D&D | Los Angeles: Ben & Bradley of New Era

I have no excuse for not posting lately so lets make this a big one! I am happy to report that I have been on vacation. ALOT of vacation! Things are about to change for me both personally and professionally and in preparation of these small life-changing events I thought it would be nice to take some time off and visit with family and all of my best friends along the west coast! Since July I have gone to Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and my beautiful hometown of Seattle (I just got back).

This particular post is dedicated to my wonderful and talented friends Ben and Bradley in Los Angeles. Ryan and I recently visited LA to spend time with mutual friends - including Ben and Brad - and we were lucky enough to spend our last night in the city at their beautiful home in Echo Park. I recently wrote about the boutique grocer Cookbook they took us to down the street from their house, which brings me to my subject... their house! We had such a great time with them. Ryan and I felt so special for getting to stay in their incredible home! See what I mean:

The house is half of a small duplex built entirely of 2 foot thick concrete walls, allowing for deep windowsills which the boys have covered in interesting objects and exotic plants potted in a mix of glass containers and assorted ceramics designed by Ben and Brad. The boys run an online store called New Era: a resource for an evolving audience of observers and buyers, working within concepts of nature and science, promoting a tradition of work utility and function.

Inside and out, Ben and Brad's house is full of little treasures... most of which were made by the boys themselves. Whether it's an iron skull, a ball of actual gold, or a sample of bedrock core, you can't wait to see what gem might be tucked away on the back of a bookshelf. It truly was one of the best 24 hours I've had in a long time.

I even had a chance to cook brunch for the boys! We enjoyed Mimosas and a Leek, Asparagus and Golden Cherry Tomato Frittata. Here's Ben helping me in the kitchen and a shot of Brad and Ryan relaxing in their yard. Why can't everyday be like this...

D&D Restaurant Rating | Hog & Rocks

I found out about Hog & Rocks when I read an article in Sunset Magazine about their top 5 restaurant choices in San Francisco that take reservations for brunch. Brunch in SF can be a big ordeal! The wait at numerous restaurants throughout the city can last up to 2 hours and depending on the atmosphere it can be anywhere from pleasantly relaxed to extremely annoying.

Like I said, Hog & Rocks was in Sunset Magazine's top 5 brunch spots that take reservations and they were in some pretty good company with Nopa leading the list. We made reservations for Sunday for 4 people at noon and were seated promptly but at this point I don't think reservations would have been necessary. Hog & Rocks is relatively new from what I understand and I believe it is the quirks of being new that made the experience barely sub-par for my friends and I. It had a welcoming vibe with interesting options for seating and the overall aesthetic was modern and semi-masculine with the perfect amount of sophistication. The location is to die for! It's hidden in the heart of the Mission District on 19th between Valencia and Mission.

It's an oyster bar so that's exactly what we ordered with a dozen fresh oysters coming in at $18. A perfect way to start a meal! The presentation of everything they brought us was beautiful. The only downfall was the service. Our server was great, but seemed preoccupied by the other half of the restaurant he was tending to. It started out great but by the end of our meal when the entire restaurant was almost full he was basically non-existent. From what I could tell though there were only 2 servers working the entire place so it's not enough of an issue to keep me from coming back. I would gladly go back for the $4 Cinnamon Roll with whiskey caramel glaze!

Ryan and I ended up splitting the Goetta Florentine with poached eggs, pan fried pork, spinach, hollandaise and yukon gold potatoes and the Farmer’s Market Omelette with cherry tomatoes, corn, ricotta, and yukon gold potatoes. Both options were great but I think we preferred the omelette over the florentine. The food was warm but just on the verge of going cold so the hollandaise was starting to congeal. Again, I blame this on being short staffed and having a full restaurant to feed. The only thing I would do differently next time would be to go earlier.

Oh, and maybe try something different, like the Breakfast Tacos!