Eggs Chizmar c/o Bolete

The next day I had to do some work, but got up early enough to do most of it before M&A even awoke. This worked out perfectly, as M. suggested we go to Bolete for brunch. Though I'm out in that general area rather frequently, I am most often alone, and so generally do not go out to eat, which means that the last time I enjoyed Bolete's cuisine was pretty much the last time I saw M&A. So it had been a while, and even longer since S. took me, A. and H. out to brunch back in 2011. The brunch menu was slightly different, but I was pretty much drawn to what I enjoyed that last brunch time: Eggs Chizmar, which features crisp oysters, mushrooms, bacon, mizuna, house-made buttermilk biscuits, chive, and hollandaise sauce. I also ordered a Bloody Mary, which I had forgotten I was rather indifferent about the last time I ordered it. It remained stiff as far as alcohol content, but was a little thin in terms of actual texture and spiciness. I like me a little more horseradish.

While the beverage wasn't a big happy-making success, the eggs held up better. My plate was basically clean - minus the stray potato - by meal's end. The oysters hold up well, even when their crispiness is lessened by the eggs, mushrooms and sauce that are piled on top of them. I'd definitely recommend this dish if you're into Eggs Benedict but what to fancy them up a bit.

A lovely meal with lovely folks. Though I would say that Bolete is better, on the whole, for dinner and not brunch. 

Baltimore Brunch c/o Mt. Vernon Stable and Saloon

On my way back to Philly I dropped my dad off at the Baltimore airport and then went into the city to meet up with NC C., as she has recently relocated, which potentially should make her MD C...but we'll C about that. In any case, we walked to the nearby Mt Vernon Stable and Saloon for a lunch/brunch kind of meal. I asked for a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary and found it to be quite delicious - overlong celery stalk and all.

They also had a crab soup of the day, which I was determined to try. I generally enjoyed it but perhaps wished it had been a little lumpier in the crab department.

The crab theme continued with my main meal, which was basically eggs Benedict but with crabcakes instead of ham. Pretty good stuff.

And then it was back on the road. Traffic got kind of stupid on 95 north of Baltimore and what shouldn't have taken much longer than 1.5 hours ended up being more like 3, but that's just what happens when traveling on a Sunday after a major holiday in the U.S. I feel quite sorry for anyone who really needed to go into any of the rest stop facilities, because just stopping for gas was a madhouse feat with lines that literally took 20 minutes to inch forward to actual pumps. Madness I tell you, madness!

Brunch c/o Kittery

Saturday was spent by me working, working, working while L. and Fat T. went out into the greater world to look at a house upstate. Eventually they returned and our evening began. I didn't really take any good photographs of food I ate that evening, but the highlights included my having a separate trip to see S. and T. from ye olde high school days before meeting back up with L. and Fat T. for a pig roast party. Hijinks ensued and the evening went late. The next morning I had to do more work and L. and Fat T. met up with E. and K. to look at apartments in Brooklyn. Eventually our schedules dovetailed through brunch at Kittery. I ordered a virgin bloody mary and enjoyed it.

And the fried clam roll, which was buttery to an extreme. The coleslaw that accompanied it wasn't so interesting, but the chips were decent.

Dim Sum c/o Joy Tsin Lau

The Sunday morning after my grill fest found me once again on the deck. I may have even been blogging. I know I filled out a job application. At some point my phone rang and it was Mr. Ass asking if I'd like to join him and LBM for dim sum. I was skeptical about LBM, as I have been trying to get her to go to dim sum with me for five years and she never does, but Mr. Ass insisted that the chances were very much in our favor for seeing LBM in a dim sum context. I would have been happy to dim sum one way or the other, so I did not delay in accepting the invitation. Of course between that initial call and my actual arrival at Joy Tsin Lau, LBM had bowed out, which left just Mr. Ass and me to dive deep into dumplings. We were seated in a not-too-terrible spot, which pleases me given the number of times I've been put at a table that makes it impossible for carts to get to, or happens to be by a leaking fish tank. And all my favorites were in attendance. I'm always a bit fan of this shrimp and rice noodle dish, which is topped with a sweeter kind of soy sauce. I think some might be put off by the texture of the noodles, but I really dig it. Mr. Ass had a bowl of wonton soup. I don't think that in all my years of dim summing, which go back to my childhood, I have ever actually ordered a soup or congee on a dim sum day. Perhaps next time I'll try to branch out.

Mr. Ass is a bigger fan of these pork buns than I am. Perhaps it's the consistency of the bread/dough that surrounds them...not quite for me. I think when I was younger, however, they may have been one of my favorites...behind shrimp dumplings of course.

Here you'll see the bean curd wrapped mystery, shrimp dumplings, spinach dumplings and shumai coated with brown rice.

The brown rice element added to the shumai was something I'd never seen, but I must say it was actually a pretty good twist. The earthiness of the rice, which had a definite tooth to its texture, really complemented the salty meaty goodness of the hidden dumpling within.

While LBM was a no show, I was still glad to have a dim sum experience to counteract the shit show that was Ocean Harbor on Chinese New Year. I also walked to Chinatown and was glad for the exercise.

Steak and Eggs c/o McCrossen's

The next morning CG and SP and I met up at McCrossen's for brunch. For all the hours I've logged at that spot over the last couple of years, I hadn't been to its brunch since T. totally revamped its menu, which was going on three years back I think? While there were a number of other spots we could have tried, it just seemed right to finally give it a go. Given all the beer I had consumed the night before, and the incredibly late hour at which I finally went to bed, the good deal on bloody mary's or mimosas didn't really appeal, but I did order a virgin bloody mary that had a serious and delightful kick of horseradishy spiciness. I chose to go with the variation of 'steak and eggs.' which was really just a burger with eggs on top, fancied with a bearnaise sauce and chive potato cake. It was pretty good. I must say that service was a little wacky. SP requested a side of toast at the very start of the meal, then had to ask for it again...and it only arrived when 2/3 of his plate was already eaten. $2 for bread that didn't even arrive in time to be properly used seemed slightly bad form in my estimation.

It was lovely to spend some time with these two individuals when such life-changing and happy times were in front of them. Yes indeed. Good times.

Chicken Sandwich c/o Van Horn Sandwich Shop

More than a year ago L. and I had hoped to try the fried chicken at Van Horn Sandwich Shop. Unfortunately on the day we actually made our attempt, the place was still remarkably new and the line for such an experience too long for our taste. Instead we went elsewhere and ran into a former college classmate of ours. This problem of waiting was less in force when we decided to give it another go on Saturday morning. It may have been at least in part because we got out at a decent hour before too many others had brunch on the brain. We chose to sit outside in their back patio area, which was sparsely populated at the time and cooler than inside. L. chose to have an iced coffee. We both marveled at the beauty of cream making its way through ice and java.

While I wasn't in terribly bad shape for having had a number of beers the night before, I didn't feel that I needed to start my day with alcohol but still wanted to try their Bloody Mary, so I requested a virginal variety. It was pretty darn good. Properly cloudy with fresh horseradish and complete with an olive and caper berries.

I chose to try the fried chicken sandwich, which included 'zesty coleslaw' and a pickle, as well as a little side salad to boot.

I must say this was a very well executed sandwich on the whole. The chicken, especially, was quite succulent. I could have perhaps enjoyed just a little thicker and crispier batter and a slaw with just a little more zip or zest. But these are minor desires; I ate almost the whole thing and what I didn't eat L. finished for me. L. had the omelet of the day I believe, which included gruyere and asparagus if I recall correctly.

A solid way to start the day.

Brunch c/o Creperie Beaumonde

My last Sunday before my big Bahamian trip was another rather warm day for so late into the winter season. L. had arranged a brunch party for BC's birthday, which had actually been a little earlier in the week. I walked there, which was a good walk for me to make. It took a little while for the whole party to straggle in, but the coffee was quickly delivered to us and the cream dispensary units were properly in cow shape.
I did not hesitate to order a bloody mary. J. also ordered one but expressed her dislike of olives, so we did an ingenious switcheroo wherein she took my celery in exchange for her olives...we were both pleased by this arrangement. The drink was good and had a nice dollop of horseradish.
I agonized over exactly what kind of crepe I might order. They had a few suggested combinations that certainly appealed to me. In the end I decided on the scrambled eggs with roasted poblano peppers, tomatoes, cheddar cheese (they made it with Swiss but I requested the sub), avocado corn salsa and carmelized tomato sauce. I especially enjoyed the poblano and carmelized tomato tastes, though I was a bit jealous of others' dishes that included poached eggs.
So many potential crepes can be made from their extremely exhaustive list of potential fillings. On a Sunday the place was definitely bumping; families with kids, hipsters making out for what I assumed were engagement photos, middle aged dudes...and us of course. We sang BC a rousing round of happy birthday at a decibel not to be messed with. I imagine the whole restaurant turned and thought to themselves 'who are those bewitching women at that table?' Go with me on that one.
It was nice to see all the familiar faces as well as a few new ones. And thanks to BC for having a birthday to make it happen!

Brunch at Khyber Pass

At some point before my recent vacation I went on a second date. I won't really get into that, but I did take the suggestion of brunch as an opportunity to cross one of the restaurants on my New Years Resolution list off. We started with the beignets, all hot and sugared up.
I debated between a po boy and the fried green tomato BLT and in the end I followed the call of the green tomato, with a side of collard greens. There were a lot of other things on this menu that I'd like to try - fried chicken, the aforementioned po boys, grits etc. The beer list is also no joke. I will return.
Afterwards I met up with BC and enjoyed a mega margarita at Applebees. Our bartender gave us some interesting advice and perspective on the dating game.

High School Heavy Brunch c/o Fork

Last weekend was chock full of activity. Saturday evening I went on a date with a nice enough fellow, then met up with LW and two of her buds in Center City before going forward to McCrossen's for late night drinks. The next morning I lay-in a bit during the morning hours, before walking to Fork to meet up with BC, BM and, eventually, LB, LS, C. and M. The two B.s were already there when I got there, but we couldn't sit at our table until our entire party was present, so we took up seats at the bar while we waited. I liked the look of the bloody mary, so I ordered one and it lived up to my expectations. Fair amount of horse radish. Altogether tasty.
When everyone arrived we got seated. It was C.'s birthday, so we wished her a happy one. I tried their two poached eggs with Lancaster double-smoked ham bechamel, spinach, chives and sourdough toast. I was all ready to love it, but I really didn't. The smoky, hammy-ness of the sauce, which I assumed I would love, actually turned out to be a turn off. The eggs were nicely cooked, but the sauce so overwhelmed everything that this was a case of me most definitely not cleaning my plate.
While the food as a little disappointing to me (LB also noted that her omelette had a strange look to it - the bite I had didn't exactly wow me either), the company was top notch. This is a lively group of women, all of whom with the exception of M., were in my graduating class of high school. So there was much catching up for some of us, in addition to simple shootings of the shit. I sometimes get overwhelmed by such groups, but in this instance whenever I couldn't quite follow the two to three different strings of conversation, I simply sat back and enjoyed the fact that 17 (I was about to say nearly 20, but that made me feel uncomfortably old) years ago we were all starting out at the same school together, little tiny versions of ourselves tightly furled in the bodies of teenageers. What? What I'm saying is that there is a comfort to faces staying around through the years, growing and changing, appearing and disappearing, but always resurfacing and familiar. LB was in the corner and had an even tougher time keeping track of the different conversations.
I don't remember what was so funny, but it was.
Then I insisted on a few group shots outside before we splintered and went our separate ways.

Had I thought, for even a second, about how I would want to take such photographs I may have dressed up just a bit more. Whatevs.

Brunch c/o Bolete and S.

My weekend in the country last week was a relatively low key affair. The main food event of my own making was a rather epic session of cookie baking, which somehow I made no effort to capture. Know this: for the last week my coworkers have been drowning in butterscotch pecan and chocolate chip pecan cookies. This goes for my roommate as well - but I'm not sure he's really drowning. Though this evening, as he took a cookie from one of the FOUR different containers I originally needed to contain them all, he said that I would be to blame for his weight gain. Dude generally seems to eat only peanut butter sandwiches and protein shakes, so I feel ok about it:) The one slightly social/food noteworthy element of the weekend was when S. invited me to go out to brunch with her, A. and H at Bolete. We drove together and sat down at our table while we waited for A. and H. I ordered a Bloody Mary, which was pretty tasty thought not mind blowing...though its alcohol content snuck up on me a little bit in a surprising way.
Once A. and H. arrived they set down this little plate of bread goods. I forget what it all was, though I did try a bacon/cheddar scone kind of thing.
I had done my menu research before even arriving at the joint, which I've enjoyed twice before -once with A. and M. and S. in the summer of 2009, and once with Mr. Ass last year. So I was pretty sure I was going to go with the 'Eggs Chizmar.' With no real crazy additions and no specials, that choice was not put into question. What are 'Eggs Chizmar' you ask? Well, they're two poached eggs with two fried oysters, magically tasty (but not hallucinogenic) mushrooms, bacon and mizuna on buttermilk biscuits with a nice helping of hollandaise to finish it all off.
Unlike my recent fried oyster let-down at Oyster House, this set of fried oysters still had some flavor and succulence. The eggs were perfectly cooked and the addition of mushrooms was superb. Seriously, I was a happy camper.
I may have creeped A. and H. out when just as we were all separating and going our own ways I made reference to the fact that I remember having a drink with them and M. and A. when they were first seeing each other. I think it could have creeped them out because A. and I - though we traveled together for nearly a month when we were 19/20 - don't really keep in touch. And I'm sure that neither of them have any recollection of seeing me during their very, very early moments of courtship. They have since gotten married. Nonetheless, I thought it was kind of neat to see them x years later, but maybe I could have expressed it better. In any case, I thank S. for thinking of setting up the brunch in the first place and then generously buying us brunch. She made this comment about how 'if you're the person who invites people to brunch then it's implied that you're paying.' Those are not her words verbatim, but they're awfully close. I had to chuckle and respond with 'when I ask people to brunch, I just want them to come with me not pay for them.' S. responded that with age comes great brunch maturity. Well, she didn't say that. The point is: I enjoyed my meal very much and I was glad to see A. and meet H. and thankful that S. was willing to foot the bill:)

Brunchy Lunch c/o Char No 4

Later on on Sunday, L., Fat T. and I met up with their recently-engaged friends N. and (crap I'm forgetting his name/initial) for a late brunch/early lunch at Char No 4.
L. and I both tried their bourbon bloody mary, a concept that seemed both surprising, scary and promising all at once. And it was surprising and promising, not so scary when you came down to it. Bourbon has so much more flavor than vodka, and how it would fit in with tomato was hard for me to imagine until it was in my mouth. They made it work. Fat T. tried their sweet tea/bourbon pairing - or at least I think that's what it was - maybe not? And I took a sip and liked it too. We sat at the bar and the bartender was quite nice and friendly, and the space is nice and light.
There were many things on their brunch menu that I wanted to eat, but I was feeling at least a small need to be semi-healthy, and I love arugula...so I went with their beet/radish/arugula salad.
I counterbalanced whatever possible feelings of being a good, healthy person by also ordering their fried cheddar cheese curds with spicy pimento dipping sauce. The salad was good but not anything out of the ordinary amazing, and the curds and sauce were a nice step up from your typical mozzarella stick. But what the place clearly does best is pig. Fat T. had the pulled pork sandwich and seemed to like it quite a bit, and L. ordered their eggs benedict with house cured bacon (I think) on biscuits and really, really liked it.
Definitely a place that I'd go back to and explore the menu further.

Gay-Locked Traffic and Eggs Chesapeake c/o Philadelphia and Gigi

Months back I purchased a Groupon for Gigi Restaurant and Lounge's brunch. I'd never gone, but their menu looked decent and the price was right. Months passed, and finally I asked J. if she might like to join me for some kidless brunch, she said yes. So two Sundays back J. picked me up in her car and we began wending our way from my neighborhood to Gigi's 3rd and Market address. We hit so much traffic, you wouldn't believe it. At first I thought it was just one street, and a result of a bus accident (I saw two buses in the distance and made the leap), but once that set of gridlock should have dispersed, we were even more immersed in non-moving traffic in an area notoriously difficult for finding parking spaces. We had been in the car, I kid you not, for an hour. In ideal traffic conditions it would have taken us 20 minutes, max, to get to this part of town. In the end I came to the realization (with a little help from my phone) that the reason so many streets were closed off and cars were simply inching was because it was Philadelphia's Gay Pride Festival/Parade day. I love the gays, but damn them. In the end we 'secreted' a parking space (by that I do not mean a parking space came through our pores as much as I began chanting when we saw one open up a few car lengths in front of us ... and no one took it), and finally arrived at our destination. The parade was over at this point, but festive celebrants wearing everything from many-ballooned orange hats to skimpy blue underwear promenaded past us and our outdoor table. So, the air was festive ... but the staff was harried. First we were given dinner menus. Then we finally ordered bloody marys to be told they had run out ... before seeing another server walking by us with bloody marys. So we inquired again about the bloody marys and now they had more. The bloody marys were awful. Really, really awful. Thin tomato juice, the only additional spice seemingly tabasco. Perhaps they didn't have time to make a real batch so they improvised, but seriously ... they were really bad.
J. and I both ordered the eggs Chesapeake, which came on English muffins and crab imperial with a bearnaise sauce on top. The crab element wasn't overly full of filling, and the eggs were generally cooked well - though I don't really like it when there is still clearness to the egg white, even a little.
J. ordered a coffee, which didn't come and didn't come and didn't come. Then it did. She said the coffee was not so great.
So, my conclusion: the food itself was good and the menu had promise. The service was not so good, but perhaps that was a result of the parade crowds (though yelp would suggest otherwise). And stay away from the bloody marys.

Morning Scrabble and Brunch c/o Fathom Seafood House

Last Sunday I had a few plans, and these plans ranged from what I was going to eat to what I was going to see to what I was going to cook. It promised to be a jam packed day of leisurely activity. But a surprise start ended up with Mr. Ass at my house at 10 or 11. See, one of my later activities was going to be going to see his newest show (scroll down a little) but he was already in Philly and in between activities so he did what any sensible person would do...well I assume he called other people and they were busy and then thought Scrabble with me would do pretty well...and that's what we did. I won, but it was close. I am a bit of an impatient Scrabble player and Mr. Ass likes to take his sweet time, and then some. So if we were to play with unlimited pondering on his part I do concede that maybe I wouldn't win. Maybe.
Then Mr. Ass was off to his next thing while I prepared for brunch with A.S. She and I hadn't seen each other in a while. Not since, if I recall correctly, she had her first Village Whiskey Burger. So that had been some time between our faces meeting. The plan, which was carried out, was to meet at Fathom Seafood House, as I had been reading and hearing terrific things about it from all sorts of sources. I got there a little early and ordered a virgin bloody mary. I realize that I really don't need the vodka to enjoy it, so why pay the price? This beverage was nothing to shake a stick at. Nope. Olives? Yes. Pickle too? Uh huh. Cloudy with horseradish and more complex than just a shake of Tabasco? Yes sir. It was delicious.
I couldn't help but order three Kumomotos, just because I love them. And they were good. Though my slurp technique with one led to my inhaling a shallot from the mignonette, which caused me to choke. I had a moment of clarity in which I managed to - as demurely as possible given my choking - deposit the unbitten upon oyster into my hand while I continued to combat the foreign particle half way up my sinus. Too much information I know. I just wanted you to understand my commitment to that oyster.
There were a number of brunch possibilities that appealed to me, but in the end I couldn't get around a sincere interest in the lobster grilled cheese with truffle aioli and green tomatoes. A.S. also felt the sandwich calling her name.
I believe we were both quite pleased. The aioli was on the side and that actually was for the best, as it was potent stuff and a little bit went a long way. The tomatoes were chopped as opposed to sliced, and on the whole I appreciated that approach, though a bit of the usual tang one gets from a green tomato was not in full effect. I quibble, but it was really a satisfying meal.
Afterwards A.S. and I took the Broad Street line and walked just a bit to the gallery. And I, like a jerk, took not a single photograph of the occasion. But I should note that Mr. Ass' newest works are lovely and range from portraiture to, um, fantastical? This is why, among the many other things I am not, I am not an art critic. It was a good show. Mr. Ass has a style but the way he applies it to the subjects he chooses to paint remains fresh. Fresh I tell you. Cheeky even. Well. Maybe not cheeky. I'm going to stop trying.

Brunch c/o Adsum

After having breakfast for dinner the night before, I met up with L. for brunch, which in my case was more like lunch. We were the first to arrive, and it was a little funny to be the sole customers, especially since Adsum had a good brunch rep. Any worry about the empty space was quickly put aside, as it began to fill up soon after our arrival. I went for the Bloody Mary and enjoyed it heartily.
L. and I split the apple fritters. I'm into sweets but not as much as some, and I was far more focused on my main course than I was with these little pillows of sugar.
L. went with the two eggs with biscuits and sausage gravy.
I have long been jonesing for fried chicken and long before I even got to the restaurant I was 80% sure that I was going to finally get this craving under control ... though the burger with foie gras was tempting after my Pub and Kitchen disappointment.
The chicken was great. Moist, crispy, generous portion. I was happy. L. was happy. We were all happy. I had a second Bloody Mary.