You’re at brunch. Maybe by choice, maybe not. Either way, you’re here, and the waiter is taking orders.
Menu is: anything you’ve ever had or seen available for brunch ever in your life, e.g. traditional breakfast items, eggs dishes, sandwiches, burgers, soup and salad, pastry, hell, even dim sum if you want it (it’s an extremely diverse restaurant).
If you’re like me you usually get the same thing every time but maybe you’re not like me.
Healthy? Duck Confit Hash (like at Marigold in Madison, WI), made with sweet potatoes and greens.
Not? The full English or Irish breakfast, with eggs, back bacon, multiple sausages, fried bread, grilled to-mah’-toes, baked beans… and a handful of chips plunked on top.
Fun anecdote: we told my mom to pick a brunch spot for her 90th birthday, assuming we’d take her to a classy restaurant. Called ahead to confirm, and she said “Well, don’t dress up. I went online and found a little dive downtown that looks great, with huge gourmet donuts and a mimosa bar. It might be loud, they have live rock bands, but I thought you could cope.”
I’ll settle for the brunch at Shaw’s Crab House in Chicago. Filet Mignon, king crab legs, oysters on the half shell, sushi, fried chicken, omelet bar…it just goes on and on…
But there is a great little place in Denver called Poppies. It’s located in a failing strip mall. The décor makes you wonder where Starsky, Hutch and Huggie Bear are. Deep red, dark wood piano bar. It’s straight out of the 70’s.
But. They make prime rib every night. In the morning, It’s prime rib hash. That and a bloody mary or two will to just fine.
Three-egg Cheddar omelette with home fries, rye toast with extra butter, no jam, side order of sausage. And multiple Bloody Marys — Caesars, rather, I’m fond of Clamato juice — with lime and horseradish as well as the usual Bloody condiments, unless I’m tempted by silenus’s Texas thang.
Brioche French toast with REAL maple syrup, and a cheddar cheese two-egg omelet. And maybe one or two of those Texas Bloody Marys, but don’t expect me to do anything the rest of the day!
I’ll go for brook trout, home fries and roasted veggies, washed down with a nice bubbly adult beverage (all from the Sunday brunch at the hotel formerly known as The Ahwahnee).