When someone mentions the word brunch, we immediately say, “Where?!” It is our meal of meals, the bacon atop our mac and cheese. Brunch can be a Vegas AYCE extraordinaire, or a highbrow prix fixe served at Cafe Hipster. The interpretation may vary, but one thing remains consistent: eggs. Glorious eggs.
As soon as one of our favorite loncheras turned brick-and-mortar announced they received their beer and wine license last year, they knew the best way to celebrate– more excellent fare. Slapfish's evolving brunch not only reminds us of mimosas and bloody Mary's, but of the sustainable seafood orchestrated by Andrew and Jethro.
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Our brekkie kicked off with a Sneaky Peach: fruity lemonade with a shot of soju. Or as we like to think of it, all the buzz without the bubbles. At five bucks, it was our gateway cocktail. Their half-dozen sides featured a quartet of potato options. However, we opted for a simple lobster dip. If you like your tortilla chips thick, they fry 'em up good. More tea sandwich filling than actual dip, our concentrated lobster goodness wasn't something we would bitch about further.
A classic Benny gets a Slapfish touch and is presented as a clobster.
Crab and lobster instead of ham? Yes and yes. Our poached egg yolks
oozed when broken under a tomato hollandaise cascade. Surprisingly, we did not miss
our beloved pork in this dish.
Their serving of fork-tender potatoes sopped up our mess nicely.
While their 'Any Given Sunday' selections made our morning, the bottom
of the menu featured 'Any Day' options. This was an edited list of lunch
and dinner items for regulars seeking a Major Crunchy or Chowder Fries fix.
The next shared plate (the only way we can get through it all) was technically a brunch departure, although the inclusion of fried egg tied it right back into our lazy Sunday. Earthy asparagus lightened the mood and paired well with rich salmon. More Charlie Palmer than modern seafood shack, our simple and elegant dish maintained the same balanced flavor as Slapfish's other entrees.
With an evolving menu, some things may change. So we hesitated to share some of our food porn. You shouldn't expect crispy bacon served up in Coca Cola gravy, but it would be a very pleasant surprise if you did. Our dining companion gave her stamp of approval on their sexy-as-hell shrimp and grits, securing a spot on our Top 100.
We ended our beachy brunch with dessert.There's a perfectly sensible, honey-drizzled fruit plate. Or there's a dangerously rich panini, as pictured above. Generally served with bacon filling, the kitchen sensed our defeat and omitted it for the sake of our hardening arteries. Still, the whipped cream blanketing our Nutella banana madness brought us to a standstill. Griddled on the flat top, the sandwich's overall crispness was more than we could handle. It is at this point we crawled home for a nap.
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A contributing writer for OC Weekly, Anne Marie freelances for multiple online and print publications, and guest judges for culinary competitions. A Bay Area transplant, she graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management from Cal Poly Pomona. Find her on Instagram as brekkiefan.