Michele StuevenWP24 by Wolfgang Puck, perched atop the Ritz Carlton in downtown Los Angeles, is offering a Kitchen Brunch Series on Sundays through Dec. 23, and it's unlike anything you’ll find in L.A.
Diners have endless access to live culinary stations situated throughout the WP24 dining room as well as six within the restaurant’s kitchen, offering dim sum, congee and hand-rolled sushi as well as traditional breakfast items such as eggs Benedict or Belgian waffles with maple and cinnamon.
Carving station with Peking duck and leg of lamb; Credit: Michele Stueven
Chefs share tips and techniques as they prepare your custom order. The Benedict station alone has a choice of pork belly, blue crab, chicken sausage, spinach and tomato (you can have all five if that’s what suits you), and they'll top it off with béarnaise or a selection of hollandaise that includes sriracha, smoked paprika or furikake.
Congee choices include poached shrimp, pork floss, bamboo shoots, scallion, 10-minute eggs and pickled mustard greens.
Congee lineup; Credit: Michele Stueven
There are another six stations in the dining room overlooking the downtown skyline and the San Gabriel Mountains, including a carving station with Peking duck and leg of lamb, sweets and baked goods, salads, smoked salmon and a customized bloody mary cart.
Chef John Lechleidner says he loves having diners traipse through the kitchen and that it’s a much smarter option than setting up two burners in the dining room where people have to queue up in a conventional buffet line.
Spicy and smoky bloody Mary; Credit: Michele Stueven
“Usually when you’re making an omelet on one burner, you can’t make a traditional French omelet,” Lechleidner tells L.A. Weekly while supervising the seven chefs in the kitchen. “Here we have the salamander and can use two pans for a proper French omelet. We have the grill back here for the eggs Benedict and can warm things up and toast the muffins and poach the eggs to order. It’s all here and available to the guests any way they want their dishes prepared.”
Congee station; Credit: Michele Stueven
For some, it’s worth the $75 price tag just to watch somebody else do the cooking and enjoy the live music and views. Kids 12 and under eat for $25. Two hours can easily pass if you’re celebrating a special Sagittarian birthday or holiday.
On Sunday, Dec. 23, there will be a special Kitchen Brunch with Santa featuring kid-friendly stations. Kids can sip hot cocoa, decorate holiday cookies and have some quality time with Santa.
WP24 by Wolfgang Puck, 900 W. Olympic Blvd., downtown; (213) 743-8824, wolfgangpuck.com/dining/wp24-by-wolfgang-puck/.
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