"Tell us about your first impressions when you arrived. There will be a line. And that’s okay, because everyone in line knows it’s worth it. There will be a gritty street that doesn’t look like the Silverlake of the entry-level luxury SUV commercials. And that’s cool, too, because this is the still-funky part of Silverlake. And once you’re in, you’re going to be happy to wedge yourself into a seat and scarf down the food that everyone else is happily eating. What was the crowd like? Central casting Silverlake. You'll see people who, if employed, have time to wait 40 minutes to order ricotta toast , and eat it in four minutes. You'll see celebrities who actually love to eat. What should we be drinking? A rich hippie fantasia of the non-alcoholic variety: Single origin matcha, buckwheat “coffee,” vegan horchata, plus a fine Vietnamese coffee shaken with egg whites. Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss. The most satisfying healthy-ish, sometimes vegan (but often not) food in the city: the sorrel pesto rice is a modern East Side classic (add the housemade sausage, add the lacto-fermented hot sauce). You’ve waited this long for your seat, so get the When Harry Met Sally, a throwback to their famous pre-pandemic Larry David special. It now consists of smoked salmon rillette, beet cured lox, house pickles, market greens and housemade Danish rügbrod toast. And what did you notice about the front-of-house folks? Blue hair. (Hipster blue, not old lady blue.) Single needle tattoos. Focused on the craft. Friendly but efficient, as such a crush of a crowd requires. What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here? This is the ultimate hipster brunch in southern California and cannot be topped. It will possibly change the way you cook, and will make you angry at all the other lesser rice bowls you might encounter along your culinary path." - Hugh Garvey
