Cocktail Hotspot True Laurel Opens for Spritz and Patty Melt Brunch

True Laurel’s expert cocktails and bar food are now available for brunch, including that popular patty melt with the welcome morning addition of a beef fat-fried egg.

“It totally makes sense as a brunch item to do serious battle with a rough morning,” says True Laurel chef de cuisine (and patty melt mastermind) Geoff Davis. “The beef-fat fried egg just pushed it over the top for breakfast.”

Lazy Bear chef/owner David Barzelay and partner/bar director Nicolas Torres opened True Laurel in late 2017, serving elegant cocktails and a taste of food from Lazy Bear (which boasts two Michelin stars) in a more casual setting. Now the mid-century inspired bar — see a sculptural wall inspired by Isamu Noguchi’s famous playscapes — will welcome some daylight and daytime customers.

Hangover cures at brunch include boozy, mezcal-squirted oysters, their rims lined like glasses of sangrita with toasted dried chili and lime salt. For something lighter, Davis’ menu includes house-made coconut yogurt, topped with strawberries and blueberries, lime, toasted coconut and almonds, and palm sugar.

Eggs and pancakes also make appearances, but they’ve been upgraded: Now they’re soft scrambled eggs with chicken confit, house made fermented hot sauce, and “lots of butter,” and cornmeal pancakes (with “Bloody Butcher” cornmeal from Tierra Vegetables in Sonoma County) and sweet corn butter plus house-smoked maple syrup.

Of course, there are brunch drinks, and of course they’re not mimosas. “To me, brunch and early drinking in general calls for simplicity,” says Torres. He’ll serve classic Kir petillant (with Alsatian framboise liqueur and cava) pet-nat spritzes (with Meyer lemon, feijoa, and cinnamon), and Temescal Hazy IPA shandys (with winter citrus shrub, mandarino, and salt). There are some zero proof drinks, too, like a King’s Cup (with lemonade, thyme, and Rooibos tea). Or for a pick me up, try the True Brew (Grand cold brew, Caffe’ Amaro, PX sherry, cold crème).

Starting this Saturday, True Laurel is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends, with the bar open through the evening and the kitchen back open at 5 p.m.