All of my past “best brunch ever“‘s have officially been out-bested this month by a little “French/California Brassiere” inspired number who goes by the name of Terrine. Terrine is one of the latest and most anticipated openings of the end of 2014/beginning of 2015 that is headed by celebrity chef Kris Morningstar, and I was genuinely excited to hear that a new restaurant centered around a “Brassiere” feel and concept would be opening up in the area. Call me crazy, but there’s not as many French Brassieres in LA similar to the likes of the abundance you’d find in New York City, or more obviously, France. I love everything French, California, Los Angeles, and food related, so you can only imagine the genuine anticipation the ‘French everything’ fanatic in me felt towards Terrine officially opening their doors.
Once I’d finally made my plan to check out what I assumed would be my new favorite restaurant in Los Angeles, I’d been given the option to check out brunch instead of their dinner service; which for the first month of business was all they offered. Similar to how the best way to appreciate and truly experience a foreign country is though their food, the best way to appreciate and experience a restaurant in Los Angeles is through their brunch. Perhaps I’m alone on that belief, and perhaps I have an army of brunchers who completely concur, but when it came to dining decision time at Terrine, I had a pretty good feeling I’d be right about the whole “make brunch be your first impression” thing.
Terrine explains their concept as “French classic with a California flair”, and what you see is exactly what you get. The space is design drool worthy with their grand French inspired copper bar, the California rustic vibe, their red leather booths and bar stools, and of course, their spacious and simply gorgeous patio – that comes complete with a massive tree in the center of the “garden” to shade. Naturally. Terrine is actually almost too perfect… – “oh why’d you leave the restaurant I thought you were having brunch?” “Nope. It was all too perfect. Couldn’t take it.” – It could totally happen, but despite Terrine’s grotesquely flawless interior, that brunch they serve is about to become a serious contender to any and all brunches you’ve had.
I made sure to try the brunch menu the weekend it became available, and usually it comes to having a new meal on the first day of business you go into it with high hopes but not necessarily high expectations. Usually there seems to be kinks that need to be worked out, bits and pieces that need fixing and so on, but in the case of Terrine, they had their sh*t completely and magnificently sorted out, even on day 1. The menu is that “rustic food inspired by French classics, cooked with a California flair” so as expected items like a Croque Madame, a Gravalax Tartine, Onion Soup etc are on the menu, but some more unique and intriguing dishes like the Pain Perdu, Herb Spaetzle, and Eggs In Purgatory are featured as well. I think for obvious reasons when you read the description: “vanilla-battered French toast, sea salt caramel frosting, maple”, the Pain Perdu in particular stands out far amongst the rest. If there were one and only one dish I would tell you that you must have and cannot go on in life without having at least once… it would undoubtedly be the Pain Perdu.
Brunch at Terrine means eating delightfully decadent food, having dessert for breakfast, sipping on a glass of wine or a craft cocktail during the day, and enjoying [what is 98% of the time] LA’s gorgeous weather – there’s just no better way to spend an afternoon on the weekend.
Location (Beverly Grove) | 8265 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles CA 90048
Brunch Service | Friday (yes FRIDAY) 11:30 am – 2:30 pm + Saturday/Sunday 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Dinner Service | Sunday – Thursday 5:30 pm – 11 pm + Friday/Saturday 5:30 pm – 2 am
Contact | 323 746 5130
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