Tag Archives: SQIRL

Kiss My Hass: The 7 Best Avocado Toasts in LA

In Los Angeles, the five basic food groups are Fruits, Vegetables, Meats/Eggs, Oat Milk, and Avocado Toast. And the last one is by far the most important. We love our avocado toast in LA and consume it religiously following our Sunday morning yoga and pilates classes. It’s a delicious reminder that we live the good life here in Southern California. Below are my current seven favorite avo toasts in town:

7. Sqirl. The Avocado Toast from Sqirl is topped with Hot Pickled Carrots, Garlic Crème Fraîche and House Za'atar. Just like everything else at Sqirl, it’s pretty awesome.

6. Tartine Bianco. The Avo Toast at new kid on the block, Tartine Bianco, is actually referred to as a “Smørrebrød” and topped with Jalapeño, Cilantro and Pumpkin Seeds. It’s served on Tartine Bakery’s Danish Rye Bread.

5. Gjusta. This is a secret off menu item at Gjusta. I love the simplicity of it; the chunky avocado slices, the course salt and the amazing Gjusta Pumpernickel Bread.

4. Le Pain Quotidien. “Le Pain” (pronounced “Pan”), which is how we refer to this ubiquitous chain, is famous for their Avocado Toast. It’s topped with Citrus Cumin Salt, Chia Seeds, and Olive Oil.

3. The Joint Eatery. Ripe avocado slices are served here on a nice thick toasted slice of Brioche. Since this Valley newcomer specializes in amazing seafood dishes, I suggest getting your Avocado Toast topped with what I believe to be the best crab salad you’ve ever eaten in your life.

2. Bluestone Lane. The very best Avocado Toasts tend to to come from hipster coffee chains and the one at Bluestone Lane is no exception. It’s made with a smashed avocado seasoned with fresh lemon juice, salt & pepper, chili flakes & olive oil, and served atop a slice of toasted multigrain bread.

1. Alfred Coffee. Maybe it’s because I like basic things perfectly executed, but this classic Avo Toast is my favorite in the city. It features Watermelon Radish, Sprouts, Grape Seed Oil, Red Pepper Flakes and Lemon, and it’s served on Pumpernickel from The Larder Bakery. The only disappointing thing is it’s available in only one of Alfred’s many locations, the one in Silverlake.

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We Be Jammin’

Brioche Toast, Cranberry Bourbon Jam and Nut Butter
Located on ungentrified Virgil Avenue in East Hollywood, SQIRL is an exceptionally good breakfast and lunch joint and one of the biggest hipster haunts in the city, packed with more vintage-clad, irony-obsessed, artisan-loving neo-bohemians than an organic food co-op in Williamsburg. The name of the restaurant is a combination of “squirrel” and “girl,” and refers to owner Jessica Koslow, a former producer of American Idol and a girl who “squirrels” things away by making jams and other preserves. SQIRL’S homemade jellies, jams and marmalades feature prominently in the menu and come in such flavors as Blackberry + Meyer Lemon, Pakistan Mulberries + Thai Magic Basil, and Moroblood Orange + Tonga Vanilla Bean.

One the best ways to sample the preserves is by ordering an obscenely thick slice of brioche toast slathered with nut butter and jam. While I love this open-faced PB&J, as well as SQIRL’s Malva Pudding, a decadent spongy caramelized pudding-cake, my favorite dish is their breakfast rice bowl. It’s unlike any rice bowl I’ve consumed before and made with Kokuhu Rose Brown Rice, Sorrel Pesto, Preserved Meyer Lemon, Lacto Fermented Hot Sauce, French Feta, Pickled Radish and a Poached Egg. It’s one of those perfect dishes where artisanal ingredients with disparate flavors are creatively fused together to produce something that seems both harmoniously simple and wonderfully complex. I’m completely obsessed.

SQIRL is located at 720 N. Virgil Ave., Los Angeles (in East Hollywood near Silverlake).

Kokuho Rose Brown Rice, Sorrel Pesto, Preserved Meyer Lemon, Lacto Fermented Hot Sauce, French Feta and Poached Egg

Kokuho Rose Brown Rice, Sorrel Pest, Preserved Meyer Lemon, Lacto Fermented Hot Sauce, French Feta, Radish and Poached Egg

Sunchoke Hash with Cheddar, Potato, Scallion and Fried Egg

Sunchoke Hash with Cheddar, Potato, Scallion and Fried Egg

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate, Hazelnut and Lime Vinaigrette

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate, Hazelnut and Lime Vinaigrette

Malva Pudding

Malva Pudding

Sweets for sweet hipsters

Sweets for sweet hipsters

Squirl, that's my jam

SQIRL, that’s my jam


SQIRL on Urbanspoon

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Filed under East Hollywood, Silver Lake