Eat Out. Malo [Sunday Brunch].

Silver Lake's Malo restaurant is well-known for its great margaritas and happy hours, but it just so happens that it's a great place to visit after those margaritas and happy hours too. The Mexican eatery recently began opening up early for weekend brunch, and the hip Eastside crowd is loving it--for good reason.

The brunch menu offers all the regular, great-for-the-hangover brunch favorites, like the breakfast burrito and chilaquiles (both seen above), but with Malo's extra attention to detail in flavor and fresh ingredients. The chilaquiles, though obviously not the healthiest meal, actually wasn't as greasy as I had imagined, and the portion was just right not to make me feel like I'd see it (or the night before) later. There were also fun and unique options like the mango and banana French toast that seem worth trying out.

And of course, with any good hangover brunch, Malo offers drinks--top-notch, of course. Their sangria is always a favorite of mine, and a mojito would probably be nice around noon. We tried the Malo Cafe, which had coffee mixed Kahula and tequila, and it was pretty strong. Made for a good wake-up call, at least.

Malo is located at 4326 Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake. Brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays, from 9am-3pm.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat Out. Blue Plate [Sunday Brunch].

Santa Monica is full of great brunch options, and Blue Plate is just another one of those always-busy spots that, thankfully, lives up to the hype.

The negatives first: Blue Plate is crowded, for the simple fact that it is in a tiny space and on the lively street of Montana Ave. (be prepared to pay for parking, by the way). Tables are uncomfortably close together, so expect to get cozy with your neighbors (my date and I seemed to get snooty looks from ours--not our fault!). Also, although I appreciate that the coffee and tea is fair-trade, $3 (the same price for juices and other drinks) just seems like a bit much.

But once you get down to the food, all can be forgotten. I was already saddling up to get a big meal by ordering the breakfast combo of two eggs plus a half-stack of blueberry pancakes, but then was informed that I would also have two sides on top of that! For $9.95! Our small table, needless to say, ended up pretty loaded. (Sorry for the lack of photos, by the way--we were starving.)

And all that food turned out great. The pancakes could have been a bit fluffier, but with so many blueberries packed in there, it was still delectable. My date's challah French toast was dreamily soft and sweet--probably some of the best French toast I've ever had. The fruit side I had had really good pineapple and strawberries, which tasted fresh and light. Altogether a well-made, simple brunch, hitting all the right spots to start off your day.

Oh, but one more downside, that my date pointed out: our plates were not blue. What gives? But we didn't even notice until we scraped all our food right off.

Blue Plate is located at 1415 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Blue Plate

Eat In. French toast.

Breakfast? Best meal of the day. Don't even fight me on this. I will eat breakfast foods (there are so many options!) for days on end and will be completely happy. Actually, I almost do that anyway. I lead a simple life.

One of my favorite breakfast items? French toast. Sadly, this is a dish that takes planning from the night before and fancy ingredients like buttermilk (yes, buttermilk is considered fancy, and seriously, why would anyone have a gallon of it around?). Or is it?

Ah ha! There is, in fact, a quick and easy way around to getting a couple slices of French toast on your plate in just a few minutes, and it's actually quite delicious.