EASTER BRUNCH (IF YOU DARE...)

Easter Sunday: the quintessential day of holy days in the Roman Catholic calendar, as well as all of Chrstiandom. At Mass this morning, I was reminded of the special meaning that this day holds for Christians. But while I sat there contemplating the mysteries of faith, my mind kept fleeting back and forth to the thoughts of the event that was to come after Mass was over: Easter Brunch.

Awful, right? I know. I pretty much suck. But God knows my heart. He knows that my heart was at Mass, even though my mind kept going elsewhere. And soon enough, the time came. The roomie and I drove to Lesley's, and we hopped into her car and headed towards Marina Del Rey. Destination: The Warehouse.

When we pulled up to the restaurant on Admiralty Way, we were welcomed into the busy parking lot by the flustered valet, who barely had enough wits about him to greet us a "Happy Easter." The place was packed! Even though we had reservations for 1PM, we had to wait just like the rest of the patrons who also had reservations. The entry way was bustling with people waiting to be seated for the $34.95 brunch buffet. We weren't seated until about 1:40PM, and we became anxious to get down to business. As soon as we sat down, our server poured us mimosas, and then we headed to our posts on the buffet line.

The ladies headed to the breakfast line, so I went to the other station. I found myself in the presence of a mish-mosh of things: salads, a carving station, comfort food (mac 'n cheese, pasta, ribs, fried chicken), Mexican, Asian, crab legs, oysters on the half shell, maki rolls, desserts and a selection of cheeses. I honestly didn't know what to do at that point, and I was putting all sorts of stuff on my plate.

My next plan of action was to head to the breakfast food line. It was moving a bit slower because people were waiting for their made-to-order pancakes and waffles. I opted not to wait, and I filled my plate with breakfast sausages, bacon, home fries, roasted potatoes, a blueberry blintze, a slice of French toast, and eggs Benedict.

Now the food wasn't super spectacular, but it was definitely a fun time. But by the time I sat down with my third (and final) plate, I could hardly touch it. I was picking at it until it was no longer nice to look at. I couldn't even think of dessert, so I had Les pick-up a few slices of whatever she could when she went to check it out.

The view of the Marina from our table

Mimosas

The remnants of my "breakfast" food plate

Finale: the final plate (which I hardly touched)

The restaurant itself is quite interesting. It is fashioned in the style of an old fisherman's warehouse; a bit kitschy, yet cool at the same time. If I could explain it, I'd probably say it's a good cross between the set of Gilligan's Island and 'The Pirates of the Caribbean' ride at Disney. There are wooden planks, fish nets, bunting, and large wooden barrels situated all over the place. To get upstairs you have to use an industrial-style lift, that looks vintagey. And you're seated on tall wooden chairs with high-backs that were very Polynesian in style.

The Warehouse is situated in the Marina, facing the private docks, so if you're seated on the outdoor patio, or inside by the big windows, you're sure to have a great view. The place gets mixed reviews. I found it charming, and understood the wait due to the holidays. The food was OK; it defintely wasn't the best, but it had it's high points. Ning enjoyed the waffles, and we all thought that the breakfast-style foods were very good.

We were useless after the food-fest, but it was well worth it; a nice chance to celebrate the end of Lent, and the beginning of the Easter season. Praise the Lord, fo sho!
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The Warehouse, 4499 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, 310-823-5451