I was thinking about how dinner parties are popular and realized the other meal that’s totally super-cool right now is brunch. Since I adore talking about food and we have plenty of food to be proud of here in the Twin Cities, I figured this week I’d share some of my top picks. You know I love Haute Dish so there’s no surprise that their Sunday brunch is one of my favorite things to exist. However, let’s get a little crazy here!
It’s not just for pho! While I love pho and even used to review the pho of the Twin Cities on pho-qs.com (which I haven’t renewed this year) and would eat (and have eaten) it for breakfast, they have an excellent fusiontastic brunch menu. Croque Madame, Eggs Benedict, and Curry Corned Beef Hash are a few of the good ones. The Benedict has both daikon cake and bok choy—a nice twist on the classic. Don’t worry, your picky younger brother won’t go hungry because there are options for even the most squeamish of eaters.
Who to bring: Your out-of-town friend who wants to try something a little unusual and isn’t afraid of a little daikon cake.
They give you this coffee cake while you’re waiting for your food and it’s ridiculously delicious. After you eat it, ridiculously delicious food arrives for you so you can eat some more. You can even have a ridiculously delicious bloody mary to go with it or one of the other cocktails on their extensive breakfast cocktail list, including mimosas, red beer, and an espresso martini.
Who to bring: Your parents, your lover, your neighbor, someone who likes the color red, maybe not someone who is color blind.
Two words: sweet plantains. Oh, I forgot yuca. If you like rice in your breakfast, go eat here. Have the dia y noche or really anything else on the Cuban-style menu. They also recently started serving an American breakfast menu I’ve yet to try. Share a mango pancake on the side and sip a guava or guanabana mimosa!
Who to bring: Whomever you woke up with in the morning before getting hungry for beans and rice and eggs.
Your food may take forever but it will be so worth it that you won’t even be mad or sad or hold a grudge like I always do when I have bad service (hello Hell’s Kitchen!). Eggs en Cocotte: eat it. Your face is going to melt off from all the tasty. Also, the place is totally cute and charming! It’s the kind of place you’d imagine owning when you lived in your flat in Paris and bicycled home every day with a baguette in your basket.
Who to bring: Anyone who appreciates really good food and doesn’t get too bitchy when hungry (like I do).
If you think you’re going to see topless women here, you’re wrong! Instead, you’re going to eat until you die. Because they have something called Logger’s Tower: triple stack of pancakes, grilled ham, fried eggs, scallions and rosemary. Some other brunch items on their menu are: Trashcan Oskar, Morning After Shrimp Trampi, and Pork Belly B.E.L.T. I hear they make amazing cocktails and I’m told it would end up on my Places Where I Will Drink Gin list. So be prepared to hang out awhile and try some tasty beverages.
Who to bring: Your drinking buddies from the night before (hair of the dog?).
BONUS: Moto-i. Great hangover brunch (it’s so dark in there!) with $1 mimosas/bloody marys and half assed service 82% of the time.
Photo: Victor’s 1959 Cafe. Photo by Krista Kennedy (Creative Commons).
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