Botanica
Seasonal, California inspired restaurant & market.
Silverlake Blvd. A road well acquainted with hip shops and lots of foot traffic (and car traffic too). It’s perfect that Botanica sits on such a busy street as such a serene oasis from the hustle and bustle of the boulevard. Even the servers have greet and serve you warmly with enough zen vibes to brush all that 101 traffic off you!
More restaurants should be opened by food critics, just like Emily Fiffer and Heather Sperling. Having spent an accumulative 20+ years writing reviews on restaurants, attending global culinary conferences and even becoming an apprentice in London restaurants, the owners of Botanica bring a impressive level of expertise to their restaurant on Silvelake Blvd.
Everything, down to the black and white floral print clipboard with a tasteful gold clip to hold the menu, to the two toned dark navy blue and grey mug, to the way each dish is plated. No detail is too small for this stunning and peaceful retreat of a restaurant!
Some of the ingredients they pride themselves in using are all-local vegetables, fruits and dairy, a rainbow of grains and legumes, California olive oil, coconut oil, organic grapeseed oil and organic local butter, wild Pacific seafood, and occasionally a bit of sustainably raised meat. What you won’t find? Refined sugars or processed food. Is it still delicious? ABSOLUTELY.
For a mid week brunch bite, (which isn’t always possible in LA, as most restaurants are only open on the weekends for brunch) the Turkish Eggs flavor was incredible! Every bite felt like the flavor was bursting in our mouth, with the aleppo-urfa butter, garlicky yogurt, charred scallions, lemony salad & cornmeal focaccia. And because the owners are stoked on their veggies, they’ve got some great options on their dinner menu, ranging from the Weiser Farms Honeynut Squash and California Squid and Smoked Chickpeas, to the Za’atar Chicken and Grilled Lam Kabobs. A little option for everyone.
Staying true to their innovative food recipes, the cocktails offer the same fresh and healthy zesty twist on classic cocktails. Their gin and tonic, for example, is stalked with Fever Tree tonic, flower waters, rosemary, and cucumber, making that the healthiest G&T I’ve ever had!