foodie break // california love at salt’s cure

One of the best perks of my “real life” job is that I occasionally get to travel. Back in February, when the east coast cold had me feeling blue, I was happy to escape to Los Angeles for a long weekend. With work events on both Friday and Saturday, I didn’t have too much down-time to enjoy LA. But when traveling for work, I always try to squeeze in at least one or two moments of “me” time. I try to explore my surrounding area, or if I’m lucky, enjoy a nice meal. This time, I had the honor of eating at Salt’s Cure.

Coincidentally, my friend Michelle was also in LA for work that weekend. We decided to stay together in the same hotel to maximize the fun between work obligations. We were staying at the Viceroy in Santa Monica because of Michelle’s work, but I had my eye on a West Hollywood restaurant, Salt’s Cure, that kept coming up over and over in my search for “LA’s Best Brunches.” So, on Saturday morning, we hopped in my rental car and headed about 25 minutes east to West Hollywood to see if this brunch was all it was hyped up to be.

Photo via Salt’s Cure

Salt’s Cure is in the heart of West Hollywood. This is the trendy, artistic neighborhood known for The Sunset Strip and its eclectic, stylish hotels. From the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, you can catch a glimpse of the celebrity hotspot, Chateau Marmont. In fact, we spotted a celeb family during our meal (but classy girls don’t name drop, thank you very much!). However, Salt’s Cure’s entire vibe is extremely laid-back and casual. You honestly forget the very good chances a celeb might sit down next to you. Everyone is there not to be seen, but to eat delicious and California-grown ingredients. That’s right up this lazy girl’s alley.

Mimosa options (be still, my heart). Photo via Salt’s Cure

Because we were driving nearly two hours down to Orange County after brunch for my work event, I very, very sadly was unable to order my favorite brunch staple: alcohol. Rest assured, Michelle stepped up to the plate and very dutifully ordered a Bloody Mary. Alas, I could only live vicariously through her. Her verdict? Fresh, subtly spicy, and alcoholic. The perfect combination.

We started our meal with an order of the Pretzel Bread. It’s made in-house, with locally-sourced ingredients — just like everything on the menu. The Salt’s Cure chefs pride themselves on offering menu items that support the local community. They say, “if it’s not within six hours of the restaurant, it’s not on the plate.” We can get behind that kind of philosophy.

Photo via Salt’s Cure

We had asked our server at the beginning of the meal what we had to try. Among a few other suggestions, like the butchered in-house pork chop, she was adamant that we try one of Salt’s Cure’s most popular dishes. Enter the Oatmeal Griddle Cakes. These have forever changed my life and henceforth, no brunches will ever be the same again.

Served up simply, without any garnish or touch of flare except for a generous dollop of cinnamon butter, the Oatmeal Griddle Cakes were by far the standout dish of our brunch, Perhaps of all brunches anywhere. The expression “melt in your mouth” has never rang so true. If you don’t believe me, do yourself a favor and fly to LA, head to West Hollywood, and order it yourself. Don’t be surprised if you order seconds and thirds and NO JUDGEMENTS, maybe fourths.

God’s gift to brunch-goers everywhere: Oatmeal Griddle Cakes

Though we could have happily stuffed ourselves with countless orders of the griddle cakes, we decided it was only fair to test a few more menu items. Up next: the Braised Green & Cheese Quiche and the Chicory Salad, topped with goat cheese, bacon, radish, and milk curd. We couldn’t order two main dishes without a side, natch, so we got a plate of the Roasted Potatoes too. It was evident in both the quiche and the salad that Salt’s Cure truly lets the ingredients in their dishes speak for themselves. Whether its fresh farm eggs, crisp greens, or tangy house-made cheese, it’s absolutely what’s inside that counts.

Five dishes later, we were absolutely filled to the brim. Although, if someone FORCED me to eat more Oatmeal Griddle Cakes, I guess I could have…

So did Salt’s Cure live up to the “best brunches” hype? A big, fat, California-loving YES. Because the food at Salt’s Cure is so dependent on local ingredients, its menu changes super frequently. My point? Get thee to Salt’s Cure tout de suite so you don’t miss out on any of the great dishes we tried. And, we’ll be returning next time we’re in town to see if anything can compare to those griddle cakes, fo sho.

xo!

the wino

We were guests of Salt’s Cure during our brunch. All opinions are my own.