I miss weekend brunches. I usually eat cold cereal and fruit on the weekdays and dream of the days when champagne Sunday brunches were en vogue. I recently visited Abigaile in Hermosa Beach to rekindle that memory.
Since I had a three day holiday weekend, I suggested to my family that we go out to Abigaile’s for brunch. It was a gorgeous, post-card, Southern California day. We were early enough to find street parking close by and watched as hoards of people walked towards the beach with beach chairs and umbrellas.
I told my family that Hermosians party late into the evening and don’t wake up until noon; I figured that we wouldn’t have to worry about crowds and parking. I was shocked because we arrived when they opened and there was already a short line of people waiting to be seated.
The brunch menu at Abigaile is quite creative. Abigaile takes standard offerings like eggs benedict or french toast and elevates them to the next level. Their version of eggs benedict is the ‘Dirty Bird Benedict’: fried chicken with sage biscuit and maple syrup topped with harissa hollandaise sauce and fried onion strings.
My wife ordered the dish that I had preselected: huevos rancheros with chilaquiles. Consequently, I ordered the Dirty Bird Benedict. Since Abigaile’s provides small plates for sharing, I wasn’t concerned. My daughter ordered the Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
We really enjoyed the huevos rancheros. This dish had great flavors and tasted like it was made from scratch. In particular, the refried beans and the chorizo were both remarkable. Even my daughter requested a small portion.
On the Dirty Bird Benedict, a fresh baked maple and sage biscuit is provided in lieu of an english muffin. On top of the biscuit are layers of fried chicken, a fried egg, harissa sauce and fried potato strings. In order to share this dish, you have to exercise caution and use a knife. The delicious biscuit made me wonder why one would even consider using an english muffin and the harissa sauce with the fried egg was an excellent topping.
If you like peanut butter, you’ll love the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Brioche bread is sliced and made into french toast with granola in the batter. Creamy peanut butter is spread on top and caramelized bananas are added on the side. Finally, a dollop of crème fraîche is added to the top. Fans of peanut butter will love this dish!
- Abigaile
- 1301 Manhattan Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254; (310) 798-8227
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/abigaile
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abigailerestaurant