I’m not as infuriated by avocado toast as many food writers, but I do appreciate toasted bread with ingredients and techniques that aren’t easy to replicate at home. Of course it helps to have a wood-burning oven. That equipment is key at Love & Salt, the modern Italian restaurant from Guy Gabriele, daughter Sylvie and Chef Michael Fiorelli in Manhattan Beach. As always, it’s not just having the equipment; it’s knowing what to do with it. Thankfully, Chef Fiorelli and his crew know their way around a wood-burning oven.

Love & Salt feeds their oven almond wood, which yields terrific Mortadella Toast ($14) for weekend brunch. Silky, fat-pocked pork salumi slices drape over toasted rye bread with crisped edges. They dress this deluxe toast with molten Fontina cheese and peppery fried eggs sporting vivid yolks. Each plate comes with arugula and pea leaves, which help to cut the richness. Given the name, rest assured that Fiorelli properly seasons food; this toast is no exception.

Dose of Vitamin P spotlights my favorite pork dish from the previous week.