a collection of food: brunch

Showing posts with label brunch. Show all posts

Gourmet Brunch with Friends at their Home

Quiche, chocolate bacon waffles and fruit.

While in California we were treated to a lovely delicious brunch at the home of friends. The food was excellent and the hostess showed me how she grates bacon and chocolate into the waffles to give them a unique, rich flavor. We are available anytime for another meal - well anytime we are in the Bay Area again!

Smoked salmon blini with capers.

Walnut Avenue Cafe - Santa Cruz, CA

Awesome mocha - especially after the 5 hour flight delay!

Our first day in the Bay Area we stopped by Santa Cruz to look around and have some breakfast. Walnut Avenue Cafe was just what we needed after a flight delay the night before and not a lot of sleep. Strangely enough, we saw our seatmate from the airplane on the street just before we entered the restaurant! Small world sometimes.

Can't remember the exact composition of this egg dish but it was tasty!

Special shrimp scramble with potatoes and a delicious muffin.

The outdoor scene. So cute.

We walked over to the beach after breakfast and noticed that the famous carousel is 100! Cake after breakfast = yum.

The beach in Santa Cruz with boardwalk and rides to boot!

Nava's Brunch

Salsa Trio - mango habenero, chipotle tomatillo and avocado tomatillo. My favorite: the chipotle tomatillo - smoky with just the right spice level.

I was very excited to try Nava's new brunch menu after being invited to a special brunch event on a Friday morning back in May. I had never been to Nava before, although its Southwestern concept has always intrigued me. After trying some of the brunch items I hope to go back soon for dinner or another brunch. Everything was delicious. I especially liked the shrimp & grits taco, the Johnny cakes and the brunch-inspired cocktails. Nava is a neat place to take someone for a unique and special meal and is one of the few Southwestern restaurants in our city.

Nava Taco Trio: chipotle BBQ brisket, shrimp & grits and fish. The shrimp & grits taco was much better than I expected - I think it was the smoked tomato grits.

Johnny Cakes with smoked bacon layers and real maple syrup. So buttery and delicious.

"Bacon" & Eggs - crisp pork belly, masa goditas, chorizo, chipotle aioli, pan fried farm eggs and citrus arugula salad.

Other brunch menu items include Sonoma Jack Cheese 3 Egg Omelet with Tequila sour cream & chorizo hash browns and Salmon & Eggs with short smoked salmon, soft poached farm egg, spinach & goat cheese hash and chipotle lime hollandaise. I'd definitely like to try that salmon next time I go to Nava for brunch.

Blue jalepeno corn bread with GA peach Bellini. Other brunch cocktails include Peach Payaso, Blood Orange Mimosa and Spiced Flower.

Family Visit: Bo Bo Garden and Super Brunch

Wonderful tofu with minced pork in spicy sauce and crispy garlic chicken.

Another trip down Buford Highway with out of town relatives brought us to Bo Bo Garden, a Cantonese restaurant I'd tried once before with my Dad after it first opened. This time the experience was much improved and we enjoyed our meal at a large, round table - bring friends so you can try more! Standouts include the 3 kinds of dumplings, the crispy garlic chicken and the fried tofu with minced pork in spicy sauce. Although lobster sounded like a good idea, it is always so difficult to eat when cut into tiny pieces. The duck was a bit greasy for my taste, but the salt & pepper squid was satisfying as usual. This is definitely a great place to check out if you have not yet been. They have awesome lunch specials, which include authentic Chinese dishes. So often restaurants that have good authentic menus do not offer those selections at lunch. Bravo to Bo Bo Garden for including these on the lunch menu.

Coming in the next few weeks: a review of Gu's Bistro, which I think is one of the best Chinese restaurants around.

Lobster with ginger and scallions.

Superb dumplings.

Duck with sauteed vegetables.

Family favorite: Salt & Pepper Squid.

On Sunday morning our cousin Craig prepared a bountiful and beautiful brunch. His pancakes are AMAZING! They involved whole grain mix from Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck), mashed bananas and nuts. Sausages, eggs with feta cheese and chives and fruit salad rounded out the meal.

Fruit salad.

Pancakes and sausages.

Eggs with feta.

Brunch at Parish Foods and Goods

Beignets - a nice touch for Parish's Sunday Brunch.

After a full bachelorette weekend back in March I took a couple of my bridesmaids to Parish Foods & Goods for Sunday brunch. We must have been hungry because I neglected to photograph anything other than the complimentary beignets, which were quite tasty. I also had the Shrimp & Grits, a worthy version with a poached egg on top - I love poached eggs. My friends seemed to enjoy their selections as well - French Toast, which I tasted and the American Breakfast. This was my first time eating in the dining room, although I've eaten in the cafe downstairs several times. I definitely enjoyed it and hope to have the chance to return soon.

Cookshop - Great Chelsea Brunch

Butcher Board.

During our stay in New York, we enjoyed a tasty brunch at Cookshop in Chelsea with our fabulous hosts. Even better, we were able to walk to the restaurant from their apartment. After brunch we checked out the High Line Trail and Chelsea Market where I found all sorts of holiday goodies to take back. What fun! The butcher board was my favorite part of the meal. It included country pate, liver mousse, Virginia ham, rabbit rillette and assorted mustards - delicious with warm toasty bread on the side.

The menu.

Poached eggs & housemade pork sausage. Cookshop is big on the pig!

Huevos Rancheros.

Cookshop scramble with smoked salmon.

Canada O' Canada - May Toronto Trip

Pure bliss - a Toronto Hot Dog from the cart - with fries.

Back in May Calvin and I traveled to Toronto for a wonderful extended weekend for a family wedding. We stayed at the awesome Fairmont Royal York Hotel, which reminded me of what I think it would have been like to stay on The Titanic. The wedding was held at the hotel and was gorgeous. See below for a photo-log.

Shabbat Dinner at our cousin's house.

St. Lawrence Market goodness: St. Urbain Bagel. These bagels are nothing like what we get in the south: warm, chewy, with a very unique taste - there's really nothing like it!