Some restaurants are focused on dinner and others are perfect for a brunch get-together. Very few eateries do both especially well. But over the past seven years, Camilo?s has evolved into the Swiss army knife of Northeast L.A. restaurants, a high-ceilinged bistro that provides reliably good quality and a flourish of culinary style, from breakfast omelets to (relatively) late night desserts. It?s a great place for a refreshing lunch salad or sandwich and an inviting spot for an intimate dinner in an elegant but comfortable setting.

Weekend brunch is a standout here. For their signature York Omelet ($10.95) they toss in a kitchen sink of meats and vegetables, with tasty ham, bacon and avocado added in generous quantities. Their frittata combines with sausage, tomatoes, caramelized onions and a touch of basil. It?s a great dish. But for those with a sweet tooth, the standout, hands-down, is the bread pudding French toast ($9.95). Thick, moist, decadently sweet slices of the toast don?t really need any sweetening, but the good-quality real maple syrup will be hard to resist.

For vegetarians, the Camilo?s omelet, with mushrooms, caramelized onions and basil is a good option, as is a mushroom omelet with swiss cheese (both are $9.95). Each weekend, Camilo?s features a special frittata that?s always tempting.

Camilo?s serves a good range of salad offerings at lunchtime. Two standouts are the grilled salmon salad ($14.95), a nicely sized fillet of pink fish on greens, set off with a raspberry vinaigrette and the Santa Fe chicken, topped by deliciously flavored black beans and a cilantro dressing. For vegetarians, the Greek salad ($9.95) features moist chunks of feta cheese and artichoke hearts.

The dinner menu is varied and offers very good value. Terrific appetizers include a generously portioned Ahi Tuna Tartare with wasabi avocado ($11.95) and the Mediterranean Tower, a marvel of culinary engineering with layers of hummus, olives, feta and tomatoes, a vegetarian meal in itself or a good shared first course for $7.95,

The Red Thai Curry Red Snapper ($18.95) comes on a delicious bed of mashed potatoes with a not-too-spicy curry sauce, garnished with a nice-sized prawn for good measure. The Salmon Ala Pasilla ($18.95) is served on a bed of polenta and garnished with a roasted corn relish. Other interesting entrées are the Pork Oso Buco ($21.95) in tomato herb sauce, and for vegetarians, the Vegetable Napoleon, with zucchini, fritters, and layers of vegetable ratatouille with tofu, for $13.95. Vegetarians will also find a good selection of pastas for dinner. The Putanesca is a standout.

The emphasis in Camilo?s is on comfort: comfort food served in comfortable surroundings. A row of well-padded booths line one room. Well-spaced tables are placed in another. It never feels crowded and the noise level is reasonable. It's a good place to meet friends and talk.

Camilo's 2128 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock 323-478-2644..
Open Tues.-Sat. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-3 p.m.