Bread & Porridge, Santa Monica

The chefs and servers at Bread & Porridge spring to life daily at 7 a.m. to whisk American breakfast fare out of the kitchen and onto tables until close. The Santa Monica restaurant's signature a.m. eats include fruit-infused pancakes, a slew of omelets, and gourmet breakfast sausages, such as the spicy Cajun andouille. A lunch menu showcases a culinary cast of hearty salads, pasta entrees, prime-beef burgers, and sandwiches. Under the guidance of owner Mark Rothschild, about a dozen team members run the eatery, rotating responsibilities to take turns as dishwashers, servers, cooks, and maple-syrup muralists.