Superba Food + Bread - Review - Venice - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"Let’s take a moment to consider Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit. It may have been a hasty follow-up to a very successful movie featuring singing and dancing nuns, with almost the exact same storyline, but somehow it was also better. It has Lauryn Hill before everyone realized she was a genius (and before things went a little off the rails), Jennifer Love Hewitt before she became insufferable, and even more Maggie Smith dancing than we could have hoped for. Basically, Superba Food + Bread is the Sister Act 2 of Venice restaurants. Originally billed as a more casual version of the restaurant you couldn’t get a table at in 2012, Superba Snack Bar, Food + Bread has now outlasted its big sister. Food + Bread does a lot of what the old Superba did well (pasta, brunch, those brussels sprouts), but has come into its own as one of those all-day spots Venice locals love to hang out at. photo credit: Holly Liss The space - on a corner of Lincoln that’s quickly becoming a more relaxed alternative to Abbot Kinney - is big, open, and pretty dang beautiful. Prime position is on the side patio, but you’ll also be able to walk inside any time of day and get a seat almost immediately. Daytime is when all the action is, whether it’s coffee meetings that turn into lunch, or a boozed-up Sunday brunch. But Superba Food + Bread is also our evening secret weapon - nights are never that busy and the food is consistently good, even better and more interesting than it needs to be at this kind of spot. Probably best of all, in a part of town that is full of places (and people) that are trying pretty hard, Superba Food + Bread isn’t. These guys know what they do, and do it well, without trying to invent the wheel. See, we told you: the Sister Act 2 of restaurants. Food Rundown Pastries You’re doing Superba wrong if you don’t start or end with some of these puppies. Race you to the cinnamon rolls. photo credit: Holly Liss Breakfast Sandwich Really rich, with egg, cheese, and a spicy sausage patty, this is on the greasy side, but hits the spot on a Sunday morning full of regret. Cheesy Soft Scrambled Eggs Also really rich, but very worth it. Soft scrambled eggs >>> any other kind of scrambled eggs. Fried Chicken Sandwich We’re all about this thing at lunch time, and judging by how many we saw coming out of the kitchen, we are not the only ones. photo credit: Holly Liss Rotisserie Chicken This is rotisserie chicken with a salad on the side. But the chicken is nice and juicy, and we could do shots of the green goddess dressing if we had to. Or even if we didn’t. Smoked Trout A salmon rillette type deal, which had us smothering great piles of the stuff on the rye crisps it came with. photo credit: Holly Liss Corn Agnolotti Definitely the pick of the pastas. The rich corn and dungeness crab is lightened up a bunch with a squeeze of lime. photo credit: Holly Liss Crispy Brussel Sprouts You definitely had these at the original Superba. Fried sprouts in a dashi broth with a poached egg on top. Not as impressive as they once were, but still solid. photo credit: Holly Liss Smoky Lamb Ribs Crunchy and a bit spicy and a lot messy, these ribs come with crunchy smashed potatoes and a harissa yoghurt you’ll probably need more of." - Jess Basser Sanders