Pacific Rim Bacon-Fried Rice @ Live Oak Café

Bowls of rice aren’t something that Americans are used to chowing down in the morning. But this savory concoction at the new Live Oak Café on Bath Street — opened a couple of months ago by longtime restaurant manager Molly Holveck and her first-time-as-pro-chef boyfriend, Mark De la Cruz — is almost impossible to stop eating. That’s mainly due to the chunks of house-cured bacon, which De la Cruz prepares himself, and the creaminess wrought by the delicately fried egg and fresh avocado on top. Yet there’s also plenty of string beans, scallions, carrots, and other assorted bits in the mix to make you feel as though you got a healthy start to your day. $10; 2220 Bath Street; liveoakcafe.com; (805) 845-5193.