Fun, delicious, with dash of social commentary: brunch at Playa Rivera
When I first heard that Chef John Rivera Sedlar was opening Playa Rivera restaurant in the old Grace space on Beverly Boulevard, I jumped for joy. I love Sedlar’s food (and Julian Cox’s cocktails) at Rivera downtown, so having one of his eateries closer in proximity to where I live is really a treat.
Elegant, hearty and delicious, Playa Rivera’s brunch is a great choice for a casual-but-elevated meal. I had the pleasure of having brunch here with Fiona of Gourmet Pigs, Lindsay of LAist and Esther of estarLA, and we had a well-rounded meal complete with cocktails and a chat with Sedlar himself, who happened to walk in just as we were leaving.
We started with a pitcher (OK, we had two) of The Grail, a sangria made with apple brandy, malbec, pressed lady apple, Don’s mix, cane cola and apple espuma (thanks, Fiona, for the description). This was unlike any sangria I’ve had, as it was more flavorful and rich.
To whet our appetites, we ordered some Blue Corn Muffins served with almond-flavored butter. These were absolutely gorgeous and tasted just as good. They had just the right amount of sweetness and were perfectly moist, which is nice because sometimes corn bread gets dry.
For my main dish, I ordered the Huevos Polenta (above), a spicy, smoky dish that I would order again. The polenta is covered in a pool of red chili sauce and topped with lardon (bacon!), veggies, a 63º poached egg and cotija cheese. I love different textures in my food, and this dish definitely had that. It was a home run.
Fiona ordered the pulled pork tamal topped with sunny side-up eggs. I love tamales, and this one didn’t disappoint, especially not with those pretty eggs on top! You’ll also notice that this was served on a plate with a scene from A Clockwork Orange on it; Sedlar’s Reflexiones presentation program features everything from art to political commentary to purposefully complement or contrast with select dishes.
Lindsay chose the Duck Hash with 63º poached eggs, fingerling potatoes and peppers. This was also a hearty, tasty choice.
I was less impressed with the Croque Señor, which is made with chorizo. This might be better as a señora with one of those sunny side-up eggs on top.
Don’t neglect to order dessert because the ice cream sundae made with goat’s milk ice cream, hazelnuts and cocoa nibs served with hot chocolate sauce and a blue cornmeal chocolate chip cookie was amazing. At Lindsay’s suggestion, we broke up the cookie and threw it in our mason jar of goodness, then topped it off with the chocolate sauce. Once again, all the different textures made me really happy. Bravo!
Perhaps the best part of this meal was the value. We were served beautiful food in well-sized portions with nothing priced more than $15. This is an amazing deal, and one I highly recommend.