text:
Who likes brunch?
- ttoommyy Jun 6, 2012 12:13 PM
I don't; I do not like typical brunch fare. Neither does my partner. We have a ritual of going out to eat after 11:30 mass on Sunday, so that means hitting the restaurants at anywhere from 12:30 to 1pm. Since we go to church in NYC we always wind up eating there as well. While most restaurants that are open on a Sunday afternoon serve brunch-only menus, a fair number of them also serve their regular lunch menus. These are the types of places we gravitate to. I might also mention that this is our main meal on a Sunday and that this is the only time we eat out during the week, unless there is a special occasion. Needless to say, I am not looking for eggs, pancakes or French toast. These things are fine in the early morning, but not in the afternoon. Of course I know this is a personal preference but it got me thinking of how many people actually like brunch food. Do you? Or do you tolerate it because the others you are with "want to go out for brunch?" Sometimes I feel like I am in the minority, but I just don't see the appeal of "fancied up" egg dishes, etc.
We love brunch. I usually get an egg/pancake meal while my lovely partner gets a sammich/lunchy meal. It's all good.0
I love brunch! Eggs Benedict is one of my favorite dishes.0
I detest brunch. I get up early (no later than 4:45 am) eat breakfast at 5:15 and by noon I want lunch, not brunch. I particularly don't like it if we are invited to Sunday brunch at 11 am or later and my wife announces that we should skip breakfast. That doesn't work for me, I'm not sleeping in just because it's a Sunday.0
re: bagelman01
I'm w you bagelman......totally!0
re: shaebones
Totally with you there. What a dumb medium.
Lunch is never about the dumb food. I'd rather go straight to the Bloody Mary and skip the chic-ified mall food.0
re: bagelman01
i always eat breakfast before brunch! i can NOT last more than 30 minutes after waking up before i need some food in me. even if its just some fruit or yogurt to hold me over...
id rather eat a full breakfast and then just pick at brunch then go hungry and wait for it.0
I do not enjoy eating within the first few hours after I wake up, so brunch is my best bet to get breakfast food. We don't go out for it often. We had an amazing brunch over Memorial weekend. I had soft scrambled eggs with lobster, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes served over puff pastry. Insane!0
re: mojoeater
Normally, I do, but will forgo breakfast for a good brunch, on "appropriate" days, like Saturday, or Sunday.
Fortunately, I do not have to eat by the clock, so it's not such a big deal for me. Others, however, do not enjoy that combo of late breakfast and perhaps early lunch.
It is a rare day, if I have three meals, of any sort.
I am pretty sure my old parish in the West Village would not hold Mass any later than 11:30 because it would interfere with everyone's brunch plans. For my own part, if it's past noon, I probably don't want breakfasty foods, but most Sunday menus in NYC seem to try to straddle both sides of the breakfast/lunch divide sufficiently for me and an egg-loving friend.0
re: JungMann
"I am pretty sure my old parish in the West Village would not hold Mass any later than 11:30 because it would interfere with everyone's brunch plans."
LOL I believe it!0
I like brunch on occassion, when there are different stations i.e. the seafood station (crab legs and shrimp; the salad station; the fresh fruit and yogurts. I'm not big on the eggs, pancakes, french toast, waffles, sweet rolls & pastries though. But, the station that has the sausage and bacon etc. is mine.0
I like it, but don't prefer it to having regular lunch items. I do love eggs benedict or a really good breakfast burrito, which are often featured on the brunch menu.0
re: Samalicious
+1 :-)0
re: Samalicious
I rarely eat breakfast out because I am the only one that can cook an egg to suit me. The restaurants in my area have enough non-breakfast items on their brunch menus to satisfy me and enough breakfast items to please my husband.0
re: Samalicious
You say that like it's a bad thing!0
re: Samalicious
You need an excuse?0
re: Samalicious
Who, in their right mind, needs ANY excuse to drink in the morning?
I mean, I have several favorite "breakfast Chardonnays," and as many Champagnes ARE Chardonnay, will seldom turn one down - if well-made.
"Excuse?" I just tell people that I am a professional wino, and need to stay "in practice."
Heck, the United Airlines Red Carpet Club has started opening the bar, an hour earlier, because we so often have an early flight out of PHX. They know that I will do the "Premium Chardonnay," or their Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label, for "breakfast.." As much as we fly out of PHX, they know that they have a "captive audience." I can accommodate.
re: Bill Hunt
I do- I'm not that energetic a person so if I start drinking before sundown I'm pretty much screwed. Not that I"m not tempted, it's a life lesson that I've learned. I once woke up early to make a dish for Thanksgiving dinner with my family and my roomie and I made Black Russians and got hammered and passed out so I showed up late for dinner with nothing- don't remember what I was going to make for the dinner, but I didn't. Big shame.
Also, once IU took a friend to the airport early, and we went to the bar and had a couple of shots (we're talking 0700)- and after I left she called me and told me she'd missed her flight. Bad juju- some people don't have that kind of constitution. Or restraint.0
re: EWSflash
I have found, that if I begin drinking before sundown, I am OK, but only so long as I continue to drink, until way AFTER sundown. I do not mean consuming great quantities of whatever, but just a steady intake of say, wine.
Now, do not, and I repeat, do not, drive, but instead retire to the patio, the lanai, whatever, and just continue. Do not drive!
It's one thing for a place to offer a breakfast and a lunch menu simultaneously; that's ok. But a brunch-only menu tends to be the lesser half of either world - it's a case where the whole is less than the sum of the parts.0
re: Karl S
In some venues, I agree completely, but at others, I would say that you must have dined there.
Now, and with tears still in my eyes, the ultimate, The Marquessa at the Farimont Princess in Scottsdale, is no more. However, Orchids at the Halekulani is still fabulous on Sundays. We have also had great Saturday & Sunday brunches at Brennan's in New Orleans, along with Sunday brunches at Ralph's on the Park, also in New Orleans.
Some others? Never, never again.
PS - I forgot one of the best, Blackberry Farm Sunday Brunch, but one must stay there, to enjoy it, and that is why it slipped my mind, in the post above.0
I love it. I wake up hungry, so if brunch is for midday or later I'll have something nourishing but probably non-eggy. We've gone to a few fabulous ones, most notably the late, lamented Waiohai at Poipu on Kauai, with maybe ten or twelve different stations each serving a different sort of food, all very good, and excellent Bloody Marys. And Papa-in-law was paying … but really, just a hearty and prolonged late breakfast out with friends fills the bill. I will happily eat an egg thing any time of day, or a chicken dinner for breakfast (as we did at the Loveless outside of Nashville).0
re: Will Owen
Well AMEN, Will Owen! This is about as close to scraping-the-bottom-of-the-barrel-for-Topics as it comes. Who can "not like" a lovely weekend/sleep-in hybrid of breakfast for those who want breakfast, lunch for those who want lunch? Early enough to save one the trouble of making a full-fledged breakfast, late enough for the digestive juices to have kicked in; early enough to feel fresh & rested, late enough to feel convivial and conversational; early enough to have a great fast-breaking appetite, late enough to respectably have a Mimosa, Bloody Mary, Salty Dog ? Some of the most deliciously inventive dishes I've ever had were brunch foods, and as you say, WHO (except the occasional born contrarian) doesn't love eggs/bacon/ham/ sausage/cheese-things--plain or artful variations on the theme; fruit, waffles, pancakes, french toast, bagels, croissants, crepes, grits, (or cold apple pie & fried chicken, grin) any time of any day?0
re: SallyMcP
"Who can "not like" a lovely weekend/sleep-in hybrid of breakfast for those who want breakfast, lunch for those who want lunch? "
Me. My wife. My friends.
"WHO...doesn't love eggs/bacon/ham/ sausage/cheese-things--plain or artful variations on the theme; fruit, waffles, pancakes, french toast, bagels, croissants, crepes, grits,"
Me. My wife. My friends.
Mimosas are the biggest waste of orange juice and champagne ever created. In the history of creation. Can I get an amen.0
re: tommy
"Mimosas are the biggest waste of orange juice and champagne ever created. In the history of creation. Can I get an amen."
Amen. Many times I just drink champagne and forget the OJ.0
re: tommy
perhaps you would prefer a kir rotale?0
re: betsydiver
You mean a kir royale. ;-)0
re: SallyMcP
Have you even read the responses? Numerous people don't like eating at odd hours or hybrid menus or even drink alcoholic beverages. So yes, there are those who do not like brunch.0
re: viperlush
Then DON"T DO BRUNCH!!! It's not compulsory.0
re: SallyMcP
I think that's relatively obvious to everyone participating in this discussion.0
re: SallyMcP
Except for when it is. When someone is looking for lunch and they get a brunch menu or when some is looking for breakfast and a restaurant is only serving brunch. And many people have said that they DONT DO BRUNCH! Because they don't like brunch.0
re: viperlush
Brunch is just a word.0
re: sandylc
"Brunch is just a word."
Yes, but here in the NYC metro area that "word" dictates a certain type of menu.0
re: viperlush
Yes, I think part of the problem is that we all (myself included) are used to getting our own way in restaurants, & Sunday has always been a problem that way as far as lunch is concerned. Very few places - at least around here - offer their regular menu on Sunday's. It's either brunch or nothing or Sunday dinner or nothing.0
re: SallyMcP
"Then DON"T DO BRUNCH!!! It's not compulsory."
Right. And that is why I started the topic. To see who does and who does not like brunch. I never once stated that anyone was forcing me to eat it (although it is difficult to avoid it in many restaurants where I live on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon).
"WHO (except the occasional born contrarian) doesn't love eggs/bacon/ham/ sausage/cheese-things--plain or artful variations on the theme; fruit, waffles, pancakes, french toast, bagels, croissants, crepes, grits, (or cold apple pie & fried chicken, grin) any time of any day?"
Well, my partner and me, for starters. And I am not a "born contrarian." I love those things early in the morning, but come noon time and after, my palate is just not looking for that combination. Let's be honest, is it that difficult to believe me? After all, I believe those who say they love brunch; I'm not doubting them.0
re: ttoommyy
I understand your eating preference part, but what I don't understand is the difficulty in finding what you want to eat at whatever hour, especially in NYC. I live in southern California and have been to dozens (hundreds?) of spots that open at noon-ish on weekends that serve a regular lunch menu. No eggs in sight.0
re: BubblyOne
Here in NYC, most of the restaurants we like have a heavy brunch menu on a Sunday afternoon, which is our one time of the week to eat out. I am not saying none of the restaurants have what we want; but a lot do not. It's just a personal preference. I am not calling for a ban on brunch. I simply asked who liked it and who did not and then stated I and my partner do not.0
re: ttoommyy
That's legit. These threads do take on a life of their own. In the words of someone famous: Everyone is entitled to their opinion, no matter how wrong they are!0
re: sandylc
Thank you.0
re: ttoommyy
OK, got it...that was not in your original post. Most of your favorites have brunch menus. And I did not mention any "brunch ban".0
re: BubblyOne
This makes me think--what kinds of places do strictly brunch items on Sundays, leaving aside ethnic places but the eggs benedict, pancakes, etc type places? In my area, they tend to be hotels, trendy places and chains. It might be location based but I have to look for places that do strictly brunch/late breakfast and not any other foods.0
re: chowser
Actually, I have the impression that the places/restaurants that ttoommyy "likes" (as he said in his post above) just might be White Folks Anglo-type places in a certain locale and a certain demographic around his church, wherever that may be. (He has not responded to my previous queries as to where and what his NYC milieu is on Sundays) I don't get the impression that he considers "ethnic" places (with all the discussion and baggage that THAT term invokes) to be within his purview.0
re: huiray
What I'm thinking is that in this narrowly defined view of places that only do eggs benedict, etc., you'll tend to find fewer great restaurants and more trendy restaurants. In my area, I'm thinking it's places like the Cheesecake Factory so I'd definitely pass on that, too.
Not to say that there isn't great brunch out there but you'd have to look hard for a place that fits. As I've said before, I love brunch, even pancakes and eggs but most aren't done well. And, it makes me appreciate that runny egg over hash that much more. It's like coffee, too--I love great coffee, although I rarely find it. But, that doesn't mean I don't love it, just that I refuse accept that I'll never find better than IHOP coffee. I keep looking and really appreciate when I do find it.0
re: chowser
In my experience, there are great brunches, some good brunches, and then the ones, that I would not do again, even on a bet.
It just depends.
PS - In PHX, we have a famous, vaunted restaurant, that does a horrible brunch, regardless of their having about 30 stations. Some restaurants get it, but some do not.0
re: Bill Hunt
Exactly and it's so worth finding the good ones. This is my favorite brunch place in my area:
The food is amazing; it's not trendy; I've never encountered a mimosa there (they might have them, but if so, I missed it). To skip brunches means skipping this experience. I love what you say below about being a hedonist--I agree, finding good food is finding good food, whether it's popular or not. Ignore what the crowd does.0
re: chowser
New one to me, but I have made note of it!
re: huiray
Maybe I missed something, but I am not sure how "brunch" would be at all reflective of where one's church is. Now, our timing for brunch CAN depend on the proximity to a church for my wife, but then, we are usually far from "home."
As far as the ethnicity of the patrons, I would guess that there are many more guests doing the Orchid's Sunday Brunch, who are Asian, that Caucasian, but I never count, as it does not make any difference to me.
In New Orleans, Brennan's is always a bit of a mixed bag, regarding ethnicity of the patrons. Everyone seems to enjoy. It depends on who is in town.
re: Bill Hunt
@Bill Hunt (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8527...):
Perhaps you figured out where the church/milieu thing came about from reading more further down the thread? (as I see you posting with later time-stamps further down) (also perhaps look again at the OP)
p.s. Orchids - which you refer to - is in Hawaii, I believe. NYC appears to be the battleground here, and where the OP goes in NYC.0
re: huiray
For me, great brunches are where you find them.
As this is not one of the NYC boards, I am not sure what your point is, other than that you think NYC has no great brunches. If so, that is tragic. Maybe the OP, and many others, need to get out more.
re: Bill Hunt
I think you are missing many salient points in the discussion here.
Firstly, the OP states that he and his partner go into NYC to attend church on Sundays. They then look for a meal *in NYC* that is NOT "Brunch" (as understood by him) after services. The OP bemoans his inability to find much in the way of "Lunch", rather than "Brunch", in the restaurants in NYC he likes and visits.
Many posts here have revolved around this notion, that the OP is looking for "Brunch" in NYC – not NO, not Waikiki Beach, etc etc. It's NYC that is the battleground for the OP in this thread.
Then, there are the points/arguments flowing from that, including (but not limited to):
• What does "Brunch" mean?
• That "Brunch" does NOT automatically mean egg-based dishes like Eggs Benedict, or pancakes, etc but instead encompasses all sorts of meals that include cuisines NOT limited to Western, Anglo-derived cuisines. (My view, and that of others) The OP (and others) feel that these egg dishes do indeed constitute what "Brunch" is. I and others disagree.
• That "Brunch" would include Dim Sum, Posole, Indian Curries, etc etc. (My view and that of others) I questioned why the OP would not go for Dim Sum, for example, when he wanted a meal that was NOT "Eggs Benedict etc" - no response was obtained.
• I also asked the OP whether he and his partner were sticking to the immediate vicinity of their church (and asking by extension where it was and the milieu involved) in terms of the restaurants he went to. No response was obtained.
• That "Brunch" is just a word (another poster), or just a meal between breakfast and lunch (My point and that of others), or a State of Mind (another poster).
So in my view I think there are great "Brunches" to be had in NYC, so long as one is not fixated on "Brunch" being Eggs Benedict and such stuff.
Your statement
"As this is not one of the NYC boards, I am not sure what your point is, other than that you think NYC has no great brunches."
is in error.
Even if I were to limit myself to "Eggs Benedict and such" I would think there are great "Brunches" to be had in NYC, because I personally like "Brunch", even in its Anglo-Western form. In actuality I would include all the other cuisines from other cultures in my choices as I indicated above.0
re: huiray
If one is talking about ONLY NYC, would it not be better to post on, and leave the thread on, the NYC board? "General Topics" are, well "general topics." My comments are on general topics>Brunch. Yours are limited to NYC. I am not sure exactly why, as NYC is not the only place on Earth, that has brunch.
I strongly suggest that you just ignore all of my posts, in the General Topics forum, as they are not geo-centric to you.
re: Bill Hunt
I am not limiting it to nyc; i am using nyc as my point of reference as others who have posted have used their environment as their point of reference. As you have done.0
re: Bill Hunt
"As this is not one of the NYC boards, I am not sure what your point is, other than that you think NYC has no great brunches."
I never said there were no great brunches; of course there are! I said I do not like the typical brunch food served in NYC (the area where I happen to live so I referenced it) and found in abundance at noon time on Sundays when I am looking for more traditional lunchtime fare. Did you even read my original post or just jump on the band wagon with everyone else? Also, I originally asked who does and does not like brunch, but never chastised ANYONE for enjoying it. I also said "I feel like I am in the minority" and that this was a "personal preference." Why all the negativity towards me? Yes, I was negative about brunch as far as the fact that I do not like it but I never once took a potshot at anyone. I really don't get it.
And btw Mr. Hunt. I get out often enough. I have eaten at the best restaurants on both coasts of the USA, in Italy and other places too numerous to mention. Please do make assumptions about me. Thank you.0
re: ttoommyy
Ttoommyy, I popped into a local hotspot for lunch last Saturday for a burger or their really good scallop crudo and a Saison beer. However as it was noon on Saturday, they would only serve their brunch menu. I had to settle for eggs benedict and a complimentary mimosa. Not bad, but not what I wanted for lunch.0
re: JungMann
Thanks for posting JungMan. That is exactly what i am talking about! And believe me, I have had my share of many, many good brunches like that, but I really have had my fill of them. When one is in the mood for, say, "a burger or [a] really good scallop crudo and a Saison beer" and your only choice is eggs Benedict, a mimosa and the like, it's disconcerting. And this is not just a NYC thing; I've had it happen in many other states while on vacation in the US as well.
And once again, let me state that this is MY PERSONAL opinion. I am not disparaging others' choices or their right to brunch. :)0
re: JungMann
That would drive me crazy, too. When I'm in the mood for one thing, I don't always want a substitute. That is a different question than in the OP, though. If the question had been, "Do you dislike it when ubiquitous brunch items have replaced what you expect?" then I would have said yes. But, brunch items when I'm expecting brunch items are fine.
I don't find brunch often on Saturdays. I can't think of a place that does it near me. I always thought of the Sunday brunch, for most restaurants, as a way to generate some income on Sundays before the normal lunch crowd; not as a way to replace a meal that's doing well. That doesn't make sense, from a business stand point.0
re: ttoommyy
Then would it not be a better subject for one of the NYC boards, and NOT the General Topics Board?
I make no assumptions about you, but reflect on MY experiences. Yours might mirror mine, or they might not? I cannot be the gate-keeper of that.
re: Bill Hunt
I dont see how telling me to get out more is constructive and reflects on your experience. Its just a catch-all remark To dismiss someone.
And why would i ignore all of your posts? You make a lot of good points. Im not offended by anything youve said. I enjoy a good conversation!0
re: ttoommyy
Good points, perhaps other than the recommendation for dim sum at Orchids.0
re: chowser
Most of my favorites ARE at resorts, though not all.
Orchids at the Halekulani, O`ahu/Waikiki, has maybe 30 stations, just for ethnic cuisine, and all dishes are wonderful. One could dine from 10:00, until 2:00PM, and never repeat. Second best, that I have ever encountered.
I think that the inclusions, and exclusions, will depend on the exact venue.
re: BubblyOne
What was not in my original post BubblyOne?
The brunch ban comment was aimed at others, not you. Sorry.0
re: viperlush
For me, that is their problem. I will just make a note to NOT invite any of them to brunch with me. Done.
re: wyogal
Although I do like breakfast food for supper sometimes. But during the day, I like brunch at brunchtime.0
re: wyogal
Usually, we will make reservations on the "early side," say 10:00-10:30AM, but that might slide a bit, depending on my wife's church schedule.
I am sad that many people label foods as time-of-day appropriate or not....all sorts of brunch menus have salads, seafood, etc., and eggs can be a part of a wonderful lunch or supper, as can things like hash browns or pancakes.
If it's fresh and well-prepared, I'm all for it, despite labels or what the clock says. Another thread regarding what people had for breakfast today will certainly show that typical breakfast ideas are not followed by everyone!0
re: sandylc
I am so with you on this! I enjoy eggs et. al.any time of the day. Plus I frequently have atypical breakfast foods for my breakfast such as dinner leftovers.0
re: sandylc
I guess I am more of a traditional type of guy. I can't stomach dinner leftovers for breakfast ( usualy anywhere from 7-9 am); it's cereal, eggs or some other traditional fare for me. And the thought of French toast or frou frou eggs at lunchtime is not my idea of a meal. Different strokes...0
re: sandylc
It is sad. Food ought not be straightjacketed into pigeon-holes and rigid time frames. Those breakfast (and lunch) threads indeed show a wide range of things eaten by folks, including eggs of all sorts of course but so much more, including - yes - lots of leftovers. :-)0
re: huiray
True in principle. However, a place that does not normally serve breakfast is often not going to have cooks who prepare breakfast-y things well at brunch. Ditto for lunch-y things if luncheon is not the regular practice of the restaurant. Places that offer breakfast and luncheon items during the week tend to have a less mediocre brunch on weekends.0
re: Karl S
I've never found this to be true. After all, the cooks are still making these dishes once a week, it's not like it's a blind attempt every time.
Aside from hotel restaurants and diners, I can't think of many places that do brunch that serve breakfast at all...0
re: LeoLioness
That's why brunch is so meh so many of those other places. It's the C team at work for the brunch.0
re: Karl S
Again, not in my experience.0
re: sandylc
"I am sad that many people label foods as time-of-day appropriate or not...."
The problem is not with brunch-haters, but with the person who invented the word brunch then.0
re: Parigi
Shall we track him/her down and banish them? ha0
re: sandylc
+2 Eggs are one of my most favorite things and I eat them sometimes 2-3 times/day. I just took a hardboiled egg and diced it up and mixed it with a little hellman's and some mustard and slathered it on a piece of whole wheat for a midday snack. I'm with you, limiting foods to particular times of the day is too old-fashioned for me.
I don't go out to eat for breakfast or brunch hardly ever, but I love the idea of brunch. It seems decadent to me. Bloody Mary's and Mimosas, eggs and hollandaise, crepes and cheese and bacon and sausage - hmm, maybe I'll go this weekend.0
re: lynnlato
I love hard boiled eggs that way, too. I don't even bother mixing w/ the mayo. I spread mayo on the bread, slice hard boiled eggs on top, add salt and pepper. It's perfect any time of day.0
re: sandylc
There does seem to be time-centric bent, toward some food.
We often do fried eggs and grits, with country ham and gravy, for dinner. No biggie here.
We're not brunch fans either - especially the usually dismal buffets - unless I'm making it at home for the two of us (I make a mean "Crab Cake Benedict"). Sunday is just too much of a day where we actually have time to get things done, so dining out rarely comes into the picture unless it's to catch a quick breakfast somewhere while we're on our way to do some shopping in order to fix something or to get some yard work done, yadayadayada. A nice relaxing brunch out? Maybe some time before I die - lol!!!0
re: Bacardi1
Crab Cake Benedict sounds really, really good.0
re: Sarah Perry
Crab Cake Benedict is offered by restaurants here and there too. :-) In fact, if memory serves right, the Chart House in Weehawken near the OP offered it too, at least the last I remembered it. ;-)0
re: huiray
I get down to the Annapolis / Chesapeake Bay area a few times a year to go sailing, and the trip always includes at least one brunch. My meal, almost every time, is Blue Crab Benedict, which is prepared with lump blue crab instead of the fried crab cake. I start dreaming about it in advance of every trip.0
re: MonMauler
Yum. That sounds absolutely delicious.0
re: huiray
Had one, not THAT long ago, at Perry's in San Francisco, and it WAS good.
Dallas is a marginal foodie town, but I can get a good, wet, 3-hour brunch at Blue Mesa or Mansion on Sundays. When I'm out of the country I miss some of the American traditions / options.0
re: Veggo
Now Dallas is coming along, regarding the culinary arts. At one time, it was a few nice hotels, Jack-in-the-box, and a great cigar shop. Much has changed there.
Not sure about any brunches though.
We have not eaten brunch out for years. If we do brunch, we cook it ourselves if we have guests who tend to sleep in. As I never sleep in unless I am ill, I am starving by 7 AM, Sunday or not. And I am a big breakfast eater.
However, I sometimes make typical brunch fare such as Eggs Benedict, mushroom tart or a frittata for dinner So, it is not as though I dislike the food per se; the timing of it rarely works for me.0
If you mean going out to brunch, either restaurant or someone else's house, then I say I hate it. But if you mean getting up late and having coffee and then deciding about 11 to have eggs, bacon and toast, well, then I love it. (And if someone would appear and magically make me Eggs Benedict with bacon instead of Canadian bacon I would love that too.)0
This is one of the thing I miss. Wife and I loved brunch. Get up late. Go out (I don't like to cook brunch at home) and a leisurely eating stint that last 2 hours. Great drinks, food and conversation. This was prior to kids.
Now on sunday mornings, kids get up at un-godly hour and ask for the full breakfast (bacon, sausage, egg, potato, pancakes, etc).
Although I have fond memories of brunch, I happy get up at un-godly hours and make the full breakfast. Infact I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.
I love brunch,especially if there will be Much Bacon.
If the brunch time is too late, since I get up at 5, I will probably have some toast and coffee for breakfast.
My wife hates brunch so I don't ever get to go. But I really enjoyed brunches in New Orleans.
However, I dpnt much like Mother's day brunches - talk about a cattle chute. Too crowded, low quality, running out of stuff, overtaxed staff, parking lots full. Too bad some of them seem to have special items I can't get other days. Oh well, just not worth it.
The worst Mother's Day brunch was one arranged at the last minute based on recommendation of someone I never trusted again. It turned out that it was a Russian oriented place, not simply "European" as their ads stated. I was told by both the ads and the person recommending the place that they would have standard breakfast fare in addition to a carving station with meats, etc.
Standard for where? Borscht? Cabbage? Pickled eggs? fish eggs? All stuff I do not like. It was terrible, not a thing there for me to eat, and it was expensive.
Luckily some of my guests were eastern European so they didnt mind the borscht , but I was livid. Since the servers seemed to conveniently only know exactly as much English as was required to fulfill drink orders from the bar, there was no one to complain to.
The place closed probably a month or two later.0
re: PenskeFan
Ah bacon!
That is one of the things, that keeps bringing me back to Blackberry Farm and their Sunday Brunch - they use Benton Bacon, and you can get it, regardless of which dishes you order. Same for Benton Country Ham.
When the bacon (or the Country Ham) is good, what could go wrong, so long as they serve a nice Champagne?
Brunch, to me, is less about the food or time of day than it is about an attitude.
It's an ability to enjoy food leisurely with good company, knowing that the rest of your day is, well, going to be spent mostly in leisure.
If all of those things are in alignment, I could be eating expired beef jerky and sipping lukewarm coffee and still be a happy pup.
That said, I love brunch.0
re: ipsedixit
Ask me last year what I thought about brunch and I would have definitely said "take it or leave it." However, my husband and I recently started making brunch for ourselves at home after church. What started innocently enough (omelette and bacon for him; yogurt and bagel for me; fruit, coffee and mimosas for both) has spiraled into an all-out tour de force! The omelette has blossomed to include tuna, chicken or some other filling and homemade waffles and hash browns have started making an appearance. For us, it's as much about the meal as it is about spending time together, relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Something we hadn't done in a looong time and something that was desperately needed.
Sunday Brunch at home has become my one of my favorite parts of the week.0
re: punkin712
I love brunch. I'm not so big on sweet pastry-type things, but I usually find plenty of bacon-y options to choose from. I'm decidedly not a morning person. and my usual weekday morning meal tends to reflect that...I'll grab a piece of cheese or a banana, anything else just sounds like too much trouble, but if I've had a long lie-in, a leisurely bath, and a chance to put on some makeup on a weekend morning, I'm more than happy to go to sit somewhere, talk with friends, eat some bacon hash with poached eggs, and drink gallons of coffee. When our two kids were very young, we made a habit of each taking one of them to brunch on Sundays...it gave us a chance for some one-on-one time with the kid on a day when there weren't too many demands on our time, so, for me, brunch has always been a pleasant way to celebrate the weekend.0
re: ipsedixit
For some, "brunch" is a "state of mind."
Like it!!!!
I like brunch, but it has to have some savoury, rich element, be well-prepared and reasonably priced, in a relaxed atmosphere. And these things just do not seem to be lining up very often anymore :)
BK (before kids) I liked a brunch and especially a drunken brunch, but I can't afford the mid-afternoon energy crash anymore. We do both bacon and eggs and pancakes/waffles at home quite often, and restaurant versions rarely equal ours in quality, plus while I can handle a sweet breakfast I need something with protein at lunchtime. One thing I do not make at home myself is Hollandaise, and a big reason for that is so that brunch out will still have some appeal to me.
I never liked lining up and being rushed through brunch, which unfortunately is pretty common in Toronto.
I do love eggs and interesting preps thereof but these don't coincide often with kid-friendly, no line-up spots. I recently used some leftovers in a most delicious gorgonzola polenta topped with more gorgonzola, a fried egg and sun-dried tomatoes.. I haven't had anything that good at a restaurant brunch in a long long time.0
Sometimes. I don't like the bins of runny scrambled eggs that can be found at a lot of cattle-call brunches. I also don't really want to stand around a single toaster with a hoards of folks to toast a so-so bagel when I could get better at Dunkins, frankly. I do like a brunch where I can get a omelet or crepe made to order, or some lovely finnan haddie, hard to find out-of-season fruits, or items that I might not have time for at home. But most of them are way overpriced for mundane items, where people seem to be into consuming quantity, not quality.0
re: pinehurst
If only more scrambled eggs COULD be runny! Unfortunately, most hotel/motel breakfast bars have scrambled "eggs" poured from a carton, innocent of any yolk at all - just egg white and whatever the factory added. And cooked to rubber. If I'm eating from a buffet I'll eat eggs only if fried or poached is an option, because scrambled-or-omelet-only options almost certainly mean it's not really eggs, but Eggbeaters.
Note to ttoommyy, below: I was 51 twenty years ago, and have rethought my lifestyle at least three times a year since then. Usually when faced with some food I'd never eaten, or thought of eating. I have never been presented with a ribeye steak at breakfast, but I cannot possibly imagine being annoyed at it. Same goes for pickled eggs or caviar. The only thing I did NOT like about my fried-chicken brunch at the Loveless was that I couldn't get a side of eggs to go with it - always wanted to have both chicken and egg on one plate!0
re: Will Owen
I've had my share of brunch food, believe me. One could say I have changed my lifestyle; I no longer eat brunch food. :)
I try everything presented to me at least once and I make it a point to try things I've never had when at a new restaurant or in a foreign country.0
re: pinehurst
From your descriptions, though a "brunch person," I think that I would agree 100%.
Brunch, like most meals, depends on the venue - there are great ones, a bunch of good ones, and a bazillion bad ones. Avoid the last group, and be particular on the middle one. Focus on the first group, if at all possible.
I am pro-brunch.
I'm a late weekend sleeper (until noon is not uncommon), so brunch is my first meal of the day on most Sundays. Sometimes I want eggs. Sometimes I want raw oysters and clams. Sometimes I want a burger. Sometimes I want a sandwich with a pancake on the side. Always, I want a coffee and a Blood Mary. Brunch delivers all of this, it's as social as dinner and costs half as much. Viva la brunch!0
I like good food. Good dinner is good. Good lunch is good. Good breakfast is good. Good snacks are go. Why the hell isn't a good brunch good?
Make me a spicy Bloody Mary, offer some clever reinvention of Eggs Benedict, play some old Ry Cooder cd in the background, and bring me a rare ribeye with two poached eggs on top. How can that be bad? Seriously, how can any 'hound not have the ability to appreciate a good brunch? I mean, honestly, "brunch doesn't fit my lifestyle"? Maybe it's time to rethink your lifestyle . . . .0
re: MGZ
"Seriously, how can any 'hound not have the ability to appreciate a good brunch? I mean, honestly, "brunch doesn't fit my lifestyle"? Maybe it's time to rethink your lifestyle . . . ."
Please, at 51 I am not about to rethink my lifestyle. I like it too much. It took me many years to get where I am. But seriously...for me, brunch offering are just not to my liking. A ribeye and two poached eggs? Never. Two poached eggs in the early morning, definitely. A ribeye for lunch or dinner. Sure. Mix the two and serve a baskets of muffins on the side and offer me a mimosa or bloody Mary? You can have it. Believe me, I have quite and open palate when it comes to food. Brunch is just not my thing. I am not saying others cannot love it. I just wanted to know where people stand since my partner and I are not lovers of brunch.0
re: ttoommyy
It may also be a function of lifestyle. I am an early riser, even on weekends. (Normally, 4:30AM during the week, so 6AM on weekends is what I call sleeping in - 7AM during blizzards in December and January or when very sick.) On Sunday mornings, I have choir duty except in July and August. So by the time "brunch" time rolls around, I've had breakfast. Now I can eat breakfast at any meal, but often I prefer to have lunch, especially on Sundays after choir (when I've had a light breakfast but need something more substantial after 2.5 hours of rehearsal and singing). Places that offer both their full breakfast and lunch menu for "brunch" are to be preferred to places that offer the more limited and half-assed "brunch" menu.0
re: Karl S
Amen, Karl S! Perhaps it is a function of lifestyle. On Sundays I am up by 7am the latest.0
re: ttoommyy
Some people do not really enjoy most meals. They eat, to sustain themselves.
Being your senior, by quite a bit, and also set in MY ways, I would surmise that you have just not been exposed to a glorious brunch, or if you have, it was just "not your thing."
Now, I am not talking about a late breakfast at a Holiday Inn Express, on the way to the airport, but a real brunch.
Sorry that you have not warmed to a great brunch.
re: Bill Hunt
If you are talking to me Bill, I have indeed had glorious brunches at top venues. While I can respect the food and the craft of the chefs, it's just not my thing. By noon or so I just do not have a taste for waffles, eggs, pastries, etc. as my main course.
And just to be clear, I have never stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in my adult years. :)0
re: ttoommyy
That is your choice, and I respect that.
My choice is a great brunch, when available.
Just differences in personal tastes.
re: MGZ
<<Why the hell isn't a good brunch good?>>
Could it be that where you have chosen to experience brunch, might not be the ideal?
A great brunch is a thing to behold, savor and enjoy, over the late morning, until the early afternoon. It is all about the restaurant, and then the diner's state of mind.
Bruch is a waste of a restaurant's talents. The fact that so many otherwise good restaurants commit 1/14th or more of their service to brunch, something at which they are likely not experts, is mind-boggling. Abandoning the food that makes your restaurant good or notable in the first place? Ugh.
Much of my restaurant research is spent determining which restaurants *aren't* serving brunch, so I can go out and have a good meal on a weekend afternoon. It's difficult to track them down.
And I prefer my champagne without orange juice.
Then again it's probably a huge money-maker.0
re: tommy
Amen, to you too tommy! I just hate when a restaurant known for a certain cuisine is "forced" to serve brunch on a weekend and comes up with silly dishes that are in the style of their usual menu.0
re: tommy
If there IS talent, and it's done correctly, I totally disagree with you.
At least your restaurant research is paying off.
We enjoy Sunday brunch at home. I will sometimes put a sausage strata together the night before or make biscuits and sausage gravy or sausage and pancakes. I get up at the crack of dawn every day so I will eat some peanut butter crackers to tide me over until my lovely wife arises.
Perhaps it is more of a late breakfast since we usually eat about ten or so. A light snack mid afternoon will see me through until dinner.0
My favorite way to start the day--with a very light breakfast, a run, shower, then a leisurely brunch, but I want more doctored up breakfast foods (I love the mix of savory and sweet, more savory with a touch of sweet in general) or dim sum. I hate buffets. My favorite part might be instantly given a cup of hot coffee when I sit down. "Fancied up" eggs--yummm.0
re: chowser
Dim sum is no doubt my most favorite "brunch."0
re: tommy
OK, then you need to experience the Sunday Brunch at Orchids, at the Halekulani. They have perhaps 20 Japanese stations, along with perhaps twice that many with Euro and US stations.
re: Bill Hunt
I have.0
re: tommy
And can I assume that it was not to your tastes?
re: Bill Hunt
I do not recall much in the way of sim sum.0
re: tommy
Sorry, but you lost me there. I am not familiar with "sim sum."
re: Bill Hunt
LOL!! Oh, Bill. So easily lost.0
I like brunch because I can have my pancakes or waffles or whatever I'm feeling like, while my dining partners (usually BF, who doesn't like sweet breakfasts) can have his/their lunch item. Perfect for both of us- he wouldn't be happy at breakfast, and I don't generally like to eat heavier savory lunch-type items until later in the day. If it's after noon, though, we usually skip the brunch- we'd rather spend our money at a hole-in-the-wall type ethnic place, where our limited eating out budget goes farther and we get something more interesting and less typical/predictable, than at the typical brunch-serving american place.0
Brunch is for amateurs. It seems to be a popular way to pass the time for those who lack a violent gag reflex to Sex and the City and mimosas.
I like to reserve meals out for things that I can't cook at home with ingredients that don't cost less than a dollar.0
re: mrgreenbeenz
"Brunch is for amateurs. It seems to be a popular way to pass the time for those who lack a violent gag reflex to Sex and the City and mimosas."
Agreed. Brunch also makes me think of the late 80s and restaurants like Houlihan's. It was so "new" and "trendy" back then. Or so we thought. And it's still around with the same old tired riffs on eggs Benedict, blueberry ricotta pancakes, etc.0
re: ttoommyy
Well, there you go. You have never experienced a world-class brunch, if you reflect upon Holihan's, or a Holiday Inn Express, near the airport.
Do you think of "Fried Chicken," relative to KFC? Do you think of "Mexican food," relative to Taco Bell?
re: mrgreenbeenz
I'll pass on the Sex and the City and mimosas, but I generally can't come up with a raw bar, baked goods, egg dishes, sides, burger and a couple of rounds of Bloody Marys on a Sunday afternoon for my partner and me. That makes us "amateur" what, exactly?0
re: LeoLioness
Yeah, I'm not sure why opinions on subjects always have to turn into opinions about others. Don't like brunch? Great, tell us and tell us why. That's all that's interesting.0
re: tommy
That's cool.
re: LeoLioness
"That makes us "amateur" what, exactly?"
The way I interpreted mrgreenbeenz statement was that when one goes to a restaurant where brunch is served, one gets the feeling that many people are there for the "trendiness" of it all and not so much for the food. Hence, the use of the word "amateur," as in "amateur chowhound."
I guess it could seem offensive and I apologize for that. Tommy is right; let's just stick to the subject. Sorry.0
re: ttoommyy
It's not so much offensive as a ridiculous stereotype. The idea of brunch being "trendy" is hilarious to me. Sort of like people who eschew sushi because they think people only eat it to be "trendy'. It's not 1983 anymore, folks. I've been going out for brunch my entire adult life and I assure you it's usually just because I am hungry for more than I feel like cooking/can cook at home, or because afternoon food and cocktails are a fun way to fritter away a Sunday.0
re: LeoLioness
I'm always puzzled by the use of the word "trendy" as a pejorative. To your point brunch as an event or meal has been around for quite some time, and is unlikely going anywhere. It's about as trendy as dinner, I'd think.0
re: tommy
"I'm always puzzled by the use of the word "trendy" as a pejorative."
To me, trendy is a pejorative word since I tend to shy away from things that are fashionable, popular, etc. Maybe that's why I don't like brunch; it's too popular. :)0
re: ttoommyy
So if you liked something before it became trendy, do you stop liking it when it becomes trendy? Or, what if there's something that is trendy that you find you like? I guess I do my own thing and don't let the trends dictate either way. I will say, though, that I hate crowds so that might be one reason for me to avoid trendy things. But, I'll put up with crowds for good dim sum because no crowd means the dim sum won't be good. And, a parade of one is pretty boring (ha, though I hate parades...).0
re: chowser
To answer chowser, yes I have been known to stop liking things when the become popular. Especially music. I followed the band U2 for their first 3 or 4 albums, then they became uber popular and I lost interest in them. I don't do this purposely, I just naturally lose interest in things that become very popular. They tend to become formulaic and shadows of their former selves. I've lalways been this way.0
re: ttoommyy
Not to get too far off topic, but you probably stopped liking U2 because they just weren't doing it for you anymore. They changed. But not because millions more people started liking them.
Foie gras could have been considered a "trend" back in the 90's. I didn't stop liking it, though.
However, I've never recovered from the pan-asian trend, which surely cannot be considered a trend any longer, as it's ubiquitous.0
re: tommy
Agree tommy, but also once a lot of people jump onto something it also takes the new and fun out of it. At least for me. To be honest, I really do stop liking things when "millions" start to like it; I have just never been the kind of person to like something lots of others like. Again, I have to go back to music as an example. All through high school I loved bands no one had ever heard of. Eventually, some of these bands became popular and the thought that all of these people who did not like this music before were now into it really turned me off.
On topic though, I just don't like the brunch atmosphere or the combination of foods. I'm sure I did at one time, but I find it all so played at these days.0
re: ttoommyy
So even if you like a group, like their music and it hasn't changed, you'll stop just because others do? To me, that's being influenced by the opinion of others as much as jumping on a band wagon because others do like it.0
re: chowser
Reminds me of an hilarious Portlandia episode.0
re: ttoommyy
I, too, often find myself not liking something when it becomes "popular." For me it is because a little bit of the "specialness" is gone for me. Before it became popular, it was mine... almost like a secret. When it became popular, it no longer had that specialness.0
re: kubasd
kuasd says it for me, chowser, in response to your question. And I am not directly influenced by others because I do not make a concious decision; it just happens naturally. I have been like this for as long as I can remember.0
re: ttoommyy
I think nonconformity is a good thing and tend to be that way myself. But good food is good food and that's more important than nonconformity. That is, of course, given that the quality doesn't decrease because of it. One of my favorite workouts is the tabata interval which I've been doing for years. I still love it, even though you see it in about every gym in the country these days. It's still good and I'll probably be using it after gyms stop. Darn, I'm still stepping and have seen the trend come and go.0
re: ttoommyy
Sometimes when things get popular, they change and I stop liking them. That might be one of the problems w/ brunch. It becomes overdone and tired. But, I still like a good brunch, if I find one. And I don't care how trendy dim sum is, I'm happy w/ a good dim sum. I'm still a fan of Modern Family for the most part, even though it's become so popular.0
re: ttoommyy
You must really not like dinner! :)0
re: ttoommyy
When I lived in your hometown, people would be lined up for that East LA brunch. I think it's still just as popular. Can't say I ever waited in line (OK, maybe I did wait for a table outside once or 50 times), but I certainly popped in there for that stuff. Back in the day, Santa Fe Yatch Club was my brunch of choice. Their brunch included skirt steak and eggs, which became the model of my own version of that. And, of course, the margaritas.0
re: ttoommyy
"Fashionable" by whose terms?
Do you religiously read the Society Pages, to see what is "trendy," and then eschew those? Many do, and spend their lives doing so, everywhere in life.
If someone else does something, many will do just the opposite, so they are not grouped with any others.
So be it.
re: LeoLioness
My kind of gal! Been going out for brunch with my family since I was a kid in the 60s and will still take visitors during the summer to a great hotel brunch here at the beach. Not sure when trend crosses the line to something else- but that ship sailed long ago.0
re: LeoLioness
Or, the "sheeple," who loudly turned their noses up at Chardonnay, or Cabernet (Sauvignon), in the various ABC (Anything BUT Chardonnay [or Cabernet] movement of a few decades ago.)
Some people fight to be "trendy," by doing things, that are "un-trendy."
Me? Well I am a hedonist, and do what I enjoy, and never worry about what people are doing, or thinking on either Coast, in Europe, or Asia. I let them sort out their lives.
re: ttoommyy
Oh, I suppose that there can be a "trendiness" factor, but at the restaurants, where we enjoy brunch, it is about the food - ain't no "trendiness" that I can detect. It is about great food, that might cross-over by the time-o-day. I have never observed anyone asking, "Oh, do you think they are looking at me, because I am being trendy?" These are people, who know, and enjoy great food.
I don't normally like the idea of brunch due to the excesses that it causes me to indulge in, but made an exception when we started going to dim sum. It's so nice and civilized (except on Mothers' Day lol) and there's no buffet that beckons you to overeat. There is a temptaton to overeat, but since it's not a buffet you can take what you don't eat with you, and in my opinion there's nothing better for breakfast on Monday than leftover dim sum.0
As with many things, brunch is worth what is put into it. Brunch unto itself is just a word until the food is on the table.
Last weekend I had a delightful, fresh brunch. It was a menu brunch, which I prefer to a buffet. I had wild rice salad, a frittata with gruyere, ham, and asparagus, and some lovely radish sprouts. On the side, we shared a roll made from croissant dough which was stuffed with ham and gruyere again, along with a delightful ginger-carrot-orange marmalade baked right in.
It was fresh and the details were paid attention to nicely; we enjoyed a very satisfying a fresh meal for little money.0
re: sandylc
"As with many things, brunch is worth what is put into it. Brunch unto itself is just a word until the food is on the table."
Well said. It could be argued that brunch is overdone and a lot of it is bad but when you find a good one, you appreciate it. How much "worst" is it than breakfast--it's essentially the same food, only served later.0
re: chowser
Cannot argue that what one most often encounters IS bad. It IS. However, that restaurant's lunch, dinner, etc., is also probably bad. It is not like suddenly, to do "brunch," they need to bring in Chef Thomas Keller. Bad food is bad food.
re: sandylc
I would happily indulge in brunch concepts from other cultures, but the standard North American pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs, etc., brunch doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. Dim sum, yes. Pho, yes. Congee, yes. Huevos rancheros or chilaquiles, yes! Herring, cured meats and fresh breads, sure! I'd even sip miso soup and eat fish and Japanese pickles with rice. I have no aversion to eggs at any time of the day, but I hate the way a breakfast/brunch fry-up sits with me. I feel like garbage afterward and for the rest of the day. When I go out to a brunch with either my family or my husband's family, I search the menu for oysters or any kind of seafood, salad nicoise, grilled fish or the daily soup to satisfy my cravings.0
re: 1sweetpea
We're on the same page here. The trick to brunch is to choose your restaurant well. Then it's just another great meal.0
re: sandylc
Totally agree. It's not like "brunch" is synonymous with a sad buffet at Shoney's.0
re: LeoLioness
When we were in Hong Kong in '95 we stayed at the fanciest damn Holiday Inn I've ever seen, much less inhabited. The breakfast buffet, which we hit at 6:00 every morning, was a slightly miniaturized version of what a really fine all-breakfast brunch might be, with an American side, a British side, and a European side to the big center island, plus a separate buffet top with Asian stuff. You could also get cooked-to-order egg dishes. Mrs. O's papa was covering the trip, and was on the lookout for any needless extravagance, but this was one he happily participated in. This was where Mrs. O discovered congee, her new favorite comfort food. It was also the start of our frequent (frozen) Asian dumplings-and-scrambled-egg breakfasts.
What was funny was that we were on a foodie excursion with Martin Yan, and we were being shepherded from one Chinese culinary extravaganza to another, but we still pigged out every morning before getting on the bus! Oink.0
re: LeoLioness
"Shoney's." Good one. I was thinking a level above, but that distills things.
Thank you,
re: sandylc
Well-said, and a topic, in this thread, that is too often missed. Brunch at the Embassy Suites is NOT likely to be great. Brunch at the right restaurant, can be great.
re: 1sweetpea
So, it's really breakfast foods that you don't like, not the time of those foods? I guess I love the concept of a leisurely meal that time of day--be it dim sum, a bowl of posole or a strata/french toast. That does bring up the question to the OP, whether it is just the type of food; or the timing of the food. Does breakfast elicit the same reaction to those who hate brunch?0
re: chowser
Ooh, pozole. Forgot about that one. Awesome. In my case, Chowser, I really don't care for most breakfast foods, especially cold cereal. It isn't the time of day at all. I ate an incredible stir fried cabbage, ginger, shallot and egg dish for breakfast in Bangkok that I'd have again any day, breakfast, lunch, dinner OR brunch.0
I love brunch and live in a town full of brunch lovers.
This is my favorite place for brunch. The Devil's Mess & Castro's Mess are national treasures.
re: Janet from Richmond
I wonder if that's age related. When I was younger, brunch was perfect because it was the first meal of the day. Now that I'm older, it's a mid-day meal.0
re: chowser
If you get way older, it can be the last meal of the day....
* * *
All that said, I think another thing behind skeptics has to do with restaurants that offer brunch but that don't really offer breakfast or lunch on non-weekend days, so that brunch there plays more as a mediocre cash-cow rather than to the restaurants' strengths.0
re: Janet from Richmond
We love Millie's! Discovered it over Memorial weekend. DH had Devil's Mess and I had soft scrambled eggs and lobster. Best breakfast/ brunch in years!0
re: mojoeater
My husband loves the soft scambled eggs and lobster as well. I think a trip to Millie's for brunch is in order very soon :-)0
re: Janet from Richmond
We're headed to Millie's this morning :-)0
re: Janet from Richmond
I'm jealous! This is about the time I start to think about my first meal on Sunday, and I so wish Millie's was nearby!0
My bf and I treat ourselves to a nice brunch at home every Sunday for at least the last 10 years. Mimosas with good champagne (2 bottles) and cook everything from a cheese souffle to something more pedestrian. It's such a relaxing day for us, and we catch up on the FN shows we have DVRd from the week. Followed by a nap!0
I loved brunch before we had a kid. Now, we basically cannot go out to brunch. It is leisurely, often involves a wait, and in the best circumstances, some kind of alcohol, all of which are out when you have a very, very, very active and loud toddler. We're working on training him, for real, but brunch is not the place to do it.
For a very long time, the only time our sitter was available was Sundays in the late morning/lunch hours. Let me tell you, by then, the last thing I wanted was brunch, as we had been up since 6 and already had breakfast, and I didn't WANT anymore eggs or whatever. We've found ourselves at ethnic restaurants most of the time as they're the only ones that are open and not doing an American brunch on sundays at noon, but the pickings are pretty slim.
In short, I do love brunch, and miss it, but brunch and I are not friends right now.0
Just occurred to me why we don't seem to do "brunch" any more: we did that when we lived in Nashville, but we are now perched on the edge of the San Gabriel Valley. So when we get that urge now, we go for dim sum! No Bloody Marys or mimosas, but really more fun and a hell of a lot cheaper!0
I would like to change my answer because I apparently was misinformed about what "brunch" is.
For some reason I had the impression that it was a large home cooked breakfast shared with family and served mid morning, usually on the weekend, usually cooked and eaten whilst wearing pajamas, and said meal served the purpose of breakfast and lunch.
I had no idea it involved going out to expensive restaurants and eating food you didn't like with bothersome people.0
re: kengk
For me it emphatically is NOT "eating food I don't like"! Nor do I eat with bothersome people if I can help it. If I'd ever get dragged to someplace with dismal food and undisciplined spawn running around, I would leave. Unless it was a family gathering at Shoney's on Music Row in Nashville, but that's FAMILY. That's not "brunch", but an obligation. Different thing.0
re: kengk
Good brunch is good brunch, whether it be at home or out. It can be expensive or not. Bad brunch is bad and to be avoided.
re: kengk
You're not from Manhattan :)0
re: tommy
Thank you. Delighted if it's obvious!0
re: Will Owen
Not you, Will. But I'm happy you're happy!0
re: kengk
Brunch is a meal between breakfast and lunch. That's all. Whether it has specific foods involved or notions of where it is eaten is up to the individual.
re: huiray
Most important to my mind is that "brunch" in the context of restaurants means a different menu than that normally offered. That's certainly part of ttoommyy's issue, and mine as well.
It's certainly not eaten before breakfast and lunch around here, as it's generally a replacement for both, and can be served through 2 or 3 pm.
So, "Brunch Menu" implies an awful lot. This is not simply some notion up to the individual. The "brunch menu" proves this.0
re: tommy
The "brunch menu" does vary a lot between people and places and locales and areas of the world. I elaborated more in my post below: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8527... . If you are referring to a *specific* type of brunch menu in *specific* types of locales or restaurants - say, The Riviera Cafe on 7th Ave just up from Christopher Street in NYC - then it might be useful to specify one's parameters in the question. I dare say even in NYC "brunch" to many folks might automatically summon up the idea of Dim Sum, not Eggs Benedict. :::Shrug::: To each his or her own.0
re: huiray
That's true. Around here nearly all of the restaurants offer brunch on Sunday, & although we have yet to have brunch out, have perused quite a few menus, & they vary widely. Some do 50/50 breakfast/lunch/Sunday dinner type items; others pretty much all breakfast dishes with just a couple of lunch-type things; & there are a few where the only breakfast items are omelets & a Benedict, with everything else being lunch/Sunday dinner oriented.
So it probably does pay to look up the restaurant's website, if they have one online, or inquire before you go depending on what you feel like eating.0
re: Bacardi1
Sunday Brunch today at a local restaurant:
Fresh spinach, chopped red onions, cool cucumber slices; dressed with cucumber raita, mint raita on the side; green mango chutney, parsley & onion paratha.
Aloo samosas; onion pakoras.
Tandoori chicken.
Basmati rice cooked w/ cumin & a touch of saffron; with lamb kofta, "house" chicken curry, cucumber slices, shaved lettuce.
No Eggs Benedict or Huevos Rancheros in sight. :-)0
re: huiray
Yeah the sichuan place near me doesn't have eggs Benedict, either.0
re: huiray
huiray: Sounds like lunch to me. And a tasty one at that!0
re: ttoommyy
So why can't you have something like that, then, for the meal at that hour (around 11.30 am) when you are in NY or wherever the heck you would be ? ;-)0
re: huiray
I specifically stated I don't like " typical brunch fare" in my very first post. The type of food you wrote about is exactly what we search for when eating out at that time on a Sunday. This thread has deviated from discussing the types of food I cited way up there at the top.0
re: ttoommyy
As I responded in another post, what one considers brunch fare varies according to the individual and the place and the restaurant and the milieu and the part of the world. If you meant white people food, yuppie edition, East-Coast NE USA, WASP-derivation, specific to certain types of restaurants with a certain type of clientele, one needs to say so.
What about dim sum in Chinatown or elsewhere? Caribbean takes on brunch? etc. Why are you thinking of those specific egg type dishes when you think of "Brunch"? Why even think of it as "Brunch" at all? Are you limiting yourself to only those restaurants in the immediate vicinity - maybe within 2-3 blocks, say - and within a few minutes walking distance - of your church? If so perhaps you need to expand the area you mentally think of? You're based in Hoboken, just across the Hudson from Midtown/West Village NYC. Would you have driven in (Lincoln/Holland Tunnel)? Or taken the PATH?0
re: huiray
Yeah, as I've said, the first thing that comes to mind for me if I'm going out for brunch is dim sum, or there's a northern chinese place near me that does tapas style brunch dishes. And, there's the mexican place where the brunch is posole, or huevos rancheros. Although, there you can also get pancakes.0
re: huiray
Hundreds of restaurants in manhattan serve typical brunch fare. Sorry state of affairs.0
re: tommy
To answer you, huiray, from up above, what tommy said. Perhaps I should have named this thread "Who Likes Typical Brunch Fare?" but I didn't, so maybe that's where the confusion lies. I was specifically talking about egg dishes, pancakes, and other assorted normally thought of as breakfast foods served from noon on.0
re: ttoommyy
I was specifically talking about egg dishes, pancakes, and other assorted normally thought of as breakfast foods served from noon on.
Those are foods *you* normally think of as breakfast foods served from noon on.
As this subthread demonstrates, there are differing opinions on this.
Perhaps it would've been more apt to title this post "Who likes breakfast foods like egg dishes, pancakes and others that ttoommyy normally associates with breakfast served from noon on"?0
re: ipsedixit
This thread is getting too trendy for me.0
re: BubblyOne
Giggle. Me too. It was too trendy from the get-go.0
re: ipsedixit
It's unlikely that ttoommyy is alone with his thoughts on "typical brunch food." The gourmands here obviously immediately think chitlins and tripe when they hear the word, but they are certainly exceptional in many ways.0
re: tommy
Thank you tommy for that common sense observation.0
re: tommy
Maybe check out the Sunday Brunch menu at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN (the Deep South, to those who might be geographically challenged), and see the offerings.
Brunch can be different things, at different restaurants, even in the Deep South.
re: ipsedixit
Sorry ips I disagree wholeheartedly. Of course there are differing opinions but at some point we have to establish some point of reference.0
re: ttoommyy
I hope this comes off in the manner I want it to, as a discussion and not argument. I think the "point of reference" marginalizes anyone who grew up in a culture different from yours, who might consider dim sum or posole as legitimate and typical brunch foods (this site is international, never mind the melting pot that America is). Should we always assume that "typical" food means burgers and fries and that slant?
Consider how you'd feel if there were a discussion about SOs and what's attractive/not attractive about the opposite sex; but when you pointed out that they could be the same sex, you're told that there must be some point of reference and yours isn't.0
re: chowser
Well said.
Even folks who might be of the same persuasion as the OP but from a different ethnic/cultural background might feel marginalized by the attitude regarding "typical mores" - or foods or background - that did not include those that he/she came from.0
re: huiray
Exactly. That so many feel there is only one "typical" point of view when it comes to food, here on Chowhound, is surprising to me. Brunch is an entire meal. I'm afraid to ask what a "typical" lunch or dinner might be. And, I'm floored that we're considered extremists because we think there might be other cultures on this board.0
re: chowser
That is why I mentioned different "brunches," that reflect different cultures, though all were actually in the US.
re: huiray
My family comes from a world where rice is a morning treat, but if you asked us what constitutes typical brunch foods, I think we would understand exactly what ttoommyy is getting at, even if I might be more likely to eat fried rice and sausages on an indulgent morning rather than eggs benedict.
Too often it seems, particularly on CH, we are so concerned with the idea of inclusion that we have excluded the possibility of any conversation that does not first pay obeisance to every other cultural frame of reference to the exclusion of any one shared point of reference. That's not opening a door to a meaningful conversation; in fact, that's shutting the door to any conversation whatsoever.0
re: JungMann
You are greatly mistaken. Your personal choices and your understanding of what ttoommyy was getting at do not exclude the ability to ask pointed questions of what is meant by a sweeping statement made by someone who does not seem to admit that there are parameters to the question that ought to be called out. For the same reason that I asked the OP whether he "...meant white people food, yuppie edition, East-Coast NE USA, WASP-derivation, specific to certain types of restaurants with a certain type of clientele..." precisely because I knew what sort of food he was referring to. Yet my query was never answered. All that is needed for general questions of this sort is to state what one's parameters are in the first place. There is every reason that a meaningful discussion would then take place. Neither a treatise nor a dissertation is needed for saying more clearly what one has in mind. All one needs to do is say something like "...as commonly found in such-and-such a place in Western-type/USAmerican restaurants..." or similar. Although even there menus vary quite a bit, as I pointed out and others agreed.0
re: huiray
The parameters you are pointedly seeking are are already implicit within the context of the original post which refers to a specific region and type of menu available. I understand that you are trying to broaden the cultural considerations of the typical CH posting, but enforcing explicit cultural self-reflection as a sine qua non for talking about general topics is generally a tactic that prevents people from talking about anything at all.0
re: JungMann
Yet even in that specific region of the OP (NYC) - without further delineation - there are various kinds of cuisines that are indeed eaten for "Brunch", not just Eggs Benedict and pancakes and French Toast. This was brought up by others besides myself.
Dim sum, as just one example, is a perfectly valid "Brunch meal" for LOTS of people in NYC - let alone the rest of the USA (and other countries far and wide) - but if one subscribes to the notion that "Brunch" in NYC constitutes just those sort of dishes like Eggs Benedict et al that ttoommyy thinks of as the typical default "Brunch" in NYC one contributes to, yes, an attitude that only such types of food and such types of people who automatically think of such egg-type meals are the only people around.
It need not be so. All one has to do is allow that yes, these other types of brunches exist. Is that so hard?
(There was, additionally, the related discussion about why one would limit kinds of food to specific times of day, which was engaged in by more people than myself.)0
re: huiray
If I call a dim sum place or congee place in NYC and ask if they serve "brunch" what will they say?0
re: julesrules
In Chinese or English? :-)
I would expect them to say "dim sum" - or that they have other dishes too that you can select from their menu.
re: huiray
Dim sum is actually a not uncommon post-church meal for me, but I can also recognize that this is not the case for the average New Yorker. And yes, average still does exist; even in a world where we want to include every outlier, there will still be such a thing as "typical." It seems to me that this basic truth can be displaced by an outsized need to justify variation.
Recognizing the fact that an overwhelming number of restaurants which specialize in "brunch" in New York provide a specific genre of food does not diminish the validity of anyone's meal choice nor deny the existence of alternatives or contribute to some absurd egg-centric "attitude." Dim sum eaters are not like some myth that will fade away if people cease to think of us. We will still be there chomping on chicken feet while everybody else is eating crappy Hollandaise out of a jar.0
re: JungMann
Glad you eat dim sum on occasion.0
re: JungMann
"We will still be there chomping on chicken feet while everybody else is eating crappy Hollandaise out of a jar."
Thanks for the laugh. Honestly, it wasn't an issue for me at all until the tone seemed to become dismissive to other views as in "obviously typical means what I think" that I made my comments. Sure we can discuss bad, overdone Cheesecake Factory type brunches but it adds nothing to finding deliciousness. The ad nauseum "yes, I love it, "no, I hate it" is pretty meaningless which is one reason CH requests that we refrain from that. However, a discussion on brunch and how to find delicious brunch is chowhound-worthy. Obviously not the point of the OP but for the general direction of CH.
There are great brunches out there. We can choose to find them--and there have been subthreads here on good brunches. I would love the try out Millie's posted about in one of them. And, crabs hollandaise? I'd go for that. And, that's why I come to CH.0
re: chowser
I concur, in particular with your 2nd paragraph. I don't think anyone here denied that a great number of restaurants in NY provide the specific genre of white folks food centered around dishes like Eggs Benedict, but it was objectionable when no other choices seemed to be even acknowledged.
I for one will happily continue to munch on my chicken feet too!
Well, the last time I was in Cape May (NJ) I ordered "Crab Benedict" [they called it "Chesapeake Bay Benedict"] at a well-known breakfast place (Mad Batter) but got served their standard Eggs Benedict instead. :-( I was short on time otherwise I would have sent it back. Bah, except for the eggs (perfectly poached) everything else on the plate was dreadful.
@ JungMann: Y'know, if the OP had even said as little more as "typical Western Brunch" much of (but not all) this arm-waving would not have happened.0
re: huiray
How disappointing. I hate when I really want one thing and get something else that isn't as good. When I was at the Eastern Shore, I had this crab omelet, which was more crab than egg. I'm thinking I need another trip back just to get it. Leisurely meal, overlooking water in a glass enclosed sun room, good food, good coffee, warm bread, fresh fruit salad. What more could I want? Memories of places like that are why I love brunch. I am pretty picky about brunch and avoid those gentrified places. As a CH, I think it's about finding the gems, rather than avoiding a whole genre because the masses do it poorly. If that were the case, I'd never eat pizza.0
re: chowser
"...crab omelet, which was more crab than egg."
Care to share where this was exactly? (it's OK if you want to keep this to yourself :-) ) It wouldn't be The Narrows (...Eastern Shore...overlooking water in a glass enclosed sun room...), would it? (Since you say you avoid "gentrified places")
BTW the crab cake at The Narrows is pretty good.0
re: huiray
Yes, that was it. The crab cakes are excellent, too.0
re: chowser
Absolutely agree with the crab omelet at the Kent Island Narrows. It is a definite stop whenever we are sailing through or driving across the Narrows at an appropriate time.0
re: MonMauler
I think it's such a nice little restaurant. What a great stop when sailing! I love their crab cakes, too--both are so heavy on the crab.0
re: chowser
It *is* a nice place.
I've never had the crab omelet there, though. Clearly something to get on my next stop there. :-) Their oysters (usually Delaware Bay oysters) have also always been nice and plump but not as tasty or briny as others in the region - e.g. Cape May Salts. I wonder who their supplier for oysters is.
@ MonMauler - ha, you sail around there? I thought you were in Pittsburg...0
re: huiray
Yeah, I'm in the 'Burgh, but my good friend has a boat docked in Annapolis, and we get to sail out of there maybe half a dozen times a year, usually for long weekends (Thurs - Sun). In fact, I was just down there a couple weekends ago. We did Annapolis (McGarvey's) - St. Michael's (Crab Claw) - through the Narrows, where we stopped to eat - Rock Hall (The Kitchen) - Mill Creek (meal on board + Cantler's) - Annapolis (McGarvey's, drinks at Castlebay and Pusser's).
I always look forward to the trip weeks in advance and try to plan my food-route in advance as well. I'm heading down next weekend (21st - 24th), but I think we may be heading down to Solomons, so I doubt there will be a trip to the Narrows, unfortunately.0
re: chowser
Ding ding ding ding . Exactly - One would have to avoid pizza, burgers, steaks, a large number of items really.0
re: PenskeFan
I always avoid poorly done pizza, burgers, and steaks. I'm not sure I know of any discerning diner who doesn't.0
re: tommy
Similarly, I always avoid poorly done brunches...as you say, it's about being discerning.0
re: chowser
Ohh...I'm trying so hard to stay away from this thread...
But yes, I try to avoid poorly done brunches too, as does tommy, apparently. Yet I find it odd that he would seem to imply that PenskeFan's mention of "...pizza, burgers, steaks..." meant BAD "...pizza, burgers, steaks...". I'm not sure I see any intimation of that in PenskeFan's post. But maybe tommy means that any meal that includes "...pizza, burgers, steaks..." is bad? :::scratchinghead::: Of course, some folks like pizza etc for a meal that is something between a breakfast and a lunch, others do not - just as some like eggs benedict for such a meal, others do not; or yet other folks who like dim sum or posole for that meal that they consider brunch while others would not even think of it. ;-)0
re: huiray
If one avoided all brunches because there are many bad brunches, one would need to avoid all steaks , burgers and pizza. Implicitly that is to say there are also a lot of bad steaks burgers and pizza out there.0
re: JungMann
Yes, I am not usually doing "brunch" in NYC, but in Hawai`i, Phoenix, London, Rome, Paris, or elsewhere. They differ, and I have never done a brunch at a Holiday Inn in NYC, so would not know what some of the others are talking about.
re: chowser
I respect what you have written chowser but we are talking about brunch, not politics. If you and others want to take it to that extreme then I will bow out of the conversation and concede that you and others have made your point. For me, this thread is no longer a dialogue about simple likes and dislikes and food and therefore no longer holds any interest for me. Carry on.0
re: ttoommyy
It might have started as a poll about who likes and dislikes brunch but it's evolved into what is brunch and that you consider your own view of it the only point of reference. It's not about politics; it's about respect that other people have different cultures. As discussions go, I often find ones that have evolved far more interesting that, "Eeww, I hate that" type responses which questions like this elicit.
As meals goes, I love brunch. I love dim sum. I love posole. I love bagels and lox. I love frittata (or frittate). I love crepes. I was recently invited to a German friend's house for brunch and had a nice assortment of breads, cheeses, spreads. And, yes, I also love pancakes.0
re: chowser
I"m still scratching my head at the notion that because I enjoy brunch, I am a Sex and the City fan!0
re: LeoLioness
LOL, I only saw it on occasion but I'm a Magnolia cupcake fan. It has been a long time since I've had one, though.0
Brunch is a meal between breakfast and lunch, not quite either. Whether it involves some sorts of dishes thought to be "typical" or not depends on the place and person. Also on where you are in the world. Eggs Benedict may be a frequently found food on brunch menus but by no means does it define "Brunch". Nor Mimosas nor Bloody Marys.
There was a brunch buffet (USAmerican locale) I used to go to where one could choose from a huge array of wonderful stuff, including eggs done as you liked it plus various other egg dishes, yes, and bacon, sausages, meat patties, mini hamburgers etc; but there was so much more - various salads, shrimp, crab, salmon & lox with capers & dill sauces etc, prime rib, other meats, chops, soups of various kinds, chowders, etc etc etc. I enjoyed it very much. I enjoy similar kinds of food elsewhere and at home.0
When it is a second breakfast or a first lunch I am fine with brunch. But if it is replacing three of my meals and I'm not getting another meal until much later I hate it. And if I have stuff to do later I don't like wasting all morning waiting for brunch. I do find it annoying when I want lunch, but all I can find is brunch.0
re: viperlush
Where I live there are always more "lunchy" things on the "brunch" menu (if you must label and confine your food types).0
re: sandylc
Its more the timing of brunch that I have issues with. When I want lunch I want an all lunch menu and not a 50/50.0
re: viperlush
Do you order one of each? :-)
You could probably successfully ignore half of the menu......0
re: sandylc
It helps to confine food types so one knows in advance what a restaurant is serving. If I call a restaurant I am not familiar with and ask what they are serving at noon and they respond with brunch, I pretty much know I will not enjoy the selection and move on.0
re: ttoommyy
And cultures with no meal distinction - I can think of one - are notorious for having an obesity issue…0
re: Parigi
That's a non sequitur. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_sequ...
How do you conclude one from the other, where do you get this "notorious" direct correspondence of "no meal distinction" with "obesity"?
Additionally, the issue is really distinction of *kinds* of food, not what a meal is called.
I can think of a few cultures where little distinction is made between types of food eaten for meals at different times of the day and where there is far less obesity than the one I think you have in mind.0
re: huiray
How did we converse and share opinions before wikipedia? Lol0
re: huiray
Can someone fill me in here? The cultures I think
of as eating the same foods at all meals are far from known for
re: julesrules
You are thinking basically the same thing as I am in my last paragraph.0
I'd like to add that I want to apologize to any group which I may have made feel marginalized by my reference to pancakes and sliced fruit and eggs.0
I've made a living, twice, around the word brunch. Breakfast in Bed delivery service and owner of a Bed and Breakfast. While brunch isn't for everyone I can tell you it's for the majority. I love brunch and the living it has given me.0
re: HillJ
I love Bed and Breakfast breakfasts/brunches. No matter how many I stay at, they all do their own versions. I've said if I won the lottery, I'd have someone make me a Scottish breakfast every day, especially the porridge. Breakfast in Bed delivery sounds like a great idea--I wonder why it's not more well known. I'd much rather have that than fruit cut like a bouquet.0
re: chowser
The delivery service was a huge success at the time. We initially partnered with a restaurant for kitchen prep space in exchange for catering services and later partnered then sold to a national floral service which hacked it to death. Never tried again because by the time I was ready to I took over a failing BnB and brought it back. The delivery service customers were savvy, looking for something unique and literally grew the business for us via word of mouth. It was a fantastic time.0
re: HillJ
Do you know what eventually happened to it? It's just such a great idea.0
re: chowser
The last I tracked the service it had become: a lovely wooden tray filled with pre packaged food stuffs, plates, mugs, cloth napkins, not freshly prepared food as we did, and offered through online vendors as a shipped gift item.
Vendors like this: http://www.winecountrygiftbaskets.com...
In our day, everything was fresh to order and served at the recipient location. The tray was bamboo and consisted of dishware, silverware, a mini carafe, etc. Menu was pre selected by the gifter. It was always popular as a wedding gift, anniversary, new job, Valentine's Day, Mothers or Father's Day, freedom (divorce) gift and birthday present. And, plenty of ideas that customers came up with too!
Food for thought, chowser? I'd sure love to see the next evolution of the service make a come back!0
re: HillJ
It takes a lot of heart and soul to run a business like that. Fresh to order, good quality (and caring that it is good quality). While I'd love the concept of baking/preparing for a business like that, I'm facing the fact that I'm just not an early morning person (there are days when I have to be up at 4:30 right now and it's not pretty) and those positions start in the middle of the night. I love the idea of the company and would be a frequent customer, though!0
re: chowser
Just for clarification, we took orders all week and only delivered on Sat and Sun, 9am to noon. Prep took place on Thur/Fri night. We shopped for staples weekly. The trays and "ware" were ordered and shipped to our apartment office (we lived over a restaurant) monthly. Fresh flowers and the newspaper when requested were a separate fee and pre-arrangement. All in all, chowser, it was a simple, easily accomplished operation...and our vendors loved us.
During popular holiday time we hired temp drivers.0
re: HillJ
Hmmmm...:-) I have to think about this.0
re: chowser
Oh and more times than not delivering breakfast was a surprise gift. Ringing the bell was always interesting...so, if you have a love of food/people/adventure...this is a glorious way to make a living.0
re: HillJ
You know, I was wondering what it was like popping in on people in the morning as a surprise. LOL, especially if it were a surprise for a newlywed couple! Or even not. You really have me thinking, though.0
re: chowser
If you are thinking than you'll also benefit by knowing deliveries were made to a variety of locations. ie: home kitchens, home bedrooms, home decks but also hotels, parks, beaches, community centers and job sites. We went where the gifter asked us to go. The surprise element was the best part but always pre determined by the gifter so we wouldn't be surprised ourselves with a "no show"0
re: HillJ
I'm thinking I could start small, like limiting it to a dozen for the next likely holiday (too bad we've passed Mother and Father's day) and see how it goes. There are far too many logistics behind prepping food for sales for me. LOL, and it ties in funny to my being a personal trainer.0
re: chowser
We started out very small. Friends, family and coworkers...and that's about all it took. When we were really ready to go full throttle a flyer and a well placed ad before a major holiday took care of the rest. I am telling you it was not difficult to do or grow.0
re: chowser
Lady-of-the-house in curlers and green face cream and in housecoat standing at the door? Man-of-the-house with stubble and in just underpants scratching his hairy belly standing at the door? Or either one sans housecoat or underpants? :-D0
re: huiray
Have you been to my house lately??? Just kidding.0
re: chowser
Funny you haven't asked me how we dressed to make deliveries...0
re: HillJ
Aahh, should I?0
re: chowser
Well, having a "butler" show up and present you with your surprise breakfast was our greatest marketing tool. Created just the buzz we were looking for. Chowser, what would you charge to offer such an experience?0
re: HillJ
No clue. My normal MO is to do things like this for free, like I do for a lot of my training and calligraphy. I've been told it's bad business.;-) Seriously, though, when I train on my own and set my rates, I make half of what I do when I'm paid by a corporation. I need to get over it and start charging what it's worth.
I need to look into it all more but maybe I could have my husband put on his dress whites and deliver....that would cause stir. Then I could donate my profits to Wounded Warrior! That might be more incentive to do it and charge. I really would just like to make people happy and do some good; and bake. I love to bake.0
re: chowser
I can appreciate that. But the insurance to provide this service might change your view...at least in the long term. We charge (in the 80's) btwn $150.-$300.00 per delivery chowser and sold the whole kit to a corporation for a tidy sum of money..which help to fund a larger dream I had (at that time). So, while I would never argue charity (for which I am proud to give), I am a happy business woman at heart.0
re: HillJ
Wow, that price never occurred to me. Someone (a very successful executive) told me recently that people value what they pay for and that by giving away my services, was downplaying them. There's probably truth to that. You've given me good food for thought, so to speak. Thanks so much!0
re: huiray
Sounds like a few scenes from Edward Scissorhands0
re: huiray
Or a guy like me, hung over, clad only in a pair of boxers, bloodshot eyes, waving away the funny smoke, while holding a bloody mary and wearing a pissed off scowl . . . at least I don't own a gun.
. . . . Then again, a warm scone or a few slices of country ham and I'd almost be huggin' the guy!0
re: MGZ
MGZ, we had plenty of customers JUST LIKE YOU! Oh the stories we could tell...come to think of it....I should write the book one day! Gotta a catchy brunch service title for me?0
Given the time, and the date, I do, and jump to opportunity.
We do a lot of "brunches," when we travel. They DO differ, depending on the restaurant, and the location, but I enjoy most, if well-done.
Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer worthwhile brunches around, at least where I travel. That saddens me greatly, but seems to be a "wave of the future."
I know it's not cool to admit to liking brunch, but brunch to me evokes such pleasant memories of Sunday mornings with my family, pumpernickel bread and cinnamon-raisin bagels, lox and sable, chocolate and cinnamon danishes, assorted cheeses and cut up fruit. I have no problem with brunch.0
Forgive me if I've already posted this, but I had to drag DH to dim sum the first time, fast forward two and a half years, and we've been to the same dim sum place almost every Sunday around 11:00 since then! That's my idea of brunch, and we love it. DH is somewhat obsessive compulsive, but in this case i"m not going to raise any complaints. :-)0
re: EWSflash
Oh count me as a dim sum brunch lover too.0
we love a good brunch.
can't eat nearly what the fare is for that meal but hard as we try, we are willing.
Duke's in Waikiki is our favorite0
re: iL Divo
Here's Duke's menu for reference.
Do they have a separate brunch menu? Or are you referring to the breakfast buffet.0
re: tommy
click on same link look in middle of page, it says breakfast buffet.
it shows all they offer.0
re: iL Divo
seems like typical brunch fare, although it's served at breakfast time (up til 10.30). Presumably their lunch menu kicks in shortly after, which contains stuff that I would enjoy at noontime, like poke, sashimi, fish tacos, katsu, kalua pork. It sounds damned good. If that breakfast menu was served through noon I'd have to go somewhere else.0
Folks, we think this thread has about run its course. We're going to lock it now.0


text:
CBS (Sun., Dec. 18, 9 P.M. ET)
Before long, TV will run out of old shows worthy of reunions and we'll be stuck with Super-train Rides Again. But things are not yet that desperate—not quite. No, first we have The Brady Bunch to bring back together 19 years after they began. Mom (Florence Henderson), Dad (Robert Reed), Alice the maid (Ann B. Davis) and all the kids except young Cindy (who has been replaced with a new actress) return home for the holidays and a few flashbacks: "Remember our camping trip?" "How could I forget?" Oh, but there's trouble in paradise: One marriage is breaking up, one son-in-law is out of a job, one son dropped out of business school, Alice has been deserted by Sam the butcher, and Dad has to deal with a greedy developer. Yes, it looks like the ugly '80s. But it's not. It's still The Brady Bunch, where every ending is happy—ludicrously happy.
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