When Ba Restaurant opened on York Boulevard almost a year ago, it gave a decided yank to Highland Park’s gentrification tightrope. Part of the new wave of restaurants and shops on the neighborhood’s trendiest street, the French restaurant came on the scene with a teeny menu of 20-something dollar entrees and without the populist bent of fellow newcomer Maximiliano.
Despite some detractors who view the relatively fancy restaurant as a foreshadowing to a Silver Lake-like future, Ba seems to have found an audience. And now, they’re even serving weekend brunch, which is a good option if you, like me, have been weary of the nighttime price points.
The vibe mid-morning Sunday is quiet, casual and friendly. The menu features a small selection of egg options, plus two sweet: apple pancakes and brioche french toast with wonderfully crispy edges—its the kind of dish that you think you’ll only eat half of, but you end up scraping the plate. A healthier portion of fruit would make it perfect, but at this point, they’re only giving out a couple of grapes. Real maple syrup is a decent concession, though.
Eggwise, there’s a lot to be contemplated. Going the way of the omellete gets you marguez lamb sausage and mimolette cheese (a French cheddar) or salmon, goat cheese and herbs folded into fluffy eggs. The benedict trades ham for lox, which still provides that salty finish but is ever so slightly lighter. Even better is the crab on brioche—you still get the benefit of a well-balanced hollandaise and yolky poached egg, but you get to eat lump crab.
Now that I tasted both the sweet and savory side of brunch at Ba, my next visit will bring some inevitable hand wringing. But, who knows? Maybe my next meal at Ba will be dinner because I think I’ve gotten the nudge I need to cough up the dough for a little Beef Bourguignon.
–Valentina
Ba Restaurant
5100 York Boulevard
Los Angeles, 90042
Open ’til Midnight Thurs-Saturday.
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Wow- that French toast looks pretty incredible, even though I’m usually a savory-brunch girl. We’ve been for dinner a few times and I always end up getting the steak frites. What can I say, I like the classics, and the fries are perfectly skinny, crispy and non-greasy, just the way I like ‘em! Salmon cake appetizer also good; the mushroom brulee appetizer is the perfect thing to share with a bottle of Picpoul or other light, fruit French vino.