traditional. Just good, classic eggs florentine. The side of potatoes are also good and my friends who have ordered other items on the menu say the omelettes and burgers are nice choices. www.lukesbarandgrill.com

– Bondi Road – 153 Rivington Street (at Suffolk). A sister restaurant to the very hyped Sunburnt Cow. I’ve been waiting for a chance to include this spot in my blog!  Enjoy “endless brunch” for $18 (that really means all you can drink or as they say, “at least until Heathe decides you’ve had enough”) of mimosas, bloody mary’s, Foster’s, screwdrivers or greyhounds and your choise of a variety of things including eggs served up in a variety of styles. For an extra 5 bucks, you can get the “barrier reef benedict” which is my favorite version of eggs florentine here – poached eggs smothered in hollandaise and served up over crabcakes. I’m already hungry (and thirsty) thinking about this place. Word from one of my sources is they’re also opening one soon on the Upper West Side. http://www.thesunburntcow.com/brunch.html

– Hudson Cafeteria at the Hudson Hotel – 356 W. 58th Street (near 9th Avenue). For those who missed my first blog post, I discussed the eggs florentine here. The hotel is a bit disguised (you can’t see any signage from the street), so you’ll walk in and take the escalator up to the Hudson Cafeteria.  Solid eggs florentine (while a bit pricey) and order with a side of the garlic steak fries. www.hudsonhotel.com

The recipe from http://bit.ly/1BZ0Mi: And please chefs, use english muffins instead of toast!

8 lg. eggs
1 c. spinach, chopped or leaf, cooked
Salt & pepper to taste
Hollandaise Sauce

 Soft boil or poach the eggs, place on buttered toast, heat the spinach and place equally on the eggs. Pour spinach juice over the eggs. Spoon Hollandaise Sauce over the eggs. Serve as warm as possible. Salt to taste. Yield: 4 servings.