The Astronomer, June, and I had a great Sunday brunch at Lulu back in April. It was so memorable, in fact, that June insisted that I write about it on the blog even though its been several months. “It might’ve been my favorite lunch,” she says. “It just had amazing food, baby birds, and the seats were like couches. It was a long drive, but totally worth it.” Consider this post the first-ever June x Gastronomy collaboration.
This bastion of California cooking from legendary chefs Alice Waters and David Tanis opened last November on the ground floor courtyard of the Hammer Museum. Lulu’s food and vibe are laidback yet confident, leaning into the season’s best ingredients and letting them do what they do best. The menu is reminiscent of what’s served at Chez Panisse Cafe, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well this East Bay import fit in here in Los Angeles.
With two menus available — a three-course prix fixe for $45 and an a la carte menu with dishes large and small — it’s easy to choose your own adventure. The kitchen’s commitment to coaxing the purest flavors from its impeccably sourced ingredients is apparent with every dish.
Between the three of us, we were able to share the pre-fixe menu and make a sizable dent in the a la carte menu. June polished off an entire bowl of the roasted almonds ($8)…
…a millet muffin ($5)….
…and a serving of the potato chips with rosemary ($5).
For the table, Clark Street country bread with cultured butter ($5).
From the a la carte menu, we ordered the Moroccan carrot salad with cumin and green olives ($17)…
…the French lentil salad with herb vinaigrette, broccolini, and egg ($16)…
…the baked Sonoma goat cheese with mixed lettuces ($18)…
…huevos rancheros with New Mexican red chile sauce ($18)…
…and spicy eggplant “banh mi” on focaccia ($16). While the salads were pleasantly light, both the huevos rancheros and banh mi were flavor-forward enough to satisfy an LA palate.
The three-course set menu included tender asparagus served with smoked salmon…
…a red wine-braised lamb with springtime vegetables and crispy polenta…
…and a slice of olive oil walnut cake with Meyer lemon ice cream and strawberries.
To round out our meal, an additional trio of excellent desserts. My favorite was the pistachio olive oil cake ($12) with whipped cream and macerated strawberries. The cake was exquisite with its tender and nutty profile.
Also tremendous was the thick chocolate mousse ($10).
The richness of the flourless chocolate pave with chantilly cream ($12) was everything we hoped. A meal on Lulu’s sun-dappled patio is seriously lovely, just take it from me (and June).
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Lulu at the Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90024
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