ShopEatSleep

Yes, that's a tree in the middle of the dining room. It's kind of awkward but pretty.

I’ve had a hard time lately with eating out. Not because I don’t like to eat — obviously I do — but because it’s been a while since I’ve really been wowed by a meal. Sure, I’ve had great parts of meals, but an entire meal that’s knock-your-socks-off good is hard to come by.

So when a bunch of us foodies (Esther of e*starLA, Caroline of Caroline on Crack, Diana of Diana Takes a Bite, and Lindsay and Sam of LAist) got together for a leisurely Sunday brunch — on our own dime, thank you very much — at Tavern in Brentwood, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had high expectations because I had heard good things about this latest Goin-Styne collaboration, but I was also afraid it was going to be all hype.

Hype it’s not. Tavern, at least its brunch menu, is amazing. I truly enjoyed this meal.

Our table started out with cocktails, though admittedly I didn’t order one for myself. But I tasted those that arrived for my fellow brunchers because that’s what we do; we share. The Ginger Rogers, made with gin, mint, ginger syrup and soda, was simple and refreshing. The Queen Mary Bloody Mary, made with gin instead of vodka, and cucumber and tomato, was light while still satisfying. I’m not a big Bloody Mary fan, but this lighter version was more palatable for me that usual.

Ginger Rogers

Queen Mary Bloody Mary

We then moved on to a chef’s choice basket of pastries, which included monkey bread, a cherry-almond scone, and another scone made from cornmeal. All were good, but the monkey bread, which you pull apart to get bite-size pieces of cinnamony goodness, was my favorite.

Monkey bread in the center.

Next came our main courses. I had the brisket hash with fried eggs and horseradish cream. My mouth is salivating as I write this because it was immensely satisfying with the differing textures of the ingredients. I imagine this dish would be great as a hangover meal. It was so good, I found myself mopping up the remnants with bread.

Brisket hash

Also at the table were lemon ricotta pancakes topped with huckleberries, which had just the right balance between crispiness on the outside and fluffiness on the inside and was really lemony, something I love. I’m not normally a pancake fan, but these were nice. (Looks like the new fall menu has pumpkin pancakes with toasted pecans and spiced syrup, which sound good, too.)

Lemon ricotta pancakes

The eggs Benedict was also a lighter version of many that can be found out there as it’s made with prosciutto, a bed of frisee and a lemon-heavy hollandaise sauce. The sauce really made this dish. Notice a lemon theme here? I’m liking it.

Eggs Benedict

There were other dishes — a wild mushroom frittata with spinach and cheddar, a chopped chicken salad, and The Pilgrim sandwich made with turkey, cranberry, stuffing (!) and mayo — but I didn’t taste them. I was too engrossed in the savory warm blanket that was my brisket hash. I mean, just look how happy I am eating it:

From e*starLA