7 Best Bloody Marys In L.A.

J. Garbee

Bloody Mary At Joe's Restaurant

4. Joe's Restaurant. At some point in L.A.'s blue crab-Weiser Farms potato hash brunch history, the Bloody Mary crossed the great kitchen divide from doctored-up bottled tomato juice sips to fresh ingredients only-type fare. Whether that's a good thing depends on where you stand on the Bloody Mary-as-liquid-ketchup flavor spectrum. Regardless, long before those mixology-inspired heirloom tomato juice versions, there was, and still is, the thoughtful, fresh-forward Bloody Mary at Joe's Restaurant. Light on the tomato juice so it doesn't overwhelm Joe Miller's brunch creations, you can taste those subtle chef tweeks and tinkerings. Only here, as we've come to expect from Miller, they're done in a very restrained, classic Bloody Mary tribute sort of way. 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, (310) 399-5811.

Daina Beth Solomon

Bloody Mary With Atomic Pickle At Cole's

3. Cole's. Anything that gets a 24-hour rest to develop flavor (sourdough bread, Jacques Torres' chocolate chip cookie dough, we could go on) is usually more complex than its just-mixed cousin. As a cocktail case study of that theory, we offer Cole's Bloody Mary. The secret to the tomato base is juice from the house-made "atomic" pickles, plenty of horseradish and the clincher, the same in-house rub the kitchen uses for their meat (not as odd as it sounds, if you think about the flavor parallels). Give it a 24 hour rest, add some vodka, and you've got one of the best Bloody Marys in town. Maybe even the best, depending on the day of the week you ask us. 118 E. Sixth St., Downtown, (213) 622-4090.

Daina Beth Solomon

Maryland Mary At The Hungry Cat

2. The Hungry Cat. Seafood, really good seafood. And really good Bloody Marys. You get the idea. Any Bloody Mary at The Hungry Cat is excellent on its own, preferably with a side like the crab cake Benedict, chorizo frittata or main lobster roll. But we're partial to that Maryland Mary with a spicy-salty rim and served with an oyster. Ingeniously simple, fresh, and just a touch different, as with every other Hungry Cat cocktail we've sampled. Another half dozen oysters on the side? Sure, why not. 1535 N. Vine St., Hollywood, (323) 462-2155; 100 W. Channel Rd., Santa Monica, (310) 459-3337.

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