Brunch is a meal that I often claim to love, but when it comes to actually getting out to experience it, staying up late the night before and lazing the day away always seems to win out. Not to mention that the brunching options in my neighborhood are mediocre at best. Now, if I lived down the street from Ad Hoc or AMMO, that’d be a different story. An invitation to scope out the “Ultimate Hangover” brunch with brats, beers, and boisterous bloggers at Culver City’s Rush Street was just the incentive I needed to get me back to brunching. Oh, and promises of bottomless mimosas too!
Inspired by the famous Chicago strip, Rush Street combines California style with Midwestern sensibilities. The spacious restaurant boasts two floors, two bars, two patios, and one very inviting stripper pole. The vibe here is fun, unpretentious, and welcoming.
Rush Street is also the unofficial meet-up location for fans of Chicago’s professional and collegiate sports teams. On the Saturday morning that we visited, Northwestern alums dressed up in all sorts of purple regalia were cheering on their team in the second floor lounge. Seeing nerdy Northwestern kids getting hyped up about football kind of made me wish that Swarthmore hadn’t canceled it after my freshman year. Wah wah.
Every Saturday and Sunday Rush Street offers a crowd-pleasing brunch menu from 9 AM to 3 PM. Endless mimosas can be had for $20 ($7 for one), while bottomless build-your-own Bloody Marys go for $20 ($10 for one). The DIY Bloody Mary station included a selection of gourmet olives and pickled vegetables, ten kinds of hot sauces, three kinds of tomato juices, and traditional seasonings and garnishes. Both The Astronomer and I went with flutes of fizzy mimosa.
As we sipped our beverages on the front patio, we dug into some of the finest spuds in town—from left to right—sweet potato fries ($7), truffle asiago fries ($7), and barbecue dusted tater tots ($7). The truffle-infused shoestrings were moreish to the extreme.
For the next part of the Rush Street brunch experience, our group moved into the main dining room. The Astronomer and I teamed up with Anjali of Delicious Coma to share our entrees in order to experience as much of the menu as possible.
Anjali’s cinnamon pecan Belgian waffles ($12) arrived doused in maple syrup and whipped cream. By the time I got around to sampling it, the copious amounts of cream and syrup had taken their toll; the once crisped-edged and chewy waffle had transformed into a sponge. Syrup on the side, please.
The Astronomer’s caramelized onion, pancetta, fig, and goat cheese pizza ($12) sounded promising, but it ended up tasting too sweet. I loved the combination of flavors on the pie, but the ratios of each ingredient needed to be slightly tweaked with stronger savory notes.
Anjali and I agreed that the fried egg sandwich ($11) was the best item of the morning. Smothered between two slices of toasted Parmesan crusted sourdough, the fried eggs mingled harmoniously with three kinds of melted cheese, pancetta, and tomatoes. A simple dish done very well.
Psst! This post has a secret song.
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Rush Street
9546 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
Phone: 310-837-9546
