French spin on brunch in Culver City

Bacon and sausage’s domination of the American breakfast plate is nearly unbreakable.

But Le Saint Amour’s new brunch menu—a collaboration between owners Florence and Herve Commereuc and consulting chef Walter Manzke—offers a variety of other cured meats. And after a taste of classic French charcuterie with our eggs, we’re ready to leave the American standards behind.

Merguez accompanies a harissa-spiked omelet ($13), while a fried egg tops shreds of duck confit tossed with biting frisée, crispy bits of potato and an assertive mustard sauce ($13).

Both are delicious, but our pick for the ideal, weekend-morning meat-and-eggs plate is the boudin noir (pictured; $13): scrambled eggs topped with a near-black crown of soft blood sausage, its flavor not as intensely porky as one might imagine. Served with fried fingerling potatoes and a simple salad, this is a unique dish among Los Angeles brunches.

Le Saint Amour translates sweeter breakfast favorites, too. The French toast is made with brioche, seared in a pan, sprinkled with sugar and finished under the broiler. It arrived at our table wonderfully caramelized, the crunchy exterior giving way to a custard-like center reminiscent of bread pudding.

Le Saint Amour, 9725 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232; 310-842-8155 or lesaintamour.com