Thanks @ipsedixit. Ah Dominique Ansel… the creator of the Cronut?! But then again that link / menu looks awesome! 
Marcona Almond Lavender Croissant?! 
And a Garlic Bread Croissant? LOL. Intriguing.
Do you have any favorites here in LA?
@PorkyBelly darn you! Those look gorgeous.
Thanks @Alkiegourmand. I see that they don’t have their own brick & mortar store? If not, which locations around town have you found to be the freshest? (just can’t bear the thought of eating pastries that have sat around (not fresh out of the oven) for X# of days.
@J_L: Thanks for the lesson! Very interesting. 
I liked my visit to Pitchoun, didn’t notice the Kouign there before. I’ll definitely try it next time!
Not exactly traditional (but we are in LA after all, right?) but I think the version from Sharon Wang at Sugarbloom Bakery is pretty darn fantastic.
How can you go wrong with a butter cake made, in part, with white miso and Okinawan black sugar?
I haven’t gone wrong with the one at Stumptown on Santa Fe in the arts district. But I have no knowledge regarding the distribution of this pastry.
These are the best kouign-amann I’ve ever had. Perhaps one of the best things I’ve ever eaten period. I don’t know how they do it…I can’t even eat kouign-amann elsewhere because of these motherfuckers…
don’t bakers – top notch ones, anyway – always put at least a “pinch” of salt in all their pastry? something about it
keeping the pastry from tasting “flat”?
(cue ‘pushing tin’ - like argument about bread v. pastry here)
Thanks @ipsedixit . I got Alkie’s rec, but do you have a location you’d recommend to get Sugarbloom’s pastries at? (since they don’t have their own store.)
Yes, all the time. Adding a bit of sugar to baked goods generally creates a nice balanced dimension to the sweetness (i.e., chocolate chip cookie dough); otherwise you just get a flat sickly sweet baked good.
But the salt that I speak of in a kouign-amann is there more than just to create dimensional balance for the sweet flavors of the pastry. It is there to provide an extra layer of flavor, that is not apparent unless you are looking for it.
Good bet is usually the locations in downtown. But your best bets to finding her latest creations is to follow her on Instagram.
Hi tailbacku,
I’d agree that the dish was a bit too tart. For mine, it didn’t bother me as much with the egg yolk mixed in with the red peppers and tomatoes. I’d agree that sweeter summer tomatoes would make the dish much better. I liked the other 2 dishes (Kimchi Fried Rice and Mushroom Toast much more - they were fantastic).
Update:
Stopped by for another brunch. Looking at their cured meats case, I suddenly had a craving for Charcuterie. I wish they served that for brunch.
Purple Juice: Carrot, Beet, Pomegranate, Ginger:
Fresh-pressed juice was pretty delicious and I loved the Ginger to kick-start my morning. 
We had 3 pastries today, starting with their Mini Chocolate Bundt Cake:
This was intensely chocolatey, and moist. It’s not as insane as Gjusta’s Pumpernickel Fudge Brownie, but this was just the right amount of sweet and airy.
Lemon & Poppyseed Cake:
Had to get another Lemon & Poppyseed Cake. This time, it was better than our last visit: There was enough moisture and flaky, crumbly texture.
Creme Brulee Bombolini:
Forgot to take a picture because my friend inhaled half of it before I noticed. 
It was the highlight of our pastries today. Perfect glaze on top, airy, and the inner Custard was just sweet and fragrant enough without it being cloying. Really, really good!
Adobo Fried Rice (Pork Belly, Fried Eggs):
I was looking forward to this second style of Fried Rice at Republique after the delicious Kimchi Fried Rice last time, but it wasn’t as good. It’s not bad, but the Adobo sauce tasted rather flat (basic salty-soy sauce flavor), and the Pork Belly was a bit overcooked (dryish).
Their Kimchi Fried Rice with Beef Short Ribs was much better, so we’d probably stick with that next time.
Dry-Aged Beef Burger (Cheese, Caramelized Onions, French Fries):
I was really looking forward to this, since I heard so much about the Burger and especially the twice-fried French Fries that came with it.
First, you can definitely taste a good beefiness with their Dry Aged Beef. It arrived a solid medium-rare, and it was gargantuan.
However, it was oversauced and too messy: The Cheese, Caramelized Onions were OK, but the Thousand Island-style sauce was too much. It made the whole thing taste like a glorified McDonald’s Big Mac. 
Their Thousand Island-style sauce was just so potent, it overpowered the Burger. To be fair my friend liked it more than I did. It’s not bad at all, but just not my style of Burger.
The French Fries were very good, but not amazing. Maybe we heard too much hype for the Fries, but they were crispy on the outside, and not too dry on the inside, but they just tasted “good” but not “this is the most amazing French Fries I’ve ever had!” type of reaction that I was anticipating.
Republique
624 S. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Tel: (310) 362-6115
Great place that offers just about everything one would want. The pastry case alone is a marvel to behold.
Banana cream pie 
I love their burger.
You can ask for the dressing to be on the side (or easy on the dressing, which is what I do because I have to watch my waistline, what I can see of it anyway). You can also ask for no cheese (which is what I do). They say no substitutions, but this is a subtraction, so it doesn’t count. #BecauseDetailsMatter
Hi @ipsedixit,
Oh nice! Yah I saw the “no substitutions” note on the menu so I didn’t think they’d do it. Without the Thousand Island I think it would’ve been an amazing Burger. I’ll try that next time, thanks! 
Between you and me, I take off the lettuce and tomato slice. And just smear enough of the Thousand Island dressing with a salad knife before each bite.
I’ve been known to follow the mantra of “BYOTI” to burger joints. Oh shoot, I meant Big Mac sauce…
Really great breakfast the other day.
Perfect.
I could quibble with this being called hash, but it was great.
The fried egg is gilding the lily, but this was as good a croque madame as I’ve had.
Damn, never had the croque madame. How was the line?
We got there around 10:45, no line, lots of seats, got a window table. By the time we left the line was well out the door.
