sunday brunch

[arice]

hi,

i'm looking for recommendations for sunday brunch. i'm not looking for dim sum, or a diner, or a bar (i.e. standard or n. 3rd) or lacroix. i don't want to wait an hour for a table either. it can be a bit upscale but doesn't have to be. would like something slightly out of the ordinary.

thanks for any insights.

allison

[mrbigjas]

go to apamate.

[skulky]

delilah's

[Andrew Fenton]

I had Rx's brunch for the first time recently. It was good all around: quality eggs Benedict and some really great huevos rancheros.

[philadining]

The Ugly American's brunch may not have gotten over-crowded yet, and it's really good...

biscuits with sausage gravy>>

[urbanfabric]

Beau Monde

[philadining]

Just noticed that Philly Mag has a list of their favorite brunch spots.

I found myself agreeing with most all of the selections, although I'm curious about why they left out Lacroix. They did include The Fountain at The Four Seasons, so it's not a money or style thing. That said, it's been a long time since I've done brunch at Lacroix. It was long enough ago that Lacroix was at Lacroix. So I can't personally vouch for the current state of brunch there.

Any other suggestions?

I've been having a hard time going anywhere other than Cantina Dos Segundos lately. Why, you ask? Bentons bacon on the Huevos Dos Segundos. Cajeta on the pancakes...

[ulterior epicure]

I've been having a hard time going anywhere other than Cantina Dos Segundos lately.  Why, you ask?  Bentons bacon on the Huevos Dos Segundos. Cajeta on the  pancakes...

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That does sound good.

The Philly cheesesteak omelet at Sidecar Bar & Grill sounds, um, hearty.

[sockii]

Just noticed that Philly Mag has a list of their favorite brunch spots.

I found myself agreeing with most all of the selections, although I'm curious about why they left out Lacroix.  They did include The Fountain at The Four Seasons, so it's not a money or style thing.  That said, it's been a long time since I've done brunch at Lacroix. It was long enough ago that Lacroix was at Lacroix. So I can't personally vouch for the current state of brunch there.

Any other suggestions? 

I've been having a hard time going anywhere other than Cantina Dos Segundos lately.  Why, you ask?  Bentons bacon on the Huevos Dos Segundos. Cajeta on the  pancakes...

←

Glad to see Ants Pants get a mention, but I'll never go in there on Sunday mornings unless I'm there right at opening as it becomes SUCH a mob scene and service suffers greatly for it. But it's become a ritual pitstop otherwise for me and a friend who visits occasionally from out of town during the week; a bacon stack and the sweet potato fries and I'm set for the day.

If I want a nice and quieter brunch in the area, I'll usually end up either at Cafe Apamate or Black Sheep...

[Buckethead]

The Ugly American's brunch may not have gotten over-crowded yet, and it's really good...

biscuits with sausage gravy>>

←

It's not good anymore, the husband-and-wife chef and pastry chef (respectively) left the UA a while ago. I heard the chef went to Bar Ferdinand. I made the unfortunate mistake of eating brunch there soon after they left (November last year), it was terrible, and there were no biscuits. I have heard that they re-hired the pastry chef, which seems unlikely to me. I haven't been back since November to verify that.

I had brunch at Cafe Estelle recently, that was very good. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere though.

Edited February 5, 2009 by Buckethead (log)

[percyn]

...

I've been having a hard time going anywhere other than Cantina Dos Segundos lately.  Why, you ask?  Bentons bacon on the Huevos Dos Segundos. Cajeta on the  pancakes...

←

That's why it is on my short list...along with Cochon.

[Tim Dolan]

I had brunch at Cafe Estelle recently, that was very good. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere though.

←

Me too. Had the raspberry cream cheese stuffed French toast, which was good enough but not mind-blowing, which I have seen it as advertised a few times. They did however have some of the best coffee I've ever had. I would like to go back and try some of the savory brunch stuff. There was some type of lamb dish that I had a really hard time passing up. They seem to have a very friendly staff also.

Edited February 6, 2009 by Tim Dolan (log)

[Carlson1105]

XIX at the Bellevue does a really nice brunch, sort of like the 4 Seasons. You order an entree but there are numerous stations set up for appetizers. There's a sushi/dumpling area, the rawbar, smoked salmon, and much more.

[philadining]

Thanks, I never thought of XIX for brunch...

[rlibkind]

We were at Lacroix in October and it's still exceptional. $56 plus drinks and tip.

[philadining]

I feel like there must be another brunch topic around here somewhere, but this is all I'm getting in searches.

Anyway, I've had the odd experience of enjoying a few brunches lately while being mystified about why the restaurant was so empty. When I tell the story, people often say: "Oh, I didn't know they did brunch..."

So, do yourself a favor, get out of the long lines at Sabrina's and Morning Glory and Green Eggs and Ants Pants and Honeys and all those usual places. You can sit right down at places like Cochon and Supper.

Cochon, come on, think about it: leftovers from the week's dinner services are going to make for some great brunch food! They were featuring some great smoked meats on the brunch menu for a little while, but apparently nobody as ordering them, so the menu's been slimmed-down a bit. But there's still plenty of stuff to love.

I started a recent brunch with an Alsatian-style Flammenkuche, with bacon lardons, caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, and a drizzle of creme fraiche.

And then had Ouefs en Cocotte: baked eggs in a creamy sauce, with ham, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and a little cheese.

This was ridiculously rich, but indulgently delicious. There are more restrained things as well, if you don't want to dice fully into such a deep pool of cholesterol. Menu Here>>

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I think people forget about the restaurant Supper in general, but certainly, given its name, at brunch time. But there's a pretty extensive selection at brunch, and cocktails, and at least when we went recently, plenty of open tables. pdf menus here>>

Let me just say one thing: Key Lime French Toast.

Yep, that's some toasted marshmallow, some blueberry compote, a key lime custard, some toasted coconut, a graham cracker crust.

Eggs Benedict was also nice, ennobled a little by the substitution of Serrano ham for the Canadian Bacon.

The grits are amazingly creamy and cheesy, I'd suggest aside order if you're having anything appropriate.

they also offer their house-made hot dog at brunch. It's delivered in a very good house-made roll, along with fried pickles.

All in all, it was a very good hot dog, I especially liked the toasted roll. The texture of the sausage itself was a little loose and grainy, but the flavor was good. The fried pickles were lost in too much batter, but hey, a fried thing is rarely unwelcome. In the end, $10 might be a bit much for a hot dog, even for a large one that's carefully made, but I was happy to have tried it.

There's a nice selection of cocktails, we tried one with Honeydew Melon, and a twist on a Bloody Mary. Both excellent brunch drinks, especially that melon one, and I don't even like melons.

So, get out of line, sit don and have brunch.

Cochon

801 East Passayunk

(215) 923-7675

http://www.cochonbyob.com/

Supper

926 South Street

Philadelphia, PA 19147

215.592.8180

http://www.supperphilly.com/restaurant.shtml

[aliwaks]

You can come by Delicatessen on 7th & Chestnut, it's BYOB, traditional deli fare like smoked fish platters (nova, whitefish, whitefish salad, kipper salmon or lox), bagels, of course, eggs, also a few twists like The Benny Rubinson, Poached eggs & grilled pastrami over rye toast with Russian dressing Hollandaise or the Monty Cristoberg, eggs over easy, corned beef, roast turkey on Challah French toast with warm maple syrup, there's blueberry kugel and cheese blintzes and latkes too.

[philadining]

Those look really good, thanks for posting!