You won’t find decadent French toast or overstuffed omelettes on the brunch menu at Echo Park’s Cortez, but what you will find, inspired Mediterranean fare, is quite possibly even better.
Marta Teegan, the owner of nearby green grocer Cookbook, opened Cortez after years of hearing from neighbors and customers that she really ought to have a restaurant. In the spirit of Cookbook, Cortez serves locally grown organic produce, sustainable seafood, and pasture-raised meats. The room is as simple and comfortable as they come.
My brunch-mate Kat and I sipped cava mimosas ($11) to start, a bubbly, zippy reward for enduring the horrendous traffic to get there.
We shared one starter, two mains, and a dessert this afternoon. To start was an unforgettable slab of focaccia with fennel seeds, rosemary, and best of all, juicy pinot grapes ($5). The fennel seeds, with their lingering anise notes, provided an unexpected crunchy contrast.
The shakshuka ($12), an Israeli dish of eggs poached in a chunky piquillo-tomato sauce, came next. It was served with a dollop of spiced yogurt and za’atar flatbread.
The eggs could’ve been a bit runnier and the sauce a bit spicier, but man, the flatbread was glorious. Cortez’s baker deserves a raise! Altogether this dish was comforting and tasty.
Hitting a lighter note was the tuna nicoise, a composed salad of green beans, potatoes, and a medium-hard cooked egg ($14). The potatoes, chilled, creamy, and drizzled in olive oil, were the star of the plate.
To finish, a pitch perfect slice of Basque cake ($6), an almond-flour cake done up with a layer of vanilla pastry cream.
Two lil’ meringues were presented with the bill.
Brunching at Cortez offered a splendid diversion from the usual Saturday morning French toast and omelettes. The food was thoughtful and well-prepared, while the ambiance was perfect for catching up with my girlfriend. This place is definitely going in the rotation.
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Cortez
1356 Allison Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Phone:213-481-8015
There’s more excellent eats in Echo Park:
LOVE shakshuka: that’s one of the dishes I make often when I have no energy/desire to cook dinner.
The two merengues are the cutest idea ever…well, other than the dark chocolate chunks you get at Hanks in DC 🙂
Thanks for posting, Cathy. I’ve been curious about this place but was afraid that the portions would be miniscule. You’ve inspired me.
I feared the same thing, Valentina! Brunch portions are just right and quite tasty. I’d return again in a heartbeat.
Sounds positively delightful and just up my alley! Can I join you in the rotation some time?
I will take you here for your birthday, DTAB!
Jessica – the baker, my friend, & Pasadena area gal – does deserve a raise! And everything she’s ever made for me I’ve loved.