Gjelina
I have been to this Abbot Kinney haunt a few times, nestled in between the late-nite standbys of Hal’s and the Brig, and a sudden realization dawned upon me: it appears that a Prius with Al Gore in the passenger seat exploded inside the interior of this restaurant.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The dark wood paneling and no-nonsense cloth napkins all scream “LEED-certified architecture”, but my primary concern is whether this would be a good Sunday brunch place?
The answer is an unqualified yes. Sit outside on the patio where the bored housewives and Venice hipsters sit together in their assorted sunglasses and start with a few bloody beers and calimuchos (red wine and Coca Cola, trust me this is great). We had the grits, the prosciutto with burrata and peaches, and a fried egg sandwich. All were very satisfying although the grits were a little bland. I prefer mine saddled with cheese and butter, but hey, that could just be my East coast HDL cholesterol craving talking. For proper grits, refer to S.P.’s earlier entry on S&W Country Diner. And what’s a lazy brunch without desserts? The butterscotch pot de creme and the banana chocolate bread pudding were nicely received - watch out, the pot de creme is really rich. And awesome. - H. Lee
Gjelina, 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
