BRUNCHING AT THE REAL MIKE’S

“It is time to let the public in on the Real Mike,” said Mike McCarty of Michael’s (1147 3rd St., Santa Monica, (213) 451-0843) when he inaugurated his new weekend brunch menu on Feb. 1. The Real Mike, apparently, has been spending his weekends feeding his friends dishes like Grandma Moses molasses BBQ pork tenderloin sandwiches with greens and salsa or scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar.

Well, now he’s decided to move the feast from his house to his restaurant and let the public in for brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. I am personally not much of a brunch eater (why anybody would want to start the day drinking is beyond me), but Michael’s brunch could convert me. I can’t think of a prettier place to be on a sunny morning than this gorgeous garden with its plants and its art and its gurgling fountains. Or a more luxurious way to start the day than tiny Olympia oysters eaten with walnut toast followed by what must be the world’s best blueberry pancakes, drenched in butter and maple syrup. (McCarty swears the secret ingredient is Bisquick). And maybe, if I were feeling really self-indulgent, I’d have an order of crispy, crackling Maui onion rings on the side.

There are breakfast salads (endive, bacon and poached eggs), a special pasta (well, why not?) and all sorts of eggs and sandwiches (that pork tenderloin concoction is delicious). For the truly hungry, there are cheeses and desserts and, for the truly indulgent, all manner of exotic cocktails. Which is not to mention that wonderful wine list.

What does it cost? Plenty. Everything’s a la carte and most of the dishes run $10-$15. But the food is really good, and considering what it would cost to eat at Michael’s at any other hour, the brunch is a veritable bargain. If you have any plans to splurge on a meal, this would be an awfully nice place to do it.