A Fork in the Road: Huckleberry (Los Angeles, CA)

One of the best breakfasts I've ever come across is at Huckleberry in Santa Monica. The vibe feels pretty typical of a Southern California establishment: large, raw space with natural sunlight, people just finished working out and healthy, fresh food. While standing in line waiting to order, the breads, pastries and desserts looked the quality of a Parisian patisserie.

Erin told me I HAD to order the poached eggs with market vegetables, but because I'm used to ordering much heavier, I chose sunny side up eggs on rustic bread with Niman Ranch bacon, gruyere and crispy arugula. Once the yolk bleeds down the face, the colors become a striking blend against the green, white and brown. This tasted almost as good as Thomas Keller's BLT Fried Egg Sandwich looked in the movie, Spanglish.

As tasty as the sandwich was, I wish I had ordered the poached eggs and vegetables. A tip of the hat to Josh & Zoe Loeb! The combination of corn, snap peas, orange cherry tomatoes topped with pesto and breadcrumbs is exceptional! This wasn't a protein and vegetable that I thought would work well, but happy I was proved wrong. Sometimes simple just works.

I can count on one hand how many times I've had dessert at 8am, but this chocolate pudding was heavenly. The texture was velvety with a touch of cocoa and dollop of unsweetened whipped cream.

It's safe to say Huckleberry is there to stay...and I will be returning every chance I get.

Huckleberry 1014 Wilshire Boulevard Santa Monica, CA (310) 451-2311