Bubble & Squeak

When I first walked into Eveleigh (“ever-lee”), I couldn’t believe this rustic-looking restaurant sat on the Sunset Strip. It was way too laid-back. The reclaimed and repurposed wood, the communal tables, the live lemon trees and the open-air dining room made me feel more as if I were in Napa than smack in the middle of the trendiest part of West Hollywood. That’s a good thing, by the way.

Open-air dining room

Bar area at Eveleigh

Perhaps the best part is that the food and drink are really good. It’s a great option for a lazy weekend brunch — I know, because I’ve had a couple of those here myself recently. Everything I’ve tried has been good, and some of it has been great. Executive Chef Jordan Toft, along with owners Nick Hatsatouris, Nick Mathers and Lincoln Pilcher, designed a menu reminiscent of their Aussie heritage but accessible to us good ol’ Americans.

The bubble and squeak (pictured above), which is traditionally made from leftovers, was punched up here with the use of some gorgeous kale (which I’m currently obsessed with), corned beef and potatoes topped with a scotch egg. This has great flavor and is a heavy dish, so I wouldn’t order this unless I was really hungry.

My favorite dish was the baked eggs with chard, shimeji mushrooms, goat curd and mizuna greens. The sourness of the curd was key to this dish. And since I have a thing for mini foods, the small eggs and mushrooms were pleasing to me visually. I’m such a sucker for mini foods!

Baked Eggs

The Seeded Granola topped with a scoop of frozen yogurt (literally plain yogurt that was frozen, not froyo) and blood orange segments was also very good. It was served with almond milk on the side, which I poured over the granola. The best part of this dish was the inclusion of black sesame in the granola, which reminded me of Chinese candies I grew up eating. My only complaint is the price of this dish: $10 for granola, yogurt and milk is a little steep.

Seeded Granola

Now, the cocktails. I tried a slew of drinks, almost all of them made with mezcal. David Kupchinsky, formerly of Comme Ça and The Tar Pit, designed the sophisticated cocktail program. I was impressed with Kupchinsky’s skills because I really liked his versions of the bloody mary and the gin and tonic, neither of which I’m normally a big fan of. The Bloody Sanchez at Eveleigh is made with mezcal instead of the traditional vodka, a decision I thought made a lot of sense, as the smokiness complemented the tomato and spices nicely. The tonic in the gin and tonic is house-made and is more tea-like than the clear versions you normally see, which gives it a unique herbal quality.

Gin and Tonic

The mezcal Old Fashioned was delicious, too. I couldn’t stop drinking it! And the Pimm’s Cup made with Pimm’s liqueur, cucumber, mint, lemon, blood orange and soda was also great. Just as I’m a sucker for mini foods, I’m also a sucker for blood orange.

Mezcal Old Fashioned

Pimm's Cup

The nonalcoholic drinks were tasty, too. The Cacao-Nut Date smoothie made with young coconut meat, coconut water, sweet cacao nibs, dates, cinnamon, vanilla stevia and vanilla hemp milk was a little too tasty — it was basically dessert in a glass and so substantial that it could have been a meal in itself. On the other hand, the Good Morning Sunshine juice, with kale, apple, orange, lime, ginger, mint, strawberry and fennel, was freshing and naturally sweet.

I liked this experience so much that when a friend asked about bloody marys, I suggested we go here, so I went back for a second weekend in a row and had the roasted portabello mushroom topped with burrata, vincotto, thyme and sourdough toast on the side. Though it didn’t look like much food, it kept me full for most of the day so this was a great value at $11.

So if you’re looking for respite after shopping amid the hustle and bustle of Sunset Boulevard, Eveleigh is a great option. Be on the lookout for patio seating in the near future, too.

Further reading: The Eveleigh: Liquid Brunch & Hangover Cures by Caroline on Crack

Note: The first meal discussed was hosted.

Gin Gin Mule

The Tar Pit, the much-anticipated new bar and restaurant from chef Mark Peel and general manager Jay Perrin, both of Campanile fame, and noted mixologist Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club in New York, made its debut late last week, and what a debut it was. From the 1940s art moderne decor (the simpler version of art deco) to the era-appropriate food and drink, The Tar Pit is a nice respite from the dark, often cramped, speakeasy style that has been popular among bars lately.

I attended the preview party along with Caroline of Caroline on Crack, Josh of FoodGPS, Pat of Eating L.A., Daniel of Thirsty in L.A., H.C. of L.A. and O.C. Foodventures, Esther of e*starLA, Kat of EaterLA and many others from around the blogosphere and beyond. We enjoyed sample-size cocktails of nearly everything on the drink menu and food from the bar menu. Overall, I liked most everything — I mean, it’s Peel and Saunders — but I definitely had my favorites.

My favorite cocktail that I tried that night was the Lemon Thyme Daiquiri made with white rum, muddled lemon thyme, house-made lime syrup, lime juice and topped with a sprig of lemon thyme. It’s pretty and tasty. The preponderance of citrus gives this a fresh, though not overly tangy, flavor.

Lemon Thyme Daiquiri

I also liked the Gin Gin Mule (photo at top) made with gin, mint, lime simple syrup and house-made ginger beer; the Cucumber-Mint Creole made with gin, Aquavit, sherry, muddled cucumbers and mint, and lemon juice; and the Old Cuban made with aged rum, muddled mint, lime juice, Angostura bitters and champagne.

Cucumber-Mint Creole

Old Cuban

The only cocktail I would actually avoid is the Trident, made with Aquavit, Fino sherry, Cynar aperitif, peach and orange bitters, and lemon essence. This drink had the strangest flavor, probably due to the combination of artichoke from the Cynar and tons of bitters. No one at our table liked this one.

Trident

I’m a little disappointed that there aren’t any whiskey or bourbon drinks on the cocktail menu, though if you like gin, this is the place for you — nearly half the drinks are gin-based.

One of my favorites from the bar menu was the crab cake, which was plump and buttery, and topped with preserved lemon remoulade and celery root coleslaw. I also liked the duck rillette, which was served on multigrain toast and topped with Stilton blue cheese, pickled pearl onions, mustard and smoked salt. The fried oysters topped with crisp ginger remoulade were tasty, too.

Crab cake

Duck rillette

Fried oyster

Kudos to the management for providing a wealth of food and drink samples so we could get a good idea of the menu. I also heard that some people were able to convince the bartenders to make drinks that weren’t supposed to be served during the preview party. There are other dishes that weren’t being passed around that I’d like to try, including the duck slider on the bar menu, and braised pork cheeks and ears served with orecchiette pasta, salsa verde, braised beet greens and dandelion greens on the dining menu. With nothing priced more than $17 on the food menus, it’s surprisingly affordable. Cocktails start at $11 and go up $16 for the ones containing champagne (now that’s expensive).

[UPDATE: The starting price for cocktails is now $12.]