Fun fact about Chef: Any time I go out to eat for brunch I ALWAYS order a cocktail or mimosa, an appetizer or salad followed by something sweet and something savory from one of the main plate options on any brunch menu. Brunch is extremely versatile and usually the only cheat meal I take during the week and if I'm going to cheat then i'm going to go hard, and order it all. Personally, there is no meal like brunch, the best of 100 different worlds and flavors eaten and any time of the day. Anyway, lets jump right in.
This past weekend I met up with one my girls for brunch before our friend's street wear pop-up event #DTLA at this restaurant called Blacksmith's nestled on a corner painted with graffiti mural and full of people shopping. When you first walk in the restaurant the standard seating which is more inside of the restaurant is to the left and high top seating to right outside underneath a well covered patio. We sat outside for the fresh air and the natural lighting for these food pictures. The ambiance will either give you day time chic if you sit in the patio area, or night time cocktail lounge if you sit in the main dining area.
Let's talk about the reason you're here ... the FOOD! We'll start with the savory side of things. We ordered the chicken chilaquiles with slow cooked chicken, black beans, salsa negra, sour cream, queso fresco, pickled red onions, cilantro, and fried eggs. The chicken was so tender and flavorful, the onions and cilantro were extra fresh, and that queso fresca and sour cream cut the saltiness just perfectly!. Next up on the savory side, we ordered the short-rib Benedict. When I tell y'all that the short rib was tender that it tasted like butter and melted in my mouth (PAUSE LMAO!), that's exactly what it did! It could had a pinch fo salt added to it but nonetheless was braised perfectly. The potatoes that came with it were crispy on the outside and soft when you bit into it and seasoned evenly. The star of the dish though was their Tabasco Hollandaise sauce which had a kick to it obviously hence the name.
The sweet dish were innovative but a little over the top, wait honestly that sounds like I just described myself LOL. We ordered the brie and caramelized apple pancakes. For those that don't now brie is a type of white cheese, that kind of tastes like a sour cream cheese, kind of bland with a hint of salty flavor. This combo was good but the orange walnut sauce was throwing me off completely. The pancakes were good, light and fluffy but they were over powered by the orange sauce. I think each element of the dish was good separately but I am not sure I would have put them all together in one. I would have kept the brie, caramelized apples and just added maple syrup. The best part of brunch was the french toast we ordered. presentation wise it was unmatched! The scratch-made whipped was UN-fuckwithable! But the taste of it being soft and crunch at the same damn time *future voice!* Made with green tomato jam, fresh fruit, cream, milk, orange zest, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla. The ingredients were simple but elevated and I have never eaten green tomato jam.
Lastly the cocktails we had were very pretty, very good and got us VERY wasted without us even knowing! I'd say they definitely did their job. We ordered The Palma Fizz which tasted like a sweet cranberry pomegranate-ish drink made with Amsterdam Vodka, Lime, Ginger, soda, house-made Pomegranate floater and the The Perfect Woman which was made with St. Germain, yellow chartreuse, lemon, hibiscus flower syrup, Prosseco floater. The service was amazing, the food came out quick, and we tipped our waiter extra for pouring extra shots in our drinks without us having to ask. He saw us and just knew we were really there to drink. Yes, I would go back to dine at this restaurant in case you are wondering because there is so much more on the menu that I would love to order! Until next time,
With Love & Food,
-Chef Morghan