I am, admittedly, a bit of a klutz. I was at the wonderfully happy Garcia Bros Café on a busy strip of Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys, trying to open a small pod of half-and-half for my coffee. And my fat fingers just couldn’t get any leverage. The small seal on the top obstinately refused to budge.
I was on the verge of plunging a fork into it when my affable server abled by, noticed my distress, and asked if I could use some help. I was embarrassed to say yes. But I was also embarrassed to open the pod with a fork. So I nodded. And she flipped it open in a second.
“How did you do that?” I asked.
“Practice” she replied.
Garcia Bros Café is like that. They make so many breakfasts every morning, they get them right every time. They never fail to get the pair of eggs, over easy, just right — the white is solid and set … the yolk is liquid gold that flows over the green of the avocado toast on toasted sourdough. I’ve never had a dish here that wasn’t just right. Served in a small room with a big patio in front, and a smaller patio on the side. Garcia Bros gets the day off to a tasty, well-fed start.
We are a city awash in breakfast-and-lunch only destinations, most with cult followings. Acolytes speak rapturously of the avocado toast and the eggs Benedict, of the pancakes piled high with berries and whipped cream, and the breakfast burritos packed with a veritable kitchen sink of contradictory ingredients.
In my experience, the sandwiches and salads of lunch seem like an afterthought. It’s the waffles that bring us in. And keep bringing us back.
I’ve long pondered why breakfast is (in most cases) only served in the morning. I’d be glad to have an omelet for dinner. Indeed, over the years, I’ve often made myself a scramble of some sort after hunching home from a concert that ran long past my bedtime.
The classic penchant for eating a sirloin with a baked potato and a martini in the wee hours has long befuddled me. If I eat a steak before bed, I’ll dream of giant nuclear ants chasing me through the water tunnels of Los Angeles. (The 1954 horror film “Them!” lives deep in my subconscious.)
But eggs are easy on the inner workings. And though waffles and crêpes may hit us with a lot more carbs and a sugar high, they still beat a tomahawk steak when it comes to digestion — early in the morning, or late at night. And maybe best of all are the Mexican “house specialties” at Garcia Bros. (With a name like that, you expected kung pao chicken?)
My favorite Mexican breakfast dish has long been chilaquiles, the Latino equivalent of matzoh brie. In the case of matzoh brie, matzoh is broken into pieces and scrambled with eggs. In the case of chilaquiles, the matzoh is replaced with torn-up tortillas. Along with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, sour cream, avocado, red onions and tomatoes. You can add chicken or chorizo for $4 extra.
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It’s a cousin to the huevos rancheros and the huevos con pollo on the menu. And a distant relative of the trio of breakfast burritos.
The basic is packed with scrambled eggs, cheddar, tomatoes, onions, avocado and pinto beans. There’s tomatillo sauce on top. The supreme breakfast burrito is filled with ham, sausage, bacon, eggs and hash browns. The wet burrito is topped with ranchero sauce and sour cream.
There’s a brunch burger, too, with a sunny-side up egg along with the American cheese and thousand island dressing. The wonderfully named Victory Morning Sandwich uses goat cheese. I like that.
For those who aren’t getting their A1C checked anytime soon, the tiramisu pancakes are a sweet alternative — a pair of coffee-flavored pancakes with chocolate chips, cocoa powder, whipped cream, powdered sugar and tiramisu sauce. It’s a tiramisu disassembled, and then recreated as a whole new dish.
More Merrill: Middle Eastern food in Northridge has many fans at this restaurant
If you want, you can choose your own assortment of pancake flavorings — strawberries, blueberries, bananas, Nutella, chocolate chips, whipped cream, maple syrup. You want to tailor your own omelet or scramble, there are 25 add-ons. Chicken apple sausage and blue cheese sound nice. Maybe washed down with a Mexican Coke. Which doesn’t demand an ability to open the lid atop a half-and-half pod.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
Garcia Bros Café
Rating: 3 stars
Address: 14308 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys
Information: 818-855-1748; www.garciabroscafe.com
Cuisine: Big portions of daily breakfast and lunch
When: Breakfast and lunch, every day
Details: Coffee, tea, soft drinks and smoothies; no reservations
Prices: About $20 per person
On the menu: 5 Pancakes ($10.95-$15.95), 4 Waffles ($10.95-$14.95), 3 Crêpes ($8-$13.95), 5 Egg Dishes ($8-$29.95), 3 Benedicts ($14.95), 8 Omelets & Scrambles ($10-$16.95), 3 Breakfast Burritos ($13.50-$14.95), 8 House Specialties ($11.95-$17.95), 11 Burgers & Sandwiches ($11.50-$17.95), 2 Pastas ($13.95), 4 Salads ($10-$15.95), 4 Wraps ($14.95-$16.95), 4 Kids Menu Dishes ($7-$8.50)
Credit cards: MC, V
What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)