Monday, February 19, 2007

Taste test: Breakfast at Blair's

A few weeks ago, Blair's in Silver Lake started opening for breakfast, and none too soon as the Coffee Table will probably be closing in just a few weeks. Fortunately it's not too crowded at the moment, but go soon, because when the Coffee Table closes it's gonna be mobbed, I tell you! The menu? You've got your blueberry pancakes with mascarpone, your oatmeal with barley (yay, something healthy); your eggs with morels and shittakes; and various Benedicts. How did chorizo get so fashionable all of a sudden? I remember when you had chorizo if you were slumming it at the Rodeo Grill, but now at Square One and Blair's and BLD it's chorizo this, chorizo that. My egg dish, pictured, isn't the most attractive, but the combo of kale and crumbled sausage is tasty and I feel virtuous when I get my first serving of greens at breakfast ($10). In fact, I'm doubly virtuous, because Blair's serves a slightly odd side of sauteed arugula with the egg dishes. I'm not really used to cooked arugula, but it actually tastes pretty good. Matt's lox and bagel platter ($12) is nicely accompanied by pickled onions instead of nasty raw ones, and lots of capers and arugula. There's some really nice looking pastries in the case and they reputedly do a decent cappucino, so perhaps I'll go back and try the pecan sticky bun that was crying my name. I've a few minor quibbles -- the fruit cup doesn't have the lush, seasonal selection of the fruit at Square One; the toast arrives with nary a scrap of butter and none is offered; and a refill of coffee might have been nice. But really, it's hard to complain when there's breakfast with wild mushrooms and sticky buns and such just down the street from my house. The lunch menu has paninis, burgers, chicken caesar salad and beet and goat cheese salad...I was more excited by the breakfast menu, but you can go either way if you're there at a brunchish time.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

the Coffee Table is closing? what did you hear about that?

Anonymous said...

whoops, i retract my concern, i thought you were talking about back door bakery, would really miss those croissants...

Anonymous said...

Have been going here sporadically for b/l since the first day they've open. Food is always tasty - service is mostly spotty (except on the days when I think the day mgr is there) Hope they get it together service wise - it's a nice additon to nabe. Coffee table was slated to close in April - talked to the developer's contractor who as of Fri, said he didn't know when demolition was going to start on the condo project. Coffee table will probably be around longer than we think.

Anonymous said...

PS - all baked goods at Blairs are courtey of La Brea bakery except for the housemade cream filled donuts - which are defintely the best things in the case (if they have them).

Anonymous said...

this informant says the coffee table is *not* shutting down:
http://la.curbed.com/archives/neighborhood_reports/silverlakelos_felizecho_park/

whew! you had me worried, pat.

Pat Saperstein said...

No, they're not closing down, they're just being torn down and being reopened when the condos are completely finished...So let's just say they're taking a multi-year hiatus.

Jess said...

I had lunch there yesterday and thought everything was sort of bland and sucky, frankly. But Blair's tends to be spotty in general.

Anonymous said...

What's breakfast without butter for your toast or refills for your coffee?

Outrageous!