Eat In. Fresh fruit salad with yogurt and coconut.

Whenever I'm trying to be healthy, yogurt and fruit are my first thoughts. Earlier this week, I got a small container of strawberries, blueberries, and mango at Whole Foods. I figured I'd split this between three mornings for breakfast, with yogurt.

I used Stonyfield Farm organic low fat french vanilla, but any favorite yogurt would work here. To make things a bit more delicious and interesting (and admittedly less healthy), I topped it off with some sweetened shredded coconut I had in the cupboard. This was a move inspired by the Fresh Fruit Salad at Malibu's John's Garden--one of my all-time favorite lunch spots. They also use chopped roasted almonds, which I may include tomorrow.

This is a great quick and easy breakfast, or a good sandwich alternative for lunch on a summery day--like the ones we've been having this week.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat Out. Food + Lab.

Silverlake surely isn't lacking another great brunch spot, but that doesn't mean they don't stop popping up. And I'm definitely not complaining -- especially when it brings us places like Food + Lab.

Food + Lab already has a location in West Hollywood, but opened up its Eastside branch just a few months ago out on Sunset, down a storefront from Dusty's. And it already fits in perfectly -- a casual joint that's friendly and has stellar cuisine. All the menu choices are scrawled on blackboards against the back wall, and filled with organic and vegan choices. But you also have your usual indulgences, and an overall balanced menu featuring delicious ingredients.

Above, you'll see potato, onion, gruyere and bacon omelette, which packed with goodness and the perfect sort of accent from the cheese. The sandwich was the organic chicken with gouda, sundried tomato aioli, and arugula on cibatta bread, of which the aioli was quite amazing. And I couldn't even fit our massive bowls of coffee into the picture. But overall, the food had rich flavors thanks to fresh ingredients, and portions were perfect -- filling but not overwhelming. I'm dying to try the sunny-side eggs and Australian speck featured on the website.

Yep, just another great brunch spot in Los Angeles. Us spoiled folk we are.
Food + Lab is located at 3206 West Sunset Blvd. in Silverlake.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat Out. Local.

Finding a place to brunch on New Year's Day is not an easy thing to do -- everyone else out there is just as hungover and lazy as you are, and wants some good food in them to start the year out right. But somehow D and I lucked out, and came upon the awesome Local, located in Silverlake.

We originally picked the place -- even though we had never eaten there before -- because we figured its vast outdoor seating would help us to getting eating soon. It definitely exceeded expectations. It's one of those order-and-then-choose-a-spot-to-sit-in places, which can be annoying (i.e. Father's Office), but people seem to move in and out fairly quickly, and the waiters and waitresses always help out with getting you a table. And speaking of the service, the guy taking our orders at the register, although trying to handle a billion requests at once, was extremely cheerful and helpful, in the most genuine way possible. He was probably the owner, and he seemed to be completely in love with what he was doing. It was quite inspiring.

And then there was the food. I'm actually pretty sad I didn't take any pictures -- but we probably scarfed it down too quickly anyway. D got the breakfast sandwich, which was the special on the blackboard that day and looked amazing, while I stuck with whole wheat pancakes with eggs and bacon. I don't think I've actually had whole wheat pancakes before, and I don't even particularly like pancakes, but these had to be some of the best pancakes I'd ever had -- whole wheat or not. The wheat gave it a nuttiness that went perfectly with the sweetness of the butter. Totally mouth-watering. We also, for total over-indulgence reasons, ordered the spicy fries, which too, were delectable.

It's also good to mention that the food is mostly locally sourced and organic, and vegetarian friendly -- it is Silverlake, after all. Feeling good and having amazing food at the same time? A great way to start out the year.

Local is located at 2943 W. Sunset Blvd. in Silverlake.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Yelp

Eat Out. Square One Dining [Sunday Brunch].

As the land of unconventional jobs with nothing close to the regular 9-5 workday, Los Angeles makes for a wonderful breeding ground for the perfect brunch spot. In this regular feature, The Beat will feature the best of the tried and true brunch scenes, which you'll probably find filled weekday to weekend, morning to late afternoon, because frankly, is there any better meal than brunch?

In our inaugural Sunday Brunch post, we welcome you to Square One Dining. The eastside eatery only serves breakfast and lunch, so let’s just say the expectations do come high for how it’ll handle brunch.

Square One gets it right. Even starting from its décor and locale, the restaurant nearly steps out of the imagination for what the perfect brunch setting should feel and look like: quaint, quiet and with an outside garden patio, for goodness sakes. And even though Square One’s olive green walls fall within the shadows of hospitals and a Scientology Centre, you’re far enough into the neighborhood to barely even notice.

But it’s the food that really makes this place shine. The restaurant prides itself in using local and organic produce and hormone-free meat for its dishes, and it shows. The vegetables and salads are undeniably fresh, and egg dishes like my bacon, tomato, mozzarella and spinach omelet and Heather’s baked eggs were fluffy and light. Leslie and Lauren opted for one of Square One’s most popular picks, the brioche French toast. It was moist, buttery and served with fresh vanilla bean cream. Lauren had hers topped with figs, one of the seasonal fruits available, and it looked delicious.

Though the place can definitely get crowded on the weekends, the service was attentive but not too intrusive. Overall, if you need a sweet spot for simple, refreshingly fresh food served with obvious care, Square One is a great place to go. Plus, with all dishes under $14 (most around the $10 mark), it’s a pretty decent deal.

Sometimes, it’s just good to be square.

--Chau Tu

Square One Dining is located at 4854 Fountain Ave., near the intersection of Vermont Ave. and Sunset Blvd. Open everyday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., street parking. 323.661.1109.