Orange Creamy

Sometimes a girl just needs brunch to make the world all right again. The Guild in West Hollywood has been open for a few months and offers a great brunch. The Guild takes over the old Al Bacio space, across from The Eveleigh.

There are a few brunch cocktails but the Orange Creamy caught my eye at first. Who doesn’t love Dreamsicles? This is the adult boozy version.

Orange Creamy – orange, vanilla, cream, sparkling wine

wild mushroom bruschetta

We ate practically the whole menu starting with a couple of appetizers including the wild mushroom bruschetta and the tiger shrimp ceviche. I love mushrooms and this was so flavorful. Sometimes veggie stuff can be a second-bit player but I would be glad to order this again.

tiger shrimp ceviche

The tiger shrimp were so plump. Really great ceviche.

farmers market salad

When the farmers market salad arrived on a wooden slab, I was surprised how artful this was. It was like a painting brought to life. While others oohed and ahhed over it, I made sure I snagged a grapefruit segment or two. It really is my favorite citrus.

charcuterie

We probably over did it with the charcuterie and cheese board. But once I spied that mortadella, it was all over. It is my favorite cured meat.

cheese board

I nibbled on some of the hard cheeses while I thought about my next drink. The Guild has some cheeses I’ve never seen before.

port red sangria

We decided to try both the sangrias. I had the port red sangria on the patio. I do recommend trying to get a seat at the coveted outdoors table for brunch.

chilaquiles

If you’re going to do brunch properly, you need all the entrees. Starting with the light yet filling chilaquiles to the heartier fare of chicken and waffles or lobster benedict.

The avocado in the chilaquiles dish were perfect and I liked that the eggs were scrambled just enough.

chicken and waffles

The chef has put a bit of a Cuban spin to some of the dishes. There’s a poblano sauce that gives it a nice kick. And I don’t know what he did with that chicken but I went in for another bite even though we had more (much more) food coming.

Shepard’s pie, honey bacon cornbread

I have a thing for Shepard’s pie which again the chef has given a Cuban spin. The beef is picadillo and the fried poached egg is just amazing. The rich yolk blends in with the already luxurious potato that’s been spiked with Parmesan and plantain chips.

I contemplated getting the honey bacon cornbread as dessert. It may prompt me to go on a cornbread crawl. First stop to heaven with this one.

lobster benedict

There are people who like seafood but there are also people like me who LOVE seafood. The lobster benedict might as well have been proclaimed by the seafood lovers as the best brunch dish. I got a couple of juicy chunks of lobster and was very happy about it.

steak and eggs

The Guild’s steak and eggs isn’t your granny’s steak and eggs. The beef is actually ropa vieja and it’s served with plantains, beans, rice and two gorgeous fried eggs. If I wasn’t sharing, I would be torn between this and the chicken and waffles for an entree. Or the lobster benedict. Oh hell that would be too many hard decisions, good thing we shared it all!

white peach sangria

Of the two sangrias, I liked the white peach one just a little bit more. I’m more of a stone fruit fan than berries. Both were good though for those warm, sunny brunches while watching the tourists-filled buses whiz by on Sunset.

French toast

For those who want dessert after a decadent brunch, getting the French toast is the way to go. Made with Hawaiian bread that’s been made into a pudding first, the toast is then topped with fruit, nuts, whipped cream and maple syrup.

Who wants to go to brunch next week?

The Guild

© The Minty 2016

Filed under: booze, brunch, cocktalian, food, foodie alert, minty life, restaurant reviews Tagged: benedict, brunch, brunch cocktails, ceviche, cheese, chicken and waffles, cocktails, cuban, cured meats, drinkwire, french toast, la cocktails, lobster, mushroom, restaurant review, the guild restaurant, the minty, weho, west hollywood