sunday brunch at the alcove

 

the alcove, hillhurst & franklin, los angeles

Its been a busy few weeks for me!  Signing a new lease, emptying out two apartments and getting a new apartment set up... and then this weekend, spending some time in Los Angeles!  It can really work up a dude's appetite.  I have to admit to you that I was mostly chowing down on tacos while I was in LA, and that my devotion to sandwiches was perhaps temporarily set aside.  What can I say?  Tacos aren't really a thing in SF and I can't pass up an opportunity to eat at my favorite LA taco spots.  I did, however, manage to get this gigantic sandwich on Sunday before we left LA.  This is from The Alcove, a cafe on Hillhurst which is quite near where I used to live.  Despite the proximity to my previous address, I never ate at The Alcove while I lived in LA.  They have a very nice patio dining area, but it always seemed busy, the prices seemed high and frankly the clientele seemed snooty to me.  Having finally eaten here, I can say that my prejudgments were warranted- seating was absurdly crowded, it wasn't a cheap brunch, and most of the patrons seemed hilariously full of themselves.  However, I was very pleasantly surprised by the food itself.  Everything we ordered came in huge quantities, and was chock full of indulgent ingredients.  I had anticipated that the food at The Alcove was targeted at customers for whom healthiness was a priority, so these giant servings of fatty, creamy, buttery and sugary dishes pleasantly defied my expectations.  My meal was one of the daily specials, a breakfast sandwich (the name of which I've forgotten).  It consisted of a massive (ciabatta?) bun, absolutely stuffed with fried eggs, bacon, sauteed frisee, and melted blue cheese.  Although I usually chafe at paying over 10 dollars for a plate of food, I mind less when I receive as excessively rich a dish as this one.  Everything about it was greasy and filling, and I devoured it with relish.  However, I didn't really care for the blue cheese on it- it was simply too strong and sharp, and made what would have otherwise been a very comforting sandwich into one that was instead kind of aggressive.  That's probably my fault though- I didn't really think about the fact that I was ordering a sandwich with blue cheese on it, and the implications of that decision.  Overall, The Alcove proved to be a great place to get a casually extravagant brunch.