the brunch club

The Brunch Club Lives!

2008-06-03T06:26:00.001-07:00

It has been many a month since anyone has posted here, mainly because it has been many a month since any Brunch Clubbing has taken place. But, this past weekend, Audrey was in town, and it just so happened that the other three original Brunch Club ladies were available to meet on Sunday morning.

Our plan was to go to Tre Kronor right when they opened, at 8 a.m. Or so we thought. When we arrived, we found they open at 9 on Sundays. So after a little deliberation, we opted to walk down the block to Starbucks to get some coffee until 9, when we would then (surely) be the first four in the door at Tre K.

Wrong. We got there at 9 . . . maybe 9:01 . . . and the place was packed OUT. We got a table right away, but weren't able to order until closer to 9:10, and it took over half an hour for our food to come. A problem for those who had to be at church at 9:45. Oops.

All in all, it was a good time for catching up on everyone's life. New jobs/internships, new-apartment woes, upcoming trips, work frustrations and joys.

Melissa, Audrey, Ann-Marie, & Kjersten

sola cibus.

2007-11-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

this weekend found an abbreviated brunch club gathering at sola (amo, kj & joanna: you were missed!). loved it from the minute we walked in - chill décor, a fireplace, polite hostess, and a busboy who had our coffee cups filled and steaming within seconds upon sitting down at our table. the saturday-morning crowd straggled in slowly, so we enjoyed a great deal of peace and quiet while we caught up over my crabcakes benedict, emily's matzo brei, and a black forest omelette for julie.

the pros? inventive recipes, great coffee, a busboy who was so quiet you didn't even notice that your plate had been cleared or that he'd been standing at your elbow refilling your coffee for the tenth time, cozy atmosphere, an extensive brunch (and cocktail!) menu, and reasonable prices.

the cons? our waitress. while the hostess and our busboy were simply lovely, and it seemed that the other waitress on staff was content to be there, our server had attitude to spare. maybe it was a bad day for her, but it definitely soured my experience a tad.

i'll definitely be back to give sola (and our waitress) another try. if you're in the area and have a rumbly tumbly, make a point of stopping in!

julie's black forest omelette. you'd better believe i'm going to give this a try at home.

my maui-mosa. cheesy title, but mmmm, the pineapple-passionfruit juice and champagne goodness.

atmosphere.

crabby eggs.

the waitress told me i needed to lean in because i didn't fit in the frame. what viewfinder she was looking through, i don't know.

Brunch at the "Zap"

2007-10-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

Well. It is official. It is Monday and I am still full from brunch on Saturday morning/afternoon. Perhaps it was the chips and salsa that caused me to stop mid-bite several times and reflect, "How the heck did another delicious chip get into my mouth?" Delicious, yes. Addictive, double yes. As I pushed the chips away from me I scanned over the brunch menu and with a student budget the $5 brunch options were a welcome change from the typically outing in the city. Or perhaps it was thebreakfast burrito. I hesistated because it sounded so typical and "mcdonald-y" (you know the road trips when you were little and stopped at MickeyD's for breakfast? no. perhaps I am the only one). However, it just sounded right.

And. It was. I almost ate the whole thing, but as good as it was it was quite large. It had a great mix of ingredients that were perfect for a chilly autumn morning. I think next time I go (because there will be a next time) I will have to split and have a sweet option to balance all that wonderful spicyness. And let's be honest, maybe $5 tab lowered my standards, but seriously it was good.

See below on Melissa's post for some fun pictures of the day and food.

bueno para comer

2007-10-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

i am swedish. very swedish. this means that i was raised on bland--but delicious--foods. therefore, unless i am at taco bell or chipotle, mexican foods are not always easy for me to eat. and i'm not just being a wuss. i simply can not eat spicy foods. in spite of this, zapatista was very good. though some of the items on the menu gave me pause, i found plenty of good options for my sensitive taste buds and stomach to enjoy.

the lunch offerings caught my eye, so i was not able to enjoy the thrill of spending only $5, but at $4 more, my grilled skirt steak torta was well worth it. tender steak, guacamole, tomatoes, and lettuce on a kaiser roll . . . delicious! and even more delicious was the side of sweet potato fries. i could have eaten platefuls of them! sadly, i forgot my camera, so no photos were taken of my meal. the mimosa, however, you can see in melissa's post. it was delightful!

despite the sparseness of brunch patrons, the atmosphere was pleasant. fun lamps, velvet curtains, and walls painted in warm tones welcomed us. i would love to go back for dinner and drinks sometime to see what it's like.

i'll be back.

2007-10-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

had a fantastic time at zapatista with the girls this weekend.

the highlights:
* $5 entrées, people. need i say more?
* mojitos made with fresh raspberry purée. and i said i didn't like fruity drinks.
* our waiter, who reminded me a great deal of joey lawrence, wore a leather armband around his bicep, and shimmied to the salsa music playing through the speakers.
* the chips and salsa. oh. my. word.
* the atmosphere. loved the decor, the airiness of the high ceilings, the urban aesthetic.
* oh, right, the food. no worries, my chilaquiles with steak were outstanding.

mmmm, the salsa. we almost didn't need to order entrées. almost.

who says 11:30 is too early for cocktails?

not we! amo's mimosa was made with cava. i was so excited!

sharing is caring, as far as julie and emily concerned.

kj's mexican french toast.

chilaquiles.

happy brunchettes.

if you've been to zapatista, we'd love to read your thoughts in the comments section!

orange is the happiest color

2007-08-30T01:19:00.000-07:00

yes, chairman of the board, we'd have to agree that you're right!

just look at all of us, enjoying the food, company and conversations at orange last weekend:

keeping with previous brunch club tradition, i enjoyed both the savory and sweet by sharing these two choices with melissa:

the savory: green eggs and ham (originally planned to be caprese benedict, but with 5 orders already on the table, we had to try something different). delicious!

the sweet: french toast kabobs. wonderfully delicious, covered in coconut with a side of mango salsa. the mango and raspberry puree required no additional syrup, in my opinion!

and here's our true photo journalist, doing a fantastic job!

orange: it's a-peel-ing!

2007-08-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

good grief, i must be getting cheesy with age. i've done my review in pictorial form this time, because i just can't get enough of my new toy. enjoy!

celebrating our graduate students.

why, yes, those ARE french toast kebabs! why, yes, that IS fresh mango-raspberry puree so artfully decorating the plate! [with coconut-mango salad on the side, of course.]

i do! i like green eggs and ham!

frushi.

dressing the part made for a good excuse to stop by my favorite store.

what? your bathroom doesn't have a corner decorated like this?

one last bite.

everybody say, "cheesy!"

2007-08-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

as in, how cheesy is it that we decided, as a group, to wear orange clothing to our brunch club outing at orange this past saturday?

pretty cheesy, i'd say. but there we were, looking fabulous and having fun.

julie (whose shoes were orange . . . okay, they were red. shh.),
ann-marie, audrey, kjersten, emily, and melissa

emily was the only one in the group to have been to orange before, so we listened intently as she told us what to expect. orange-infused coffee, frushi of the day, potatoes that might be a bit more watery than one is accustomed to, and her favorite: caprese benedict. yum! she talked it up so much, three of the five newbies chose to order it. i, for one, was not disappointed. a toasted english muffin topped with poached eggs, poached tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a delicious basil hollandaise sauce. i opted to have a side of organic greens rather than potatoes, but i got a picture of each, as julie and kjersten chose the latter.

caprese benedict with organic greens . . . or potatoes

the morning gave us the chance to catch up with each other, resulting in conversations about beginning grad school, participating in a triathlon, returning to seminary, being a newlywed, traveling to spain, and training for a marathon.

i would definitely return to orange--especially with these wonderful women!

orange you glad i didn't say tre kronor?

2007-07-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

our next brunch club meeting will - hooray! - include audrey, who will be in town on business. this time around, we're checking out orange, a spot emily can't stop raving about. personally, i'm looking forward to trying their frushi. stay tuned for our reviews!