When I heard we were going to Bagatelle for Sunday brunch, I was like “okay, brunch”. I knew very little about the whole thing until the morning of when I decided to look on the website and glanced at their Yelp page. So there is a location in New York, and another in Miami. Wait a minute….. people are scantily dressed and dancing on tables?
We arrived early and were greeted by gorgeous ladies who escorted us to our table. There was a DJ and music was playing in an opulent dining room decked out in chandeliers and luxurious white throughout.
Our server David (absolutely gorgeous and reminded me of a younger John Stamos) asked us if we’ve been before to which we said no. He smiled and informed us that we’re in for a treat. He also told us we should hang around until at least 2pm which was when things would “heat up”.
As I watched all these groups of women stream in, dressed to kill, in fact, all decked out ready to go clubbing, hair all done, heels, short short dresses, the only thing I was thinking was “please don’t let the food suck”.
Luckily there is an extensive list of drinks and I’m a huge lover of cocktails so I tell David to tell the mixologist to make me something with tequila or mezcal.
I don’t particularly remember every detail of our drinks but here’s what we sipped on throughout the afternoon. Girl from Lima; Bajan Groove ($16); Grey Goose La Poire, Thai basil, cucumber, mint, coconut water, falernuml; Iligal Anejo mezcal, avocado, green tea, oregeat, lime; Louisiana with absinthe; Death In The Afternoon variation: squid ink, absinthe, vanilla, pineapple juice, lemon; Carter Meets The Devil variation: mezcal, dos amadillos silver, serrano, lime, agave, lime juice; Milkshake drink with absinthe.
My favorites were the Girl from Lima and Iligal Anejo with avocado which I downed within 2 minutes because it was SO delicious! We thank award winning Mixologist Zach Patterson for all these creations.
Our first dish arrives, a suggestion of David’s. Endive Salad ($12) was actually rather pleasing not only aesthetically, but also, on the palate. Blue cheese, candied walnuts, strawberries in a champagne vinaigrette made for a summery and fresh start with the sweet crunch of the nuts to add a nice contrasting component.
Tuna Tartare ($18/$28) is perfect for sharing. Yellow-fin tuna is dressed well atop mashed avocado in a soy citrus vinaigrette bath. I couldn’t stop eating this simple yet delightfully addicting salty tart composition dolloped on the taro chips served alongside.
So far, I was rather pleased by everything, but most of all, the clubby music and the general fun vibe of the room. Gorgeous servers waltz around the packed room making sure everyone is well cared for and that we never were without a drink in front of us. The table next to us were just partying it up!
I’m generally not a fan of hash, but Short Rib Hash ($18) changed my mind about both short rib and also, hash. Twice cooked potato and bell pepper is combined with confit onions in a sumptuous braising jus, all of which is topped with a runny poached egg. The braised short rib was not only tender, but the flavors, sinfully rich and the oozing yolk just took it to a whole new level.
Lobster Benedict ($35) didn’t look like much but the sauteed lobster was delightfully sweet and the big lumps were rather generous over the English muffin. The soft poached hen egg and hollandaise were just icing on the cake. I highly recommend this and would order it again without hesitation.
The only sweet item we had was the Brioche French Toast ($15). I didn’t think I’d like it, but then, it was light and not overly sweet and that appealed to me. The homemade strawberry-maple marmalade was well paired with the whipped creme fraiche. Obviously, I didn’t stop at just one bite.
I did however order a side of the Applewood Smoked Bacon ($12). How could I resist?
Service was awesome and food was really, really good. In fact, I’ve been telling all my friends about it and am in the process of trying to organize a bunch of gals together for a Sunday brunch to remember! I had the time of my life that afternoon — it was SO MUCH FUN! But don’t take my word for it, make a reservation and go see for yourselves. I would like to point out though, it is definitely more fun for a group of gals than a group of guys purely because the eye candy is predominantly of the male persuasion!
Bagatelle
755 N La Cienega
Los Angeles, CA
Tel: 310-659-3900
Looks like an awesome time! Will bookmark for a future gals outing…
you should! SO much fun