Osteria La Buca - Los Angeles

I got to visit Osteria La Buca during Sunday brunch over the weekend. Los Angeles. You would think the 101 is free or at least think people are at church. No. The 101 towards downtown will forever be filled with cars along with stop and go traffic. Oh the joy. Knowing this restaurant is located on Melrose is also another stinger to think you will need to drive into LA. Before I got all boo-hoo-crybaby-face. My gps told me my destination would be on my left in 1 mile. 1 MILE. Melrose blvd is no joke. But to know the restaurant is on the outskirts of the busy street was music to my ears.

And I got the ultimate VIP parking right in front. It was all luck and perfect timing coordination on my part. So Sunday, 12 PM, time to eat.

Aye Aye to a full bar. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever mood you are in, they will fix you up.

No cocktails for me that day. Played 9 hours of Final Fantasy XV the night before so coffee was definitely imperative that day.

California Toast - Toasted rosemary sourdough, avocado, soft scrambled eggs and an arugula herb salad. I loved the arugula herb salad. It was a nice touch and not something I expected when I took a bite. The eggs were perfectly soft scrambled for all the Chef Gordon Ramsay's out there.

Neighborhood pizza - Guajillo sauce, taleggio cheese, pancetta, pickled pearl onions and baked egg. What part of that do you not like? This pizza was delicious. I loved the pickled pearl onions touch. We keep a jar of these all the time and it's a great palate cleanser. The pickled onions helped by cutting the richness from the pancetta and baked eggs. The guajillo sauce and taleggio cheese was a nice touch. And Pancetta? Well, Pancetta.

Grab a slice, and swim it through the eggs.

The famous Bucatini Carbonara that I've been seeing everywhere. Made with house pancetta, poached egg, and freshly cracked pepper. The pasta was perfectly al dente that springs back with each bite. The egg was also executed beautifully with a soft runny yolk. The element that brought this home for me was the cracked black pepper. It gave it a nice heat element that warms your face and your throat as it goes down. It had great flavor too.

The steps to eat carbonara: Pop that yolk. Toss the pasta. Twirl your pasta from your fork in your spoon. Keep spinning. Eat.

Make your reservations.

 5210 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038

Breakfast Potatoes with Egg and Pretzel Bread

There's just something so special about breakfast/brunch on the weekends. I just love waking up early in the morning, to look forward to a fantastic day. Although I haven't had time to do much lately, this meal of the day is something I am always excited about. I love to eat out at restaurants. If you were to ask me what I did over the weekend, I will tell you something that involved something I made or a dining experience somewhere.

John and I went to a Sur La Table in Pasadena, which is by far one of my favorite places to go to. There's all kinds of inspiration I find when I go there, and finding things I never thought I would need. Basically, I need everything in that store. We were looking at pans, and the non-stick pan I currently have right now is failing to keep up with my massive cooking needs. I've been in need of a larger pan of some sort that has a lot of surface rather than depth. We ran into a pan made by "Scanpan" that seemed like what I was looking for. Not much hesitation even though it took us about an hour in the store to commit to this purchase. What's also great about this non-stick pan is that it's scratch resistant.

Low and Behold, I put this little beast to work for one of my favorite breakfast brunch items: Breakfast Potatoes.

View fullsize

Breakfast Potatoes with Pancetta and Pretzel Bread.

I made everything you see here with one pan. The Pancetta was rendered until crispy before the potatoes were thrown in to be coated. I always microwave the potatoes before throwing them in a pan to cook. Doing so just helps with making sure the potatoes are cooked throughout, there's nothing I hate more than a beautiful golden crust than a undercooked crunchy potato inside. Some shallots were also added with sharp cheddar. Everything was assembled at the end with a few eqqs on top finished in the oven.

View fullsize

Breakfast potatoes with Pancetta, Eggs and Pretzel Bread.

If you've never had pretzel, do yourself a favor and try it. I am changed forever. The one you see here is from Whole Foods. Light brush of canola on top with a sprinkle of Kosher salt heated in the oven. Oh and a dazzle of Parsley for color.

This was such a treat! I always love a breakfast that makes me want to take a nap, I guess that's why the coffee is there for.

If you decide to get it, let me know what you think. If you have any questions regarding it, feel free to ask.

Happy Cooking!

~Daisy.