ALONG COMES MARY

A topic I have been wanting to make a series on Along Comes Mary has long been features and reviews on a Los Angeles staple: Sunday brunch. Look around you anywhere in LA and you will see what I mean. So many of the fabulous eateries among our city limits offer amazing brunches each weekend, complete with the brunch must: Mimosa! Lucky for me, it was just one of my best friends birthdays and she decided on brunch at North Hollywood’s Federal Bar. Music to my ears!

The Federal Bar is no stranger to me. I love their happy hour and every dish I have had there has been excellent. Located in North Hollywood’s “NoHo Arts District” on Lankershim Boulevard, you will find an array of eclectic shops, bars and coffee houses to get cozy in. What sets The Federal Bar apart is their spacious building and diversity; upstairs is not one, but two bars you can utilize should you book an event there in either their intimate VIP room or in the wide open concert hall where most nights you can be treated to music or stand up.

Downstairs is their restaurant…and, two MORE bars for all your boozing and grub needs. They don’t take being called a “bar” lightly!

It was my first time checking out their brunch offerings, and, despite it just being a page, they have a lot of goodness to select from….even gluten-free pancakes. They were not on the menu, but, they do have them! A dish that caught my eye was their Salmon and Bagel Board; in-house smoked salmon, bagel and cream cheese and all the fixings. I asked our waitress if it would be possible to try that gluten-free, and, her suggestion was to substitute the bagel with one of their gluten-free hamburger buns. We both agreed it probably would not be as epic so, alas, I passed.

What I did decide on, though, was perfect. Their Scramble Stir Fry. I got a HUGE portion of their red quinoa (so, so good, folks) with veggies galore (mushrooms, carrots, peas, even brussel sprouts) and scrambled eggs on top. Delicious and very hearty. I must be getting old as I appreciated the fact that I had a power breakfast, and not a stack of sugary, carb loaded pancakes!

If breakfast burritos and eggs Benedict are not your thing, they do offer their lunch menu during brunch, beginning at 11:30am.

Our service was also great. Our waitress was very attentive and kept a great eye on us all (We were a party of 10). Our friend who ordered their bottomless mimosa would barely finish his glass and she was like a NINJA ensuring that his glass never got, well, bottomless.

While I passed on mimosa (I know, I know), for $12, you can get your bottomless fill on. For $30, you can get 2 brunch entrees and 2 bottomless mimosa. This, to me, is a STEAL and I now know where to recommend weekend brunch should Mike and I ever want to go, or if I want to catch up with a friend.

Due to the popularity of The Federal Bar’s weekend brunch, they do ask that you enjoy yourself for a maximum of 2 hours. Completely understandable, and a good idea if you are going bottomless on your “fruit juice.”

The Federal Bar was such an awesome afternoon, and I can’t wait to return. Tell me, where do you recommend I try for brunch in LA? xo