Cafe Bluebird - Fort Collins - Brunch

 

 

I did eat other things besides brunch, but those things were largely burgers in bars. While they were good, they weren't really much to write about.  While many of the brunch places served many of the same things, the atmosphere and decor of the places made them very different.  The place I stopped at in Ft. Collins, Cafe Bluebird, was small, relatively cozy, and brightly colored, so it reminded me of spring.  Located across the street from Colorado State University, it is part of a small retail establishment called Laurel Street Station.  The front is light brick and surrounded by trees and plantlife and the entrance is located above a large and solid half-round awning.  Walking in, you encounter a small alcove in front of the host station where Housemade preserves are sold.  There were three rows of seating in the dining room.  Booths were next to the light blue wall, round tables were in the center, and rectangular four tops were located next to the large windows.  Aside from the windows, lighting was from hanging lights affixed to the wall mounted on a streetlight-like fixture and hanging lights above the tables beside the windows.  Even without the lights, the space is very bright.

 

In addition to the standard eggs, omelettes, pancakes, and French Toast, the menu also included a variety of breakfast burritos, crepes, and salads.  I ordered a Hobo Skillet, which contained Home Fries, Onions, Green Pepper, Maple Ham, Turkey, Bacon, Cheddar, Two Eggs Over Easy, and Wheat Toast.  It was very savory and flavorful, everything went together well, and I liked it a lot.  Paired with the skillet, I ordered a cup of coffee which was the house blend of a local roaster.  It was a flavorful medium roast that was very satisfying.  It was very filling and a good start to what ended being a very long day.   

Tangerine - Longmont - Brunch

After Denver, I ran up to Longmont, in Boulder County, to visit some friends.  I met them in the evening and we enjoyed burgers and beer, but decided to see the mountains and The Stanley Hotel (inspiration for The Shining) in Estes Park.  Before we went up, though, I needed a good meal to start things off.  We met at Tangerine, in downtown Longmont, a breakfast, brunch, and lunch restaurant.  It had a nice patio in front, but as I was going to be outside all day and it would be hot, I decided to get a little shade and air conditioning.  The space was narrow with the bar on one side, a row of high sided booths in the middle of the space, and a row of two tops against the wall opposite the bar.  The space was largely white with hanging lights with orange globes.  The booths had decorative glass barriers between each other, so the booths, while open on one side, felt pretty private.  While the place had a dineresque feel, there was a design element above the bar that reminded me of either whitewashed industrial equipment or the Death Star from Star Wars.  As it wasn't really prominent unless you actually looked above the bar, it didn't really change the vibe of the space, but it was kind of funny.

 

For drinks, they served Juice, Coffee of all sorts, Beer, Wine, and a variety of Breakfast Cocktails.  As I imagined that I would have enough beer to last me, I decided to hold off on the alcohol and to hydrate and energize myself with some Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice and some Coffee.  The coffee was a medium dark roast, but pretty tasty and the orange juice was very fresh, tart, and sweet.

 

For my main course I had Corned Beef Hash with House Made Corned Beef, Onions, Bacon, Potatoes, House Spice Blend, 2 Sunny Side Up Eggs, House Made Butter Pickles, and Wheat Toast and a Fruit Cup on the side.  This was really good.  The pickles were unusual in that I have never had pickles that came with Corned Beef Hash.  The hash was tasty and filling, the bacon, in addition to the corned beef, was a nice touch and the eggs were perfectly cooked.  I felt really lucky with the Fruit Cup because for the second time I had ordered it recently, it contained no Cantaloupe.  It had Grapes, Pineapple, Strawberries, Blueberries, and Watermelon.  It was fresh, sweet, and juicy, and a nice finish to a great breakfast.

Ivy on 7th - Brunch - Denver

When I travel, the most important meal for me is brunch.  I travel to see a specific area, so I will undoubtedly be doing a lot of exploring, so it's good to start things off with a good meal.  This was especially important in Denver when I planned on doing an all day beer crawl.  I was staying in the Speer neighborhood of Denver and Ivy on 7th was both close, in Capital Hill, and on the way to RINO, where I wanted to go.  When I arrived, I noticed that it looked brand new.  In fact, the temporary banner above the door said NOW OPEN.  When I asked, I found the restaurant had been open for less than 3 months, replacing another wine bar.  It had a nice patio, but I decided to sit inside and learn about the place.  The space was very open  with brick walls, a cement floor, and an unfinished ceiling.  While I could see the dining room from the bar, it was separated by a half wall, I imagine to control traffic around the bar.

 

As I would be drinking, I decided both to stick with coffee with my brunch and to make sure I ate something hearty.  The coffee was a medium roast from a local roaster, Pablo's Coffee, and I really liked it.  For my meal, I had what they called an Ivy Cristo which was a spin on a Monte Cristo, a Ham and Cheese Sandwich served on French Toast.  For their version, it had Local Ham, Apricot Jam, and Brie, on Pressed French Sourdough Toast.  It was both sweet and savory and very gooey.  The fact that it was pressed in a panini press made it compact and crisp and very good.  As a side, I had Seasonal Fruits and Berries.  It included Grapes, Strawberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, and Raspberries which were sliced and tasted very fresh.  It also included no Cantaloupe which improved it immensely. 

My brunch was very good.  The place looked nice, it was very relaxed, and the staff was very friendly.  The food was also very fresh and good and if I return to Denver, this will definitely be on my list.       

Crepes Et Amis

 

I like to see what there is to eat no matter where I go and that includes when I go to Michigan to visit my family.  My parents live in downtown Midland, Michigan and I noticed a crepe place that I was interested in a few years ago.  It took me a while, but I was finally able to visit Crepes et Amis for brunch the last time I was in Midland.  It's a small counter service space with the kitchen on one side and bench seating on the other.  There are also some tables in the front and a couple of tables in the back, opposite the bench seating and next to the kitchen.  The lights are hanging lights, strung above the bench and chandelier-like over the order counter.  There are also some wall hangings consisting of framed coffee bags and Paris art with a vintage clock in the center.  The entire look is both rustic and very homey.

 

Crepes et Amis specializes in crepes, both sweet and savory, but they also do waffles and pastries (and coffee).  While there were several waffles that looked good, as it was my first time there, I wanted to focus on the crepes.  I got two crepes, one sweet and one savory.  I also had a cup of coffee from a local roaster that was pretty good.  The crepes were thin and easy to cut, but they also held together well enough to hold its fillings.  My sweet crepe was the Banberry, which had Bananas, Strawberries, and Nutella, and was drizzled with Nutella and Powdered Sugar.  It was sweet with a little tartness from the strawberries and the Nutella added a sweet and chocolatey nuttiness that tied everything together.  My second Crepe was called Good Morning Paris, and it was a perfect Breakfast.  Inside the the delicate crepe was Smoked Ham, Scrambled Eggs, Swiss Cheese, Brown Sugar, and served with an Orange on the side.  While I will generally order both sweet and savory dishes for brunch, this was both sweet and savory in one.  The crepes were really good.  The space was very friendly and welcoming, and I will be sure to return. 

HenHouse Brunch - Spartanburg, SC

After my trip to the DC area, because I was already on the east coast, I decided to travel to Greenville, South Carolina to visit a friend.  My friend has a friend in neighboring town, Spartanburg, who has a breakfast/brunch place called HenHouse Brunch.  He had not visited the place yet, but he decided to use my visit as an excuse to get up there.  I am a huge fan of brunch, so I had no problem with this. Located in downtown Spartanburg, it is in a small place across the street from the police station and at the corner of a pedestrian walkway.  The dining area is small and might seat 25 people, but it's rustic and homy.  Service is via counter service.  There is a small counter (with a small kitchen behind it) where orders are taken.  Orders are brought to the table when they have been prepared.  They have some pretty good coffee, but I also had a glass of their Cucumber-Mint Limeade.  Cucumber, Mint, and Lime, do not intuitively fit together, bu it did work.  All of the flavors were obviously there and they actually worked together well.  It had the vegetal flavor of cucumber that worked well with the mint, and the mint and lime moderated each other so the cucumber could be tasted well.

There is always an aim, when I go to brunch, to get both something sweet and savory.  For the sweet, we had to get a Frankenberry Muffin, a sweet, fritter-like muffin with icing, and made with Frankenberry Cereal.  I actually expected it to be sweeter than it was, though I was not disappointed that it was not more sweet.  While the icing and the Frankenberries were sweet, it tasted as if it were made with a savory muffin recipe and was actually also a little salty.

The savory side of the menu seemed to have a lot of very fresh and seasonal stuff.  There was an item called The Hipster which included Eggs, many vegetables, Farmers Cheese, and House Harissa.  It sounded very good, but there was something that potentially sounded better.  They had a Killer Croque Monsieur on the menu with Ham, Swiss, and Mornay Sauce (a cheese sauce using Gruyere) on a Brioche Bun.  I asked if the Croque Monsieur could be made into a Croque Madame, which would just require adding a Fried Egg.  There were eggs on other parts of the menu, so I figured that it wouldn't be difficult to do, and the chef affirmed that he could do it.  It was very good and I was glad I was able to have it.  The sandwich came with soup and my friend recommended I get the Peeky Toe Crab Soup because that is the local specialty, but they had unfortunately run out.  I ordered the Broccoli and White Cheddar Soup instead which, while not the Peeky Toe Crab Soup, was still very good.  It was rich, cheesy, and had a lot of broccoli.  I enjoyed my brunch here.  It had some very good food in a small, but family friendly space.
        

Cellar Door Provisions

I have been very interested in Cellar Door Provisions since it opened a couple of years ago.  The problem is that as it a breakfast/lunch place, I can't get there during the week and as it is very popular, I can't get in on the weekend.  Recently though, something happened that gave me a free morning during the week, so I decided to check it out.  Having looked at the menu before hand, I expected a small place with a coffee shop cafe feel.  Located on a corner, it has large windows on two sides and looks like a neighborhood coffee shop with a handwritten menu on paper in the window.  Walking in continued the coffee shop vibe with a small cafe.  There is art on the wall (for sale) and seating is with banquette and tables on both sides of the room.  There is another chalkboard menu at the back of the room on one side.  There is a counter at the back of the room that abuts the open kitchen where yet another menu is available if you hadn't seen the other two. The counter contains a display case showing their available pastries, most of which run to the savory side.  The pastries all looked very good and while I recognized the Caneles and the Croissants, which I ordered, there were several pastries that I did not recognize, but still looked really good.  Caneles are small French pastries about two inches tall that look like mini bundt cakes.  They are made with vanilla and rum and have a crispy outside crust and a firm custard center.  While they do have a sweetness about them,  they are also pretty savory.  For the one that I ordered the crust was very crisp and the inside was like a solid egg custard.  there was some sweetness, but it was also salty and savory.  I liked it so much that I had to buy another one for the road.  The croissant was flaky, buttery, and crisp, and while it was pretty big, it was also very light.  With these, I had an iced coffee.

While the pastries were very good, I wanted to try some of their "real" food.  This is not to say that their pastries were bad, in fact, they were pretty fantastic.  Substantial might have been a better word.  Their cafe menu is pretty veggie friendly although they do have some dishes with meat as well.  I went with something that was not strictly vegetarian, but it was pescatarian.  I got Cured Trout with Whipped Cheese, Ponzu, Bok Choi, Soft Boiled Egg, and Seared Bread.  The trout was very tender and flavorful in a flavorful broth with whipped cheese.  The cheese was a bit tart and kind of tasted like goat cheese (although I am not certain of this) which paired well with the trout.  The ponzu and bok choi were served on top and were very crisp and fresh.  The soft boiled egg was cooked well with a solid white and thick but liquid yolk.  The bread was crisp and tasted like it had just been baked.  It was very good, but it came in very handy to soak up the broth and yolk.  This also was pretty fantastic.

I really enjoyed my breakfast here and now understand why it is so popular.  I will definitely return if I happen to have another free weekday for the pastries if nothing else, but the cafe menu will certainly deserve a look.        

Café Marie Jeanne

While there are a few places that are really good there, I generally don't think of Humboldt Park for dining out.  I happened to be in the neighborhood one morning for other reasons and I hadn't eaten, so I decided to check out a place on a corner that I knew to be blowing up.  From the outside, Café Marie Jeanne looks like one of the many independent coffee shops or small restaurants in the city.  It sits on a corner and has large windows on both sides of the corner.  The sign is nice, although understated, with painted script on the lower part of the windows.  Walking in, the look is of a cafe, with hardwood floors, a painted tin ceiling, several tables laid out cafeteria-style (straight lines), and a few booths.  As you walk in, there is a small display counter with some beer, sodas, and produce, and pastries, which is one end of a long slate topped bar.  While they operate primarily as a restaurant, you can also buy fruit, milk, coffee, some produce, beer, and wine for take out, as in a market.  There seemed to be another dining room in the back, but I was happy in the front at the bar where the beer, wine, coffee, and liquor were.  While I was given a couple of menus consisting of breakfast and drinks to look at, I also noticed that there were several chalkboard menus at different places that emphasized specials, coffee, and beer and liquor.  While I was looking at, and comparing, all of the menus, I decided to start things off with some coffee.  I had not had a Capuccino in a while and they used a good coffee (Metric), so that's where I started.  I was happily surprised that, in addition to good tasting coffee, I also got some nice Latte Art.

The a la carte menu features a lot of meats, cheeses, produce, and pastries, so it potentially could take a little work to put together a composed meal, but a pastry is a good start.  I ordered a Ham & Comte (Cheese) Croissant and from the start, it reminded me of something I might find at a French Patisserie.  The plate, in fact, had a blue design around the edge and a blue farmhouse painting in the center.  It really reminded me of something I bought in France years ago.  The croissant was very light with a crispy and flaky crust and a nice chewy interior.  The ham was thinly sliced in the center and was very tender and flavorful and the Comte, while mostly melted into the croissant , still provided a nice funky cheese flavor.  I would have been happy with this alone, but there was more to come.

While I said that there were a lot of pieces and it could take a little work to create a composed dish, Café Marie Jeanne provided an easy way to do it.  On the menu is a Breakfast Sandwich that you essentially choose yourself.  How it works is that you choose two items from the Breakfast A La Carte Menu which are then placed, with cheese (White Cheddar) and an egg to order, on Country Wheat Bread or an English Muffin.  You could also build your sandwich on a muffin for a premium.  For my sandwich, I chose Smoked Brisket, and Jowl Bacon on an English Muffin with my egg over medium (so I get a little yolk, but it doesn't explode), which with the egg and cheese, made for a seriously hearty sandwich.  Everything about this sandwich was very good (although it was a little work to be able to get a good first bite because it was pretty big).  The brisket and jowl bacon were very flavorful and slightly crispy, but not charcoal, the egg was cooked perfectly and the cheese was melted.  I really enjoyed this, as well as my breakfast in general, and will definitely have to return to try different versions of the sandwich. 

Michigan Brewery Tour, part 2

After a restful day in a quiet motel, I started Friday with a need for a new tire and breakfast.  As breakfast places were open before bike shops, that would be first.  I was able to fill my tire and make it rideable, but I was not going to trust it for a long distance, so a primary goal would be to get it replaced as soon as possible.  My first stop, back in downtown New Buffalo was at David's Delicatessan, located in downtown New Buffalo.  According to Google Maps, there seemed to be a few other places, but I seemed to have chosen the most popular place.  There was a line to order and it was actually kind of hard to find a seat.  The place was a coffee shop/bakery/sandwich shop specializing in Reubens and the clientele seemed to be largely local with a range of ages from parents with young children to retired people.  Despite the line, it did move quickly and I was able to sit and enjoy my breakfast.  Although admittedly, I was a little uncomfortable sitting as far as back into the restaurant as I eventually found a seat because there was no place close to lock my bike so I leaned it against the front of the restaurant.  For my breakfast, I enjoyed a large, freshly-made Cinnamon Roll, Rhubarb Lemonade, and a Breakfast Reuben.  The Cinnamon Roll was large, soft, sweet, and was iced, and although it could have done with a little more cinnamon, it was pretty good.  The Breakfast Reuben was open-faced and included a fried egg on top.  This was essentially what differentiated it from a standard Reuben.  Eggs are very much like bacon, they improve whatever they are added to (for the most part).  This was the case here and I really enjoyed it as I did the rest of my breakfast.  David's looked like it might be a good place to hang out and people watch, but I wanted to get on the road as I was 25 miles behind where I wanted to be, so I finished quickly and went in search of bike shops.  A search on the previous night indicated that there were possibly two bicycle shops in New Buffalo.  The first was on the same road that I happened to be on although a little further than the other.  The closer shop was not yet open, so I went in search of the further and found that it seemed, no longer, to exist.  I returned to the other shop, Outpost Sports, which should have been opening.  From their website, it appeared that the New Buffalo location focused on watersports and mountain biking although I hoped that they would have something for me.  No such luck.  While they were very friendly, they had no tires for me that would work, so it appeared that I would have to bike 25 miles to St. Joseph and hope my tire made it.  A shop in Michigan City, Indiana would have been closer, but it was absolutely in the wrong direction and would have added two hours to the trip, so i decided to risk it and head to St. Joseph.

There were two breweries between New Buffalo and St. Joseph and while I wanted to stop at them anyway, I thought it would be a good chance to check out how my tire was holding up.  I arrived in Sawyer, MI at Greenbush Brewing Co. at 11 am.  I found out then, that the brewery didn't open until 11:30 am.  Fortunately their Annex, located right across the street, opened at 11 am and they had a great patio, which the brewery did not, so that's where I camped myself.  An inspection of my bike tire indicated that it was still in good shape, so I was confident that I could eventually make it to St. Joseph.  The food menu at the brewery is much better than at the annex, focusing on barbecue and some seafood appetizers versus charcuterie and sausages at the annex, but since I had had a good breakfast, I did not yet need to eat, so the annex with its great patio, was fine.  Greenbush had a pretty good tap list, broken into three groups basically by alcohol content, unfortunately they didn't offer flights, as such.  The smallest glasses they sold were 6 oz.  You could try anything that you wanted to before buying, but trying one thing at a time with a two or three ounce pour would have been tedious.  I just chose three beers that sounded interesting and went with the 6 oz. size.  I chose one from Group A, which were the lower alcohol beers, Bee Box, an Orange Blossom Honey Pale Ale, and two from the mid-range Group B, Atomic TaunTaun Overdrive, a Strawberry Habanero Ale that I would have chosen just for the name, Monopolipa, a Raspberry IPA.  All of the beers were very good and the listed flavors were evident, I think my favorite though, was the Atomic TaunTaun Overdrive, which started out tasting like a pretty good strawberry ale and finished with some significant spice (not overwhelming, but prominent).  The staff was very friendly and I saw that Greenbush seemed to be a stopping point for cyclists because several stopped while I was there.  It was also nice to run into the representative that I met and talked to at the Chicago Ale Fest the previous weekend.  After a nice rest and some good beer, it was time to be on my way.

While Greenbush wasn't far from New Buffalo, about 10 miles, the next brewery, Tapistry Brewing, was an even shorter trip, 6 miles, which took about half an hour.  Tapistry is in downtown Bridgman, MI and looks, from the outside, like a standard pub.  Before I went in, I took another look at my tire and while it seemed to be losing a little air, it was still fine.  For the most part, Tapistry also looked like a standard pub from the inside with a lot of finished wood and a long bar.  The brewery name comes from their ideal of combining chemistry and artistry.  The chalkboard tap list was behind the bar, but the taps while also behind the bar, they were at the back of the bar off to the side.  There was also a window that looked into the brewing area.  I have to say that besides the fact that it was a great color green, Tapistry had the best tap menus which were actually DVD cases (including a DVD).  They offered a flight with five 5 oz. pours of whatever beers were offered (also divided into three tiers).  As it was time, I also decided that this place was where I would have lunch.  For my beers, I went with Mr. Orange, another floral orange-flavored beer that this time was a Wit using Blood Orange, Chamomile, and Rose Hips, Twistin' Hay, an Irish Ale with a flavor of grass and hay, a single hop pale ale from Tier 2 called Hoponacci Strisselspalt which used a hop that I had never heard of (Strisselspalt), Gram for the Glass, a sessionable IPA, and a high alcohol Tier One monster called Heart Full of Napalm which was a Double IPA with a 10.0% ABV.  All of the beers were pretty good, Heart Full of Napalm kicked hard, but my favorite was Twistin' Hay.  For lunch, they had bar snacks including a charcuterie plate and a variety of sandwiches which came with chips.  I went with the Curried Turkey Sandwich with Cashews, Cilantro, Parsley, Spring Greens, and Swiss Chees on Marble Rye Bread.  It was a very good and flavorful sandwich and gave me the energy to get on the road for my next stop which was Cycle and Fitness Cycle Shop.  Cycle and Fitness was located in St. Joseph, which was about 14 miles away and took about an hour and a half to get there (with stops to look at the map and one to take a picture of the lake. 

This was a very good and well equipped cycle shop that had what I needed and got me in and out very quickly.  While they had a good inventory and the service was good, I'm sorry that I had to use them. 

Despite the fact that I had to stop at the bike shop, I may very well have gone in the same direction because the next brewery, Silver Harbor Brewing Company was less than a mile away.  Silver Harbor was just off the main drag in a building that looks like it used to be a warehouse (located across the street from an office building).  They seem to be going for a nautical theme with the outside walls painted a deep blue and a log incorporating a stylized S over an anchor.  The pub inside was gray and brown with the furniture and bar being blonde wood.  They also had a patio off to one side of the building which was where I sat.  The beers at Silver Harbor came in two tiers based on ABV, but they also did something called a Smoked Beer where they would poor your beer and serve it in a chamber filled with smoke which infuses into the beer.  While it is an interesting concept, not being familiar with the beers, I decided to see how they actually tasted before I tried the smoked beer.  Four of the beers I ordered were from the lighter tier, Tier 1.  Of these, I ordered Ginger the Blonde Ale, a Blonde infused with Ginger and Honey, Pier Jumper ESB, Hops, Sweat, and Tears IPA, and Pleasant Street Pale Ale (the brewery is located on Pleasant Street).  The Tier 2 beer was called Once You Go Belgian and was a Belgian Strong Ale at 8.0% ABV.  The flight came out on a great tray shaped like the lower peninsula of Michigan and the beers while all pretty good were just that, pretty good, there wasn't really anything that stood out.

The next stop was Arclight Brewing Company in Coloma, Michigan which was about 15 miles and an hour and a half away.  Like many other breweries on this trip, I had never tried Arclight's beer, but when I first mentioned this trip, a friend told me that Arclight needed to be on my list, so I made a point to add it.  When I arrived, the first thing that I thought, other than the fact that they have a cool sign was that the location was a former truck garage.  There was a bike rack in front, which was convenient and a food truck serving pizza parked to the back of the large parking lot.  The space was very industrial looking with cinder block walls, cement floors, and large garage doors.  There were a lot of windows, so there was plenty of natural light.  I discovered shortly after entering why there was a food truck there.  Arclight is BYOF (bring your own food).  I was still fine as far as not being hungy, but I could foresee a late dinner because the last place was a distance away yet.  Arclight also did not do flights as such, although their smallest pour was a 6 oz.  With a six oz pour, I was going to limit myself to three beers.  They had an interesting sounding stout, The Velvet Elvis which had Peanut Butter and Banana flavors, so that's where I started.  It was good, interesting and you could taste peanut butter and bananas.  I also went with CitraSun, their Wheat Ale brewed with Citra Hops, and When Worlds Collide IPA.  All of the beers were very good and while the bar looked a little incongruous in a truck garage, it worked.

The last stop was going to be a long run.  I was going to Saugatuck Brewing Company which was about 35 miles away.  Because it was 35 miles away and there were several turns, I had to stop to consult the map several times which slowed me down.  I arrived at Saugatuck Brewing Company well after sunset (which also slowed me down, especially when I had to rely on my own lights to navigate by).  Saugatuck closed at 10 pm which is about when I arrived.  So while I did go there, I could not drink there.  As it was dark, it was time to find a place to stay.  I quickly found out that being in a resort town on a weekend in the summer doesn't leave many rooms.  In fact, it seemed that it left no rooms to speak of.  After stopping at a few places and finding them full, I needed to grab some food, so I grabbed a sandwich at the deli counter of a convenience store.  After quickly eating and being rejected one more time, I finally found a room at The Saugatuck Motel which was 5 1/2 miles past Saugatuck Brewing Company and only had a room because of a cancellation.  After biking 90 miles that day, I took it at about 11 pm, paid way more money than I would anywhere else for a similar place, showered, and collapsed for the night.  The owner here also suggested that I park my bike in my room.  As I had passed Saugatuck Brewing Company, I decided that the only way was forward and that the next stop would be New Holland Brewing Co. in the morning.            

Dove's Luncheonette

I have talked about Paul Kahan several times and have raved about every restaurant that is under his umbrella that I have been to (Blackbird, The Publican, Nico Osteria, Big Star).  He is a master chef and a great mentor who is able to find and lead talented young chefs with the many concepts that he has undertaken.  There are some restaurant groups in which most of their restaurants have a common theme and are very similar.  The several concepts run by One Off Hospitality, the restaurant group in which Paul Kahan is a partner, are very different.  The one common theme between the various properties are their devotion to local farmers and seasonal food.  I went recently to their most recent restaurant, Dove's Luncheonette, an old style diner that serves mostly Mexican food and is located in Wicker Park, next to Big Star.  The restaurant is kind of inobtrusive, with the sign painted on the window next to the door.  The building in which Dove's is located is a beautiful vintage building with wood framed windows.  The inside looks as an old diner should, with stainless steel counters facing the windows as well as a dining counter looking into the open kitchen.  The walls are paneled on the lower half and covered in numerous old photos on the upper half.  There is an old jukebox in the corner as well as a turntable behind the corner with a great collection of old blues and soul records.  The menu is one page (both sides listing all meals including the all day breakfast).  In addition, there is a board behind the counter, near the ceiling, that lists the daily specials.  While there were several things on the specials list that looked really good (the Pork Milanese Cemita), I decided to stick with the menu and started with the Pepper and Potato Hash which in addition to the Fried Potatoes and the Shishito Peppers, had Aioli, Charred Scallions, and Queso Fresco.  Shishito Peppers are long and green and look similar to Jalapeno peppers, so while they are sweet, it was a little annerving to see all of those peppers among the potatoes.  I did try a pepper before anything else and found it to be fresh, crisp and sweet and went well with the crispy fried potatoes, and the slightly spicy aioli.  The queso fresco added a little salt and texture to an excellent dish.

For my main course, I ordered Enchiladas de Cochinilla, or Suckling Pig which was roasted, shredded and wrapped in Corn Tortillas.  The dish was served in a cast iron pan giving it kind of a homey appearance.  They were served with Mole Verde, Pepitas (fried sunflower seeds), Onions, Queso Fresco, Chicharrones, and Cilantro.  The pork was very tender as would be expected and the dish was a wealth of flavors and textures.  It was so good, that while I try to change what I order when I return to a restaurant, it would be difficult not to return to this.  I liked everything about this place and I will definitely return.        

Marmalade

About once a month, on a Saturday morning, I am in Ravenswood to volunteer.  After we finish we frequently go to Glenn's Diner which has become a favorite for brunch.  I was in the area recently and we were again scheduled to go to Glenn's, but circumstances were such that we had to change our plans, and subsequently, the restaurant that we were going to.  We decided to go to Marmalade which I had seen several times and had heard was pretty good, but I had not yet dined there.  Located on a corner, Marmalade had windows on two sides and the look of the place kind of reminded me of a 1960s style diner.  The dining area was built with two tops and larger parties were served by pushing tables together.  The walls were light and from where we sat, there were two chalkboards, each with a different set of specials.  There were several items that would look right at home at a Greek or Mexican diner.  In any case, everything on the menu, both printed and written on the chalkboard, looked amazingly good and it took a little time to make a decision.  There were many versions of many breakfast standards, Omelettes, French Toast, Pancakes, and Eggs Benedict, I decided to start with a side of Applewood Smoked Bacon.  I was given three thick slices of crispy, bacony goodness.  It was sweet and meaty with just enough smoke and was something that I could eat all day except that I also had one of their signature dishes waiting for me.

For my main course, I had Chef Efrain's Texan Bennie, which I (correctly) took to be a Texan-style Eggs Benedict.  It contained Potato Rosemary Flatbread, Potatoes, Slow-cooked Pork Shoulder, marinated in Marmalade’s own secret-recipe House Brine, topped with Pineapple Chutney and Poached Eggs, drizzled with Pesto Hollandaise, and garnished with a slice of Orange and Pineapple.  Everything about this was very flavorful.  It was both sweet and spicy (as in spice flavored, not hot) and everything was cooked perfectly.  The pork was very tender and pulled apart very easily.  While I did like this, I will say that the rosemary flatbread was a little much on it's own.  The fact that it would have been extremely difficult to eat it on its own because it was buried by everything else was undoubtedly by design because it added a lot of flavor to whatever it was eaten with.  I really enjoyed brunch here.  The food was good, the service was very friendly, and I would be happy to return.    

Siena Tavern - Brunch

While the last time I went to Siena Tavern was during brunch, I did not go for brunch so I decided to make it the location of my brunch together for this month.  The Italian-ish restaurant in river north run by Executive Chef Fabio Viviani is spacious with both modern and vintage elements done in a siena color scheme.  The restaurant is in an office building and the outer walls are tinted glass looking out to the street.  Despite being located in an office building though, the space does look friendly and the waitstaff are very helpful. As far as the food was concerned, I continued my habit of trying both sweet and savory starting with the Monkeybread for the table.  Our jaws dropped when this arrived because it just looked ridiculous.  The sweet sticky bread was topped with Hazelnut Cream, Hazelnuts, and was sitting in a thick, buttery caramel.  It was amazing and despite the size of it, it was pretty big, it disappeared quickly. 

For my main course, I went with a hash, as I frequently do, but this was a major variation on the standard hash.  It was a Lobster Hash with Poached Eggs, Lobster (obviously), Caramelized Vegetables (Asparagus, Onions, and Carrots), House Cured Pancetta, and Truffled Hollandaise Sauce.  The entire dish was very flavorful.  The lobster was sweet and tender and came in large pieces.  The eggs were poached perfectly with solid and firm whites and liquid yolks.  The vegetables were tender and had a caramelized sweetness.  The pancetta was firm and flavorful with a sweet pork flavor and the hollandaise sauce was great.  It was creamy and buttery with a significant amount of pepper and enough truffle to give it a good truffle funk without overwhelming it.

This brunch was a favorite of mine and I will probably repeat it in the future because many of the people that expressed interest had to cancel at the last minute and this is a place that deserves wide acclaim.

The Dawson - Brunch

My monthly brunch tour took me to The Dawson in October.  I had been to The Dawson for dinner and really liked it.  They have a vintage look and serve seasonal gastropub fare.  I noticed, when I came for dinner, that they had a pretty extensive cocktail list and having tried a few then, I saw that they were well versed in cocktail making.  At many places I have dined at for brunch, there are usually two or three, Bloody Marys and Mimosas being the standard with the occasional Bellini thrown in.  The Dawson had about 10 cocktails specifically for brunch plus a menu page for there house cocktails.  While I started things off with a very good cup of coffee, I decided to order a cocktail because it seemed that they put some effort in their creation and were not simply an afterthought.  I ordered a drink called a Ten & Six which came in a teacup with a "teabag label" tied to the handle.  The drink had a reddish tea color with an ice cube floating in it and was composed of Death's Door Gin, Tariquet Armagnac, Cocchi Rosa, Oloroso Sherry, Cranberry Apple Tea, and Lemon.  This was a great brunch drink even if it offered all day.  It very much has the style and flavor characteristics of tea.  It is very herbal and bitter, with some fruitiness and tart flavor and was very nice for sipping with breakfast.

As I make my own bacon, I am always interested in what other people/venues do with theirs.  The Dawson makes their own bacon and they had four types on their list.  Luckily, they also offered a flight, so all could be tried (and shared if so desired).  I ordered a flight for the table and saw, when it arrived, that it was a beautiful thing.  The four bacons were arranged on a wooden cutting board and there was more than enough to share.  All of the bacons were well cooked and at least had a crispy crust.  The bacons presented were an Allspice Jowl Bacon, Blackstrap Molasses Bacon, Maple Bacon served slab style, and Hungarian Bacon.  I tried all of the bacons on their own so I was sure I could get a good sense of their flavor.  Having said that, it probably made a difference in what order they were eaten and I may have eaten them in the wrong order.  The first bacon I tried was the Allspice Jowl Bacon.  It was cut into the smallest pieces and was very crispy.  It also had a nice spicy flavor as well as a definite pork flavor.  I next tried the Hungarian Bacon, which was cut into large thick slices.  It had a crisp exterior, but was still chewy and it had a very spicy flavor centered on Paprika and Garlic.  This was probably my favorite bacon after I tried it because its flavor was so emphatic.  I next tried the Blackstrap Molasses Bacon and this is where I may have erred.  This bacon was also sliced and had a crispy exterior, but it wasn't as thick as big or thick as the Hungarian Bacon.  This bacon did taste of molasses, but it was subtle, and after the flavors of the jowl bacon and the Hungarian Bacon, it was kind of lacking.  I wanted to like it, but it didn't stand up to either of the bacons I had just tried.  The last piece was the slab of Maple Bacon, and for this one, the flavor and texture were there.  It also had a crispy exterior, but the interior was tender and meaty.  It also had a very good maple flavor.  Overall, all of the bacons were made well, but my favorites were the Hungarian Bacon followed by the Jowl, the Maple Slab, and the Molasses Bacons.

For my main course, as I had already gone savory with the bacon, I decided to go to the sweet side.  I ordered the French Toast Terrine which was made with Figs, Pistachios, and Breakfast Sausage.  It was served with a Fig and Bitter Green Salad, Whipped Ricotta, sprinkled with Powdered Sugar, and Blis Maple Syrup on the side.  I liked every part of this, but I don't know if it completely came together.  the French toast was very good and flavorful and I thought that the figs and pistachios went well together with it.  The breakfast sausage was pressed into the French Toast and when it was encountered, it was good, but it generally played no part in the dish because I didn't encounter it in most bites.  The whipped Ricotta took the place of butter and while it was good and well prepared, there may have been a little too much.  The maple syrup and the salad were both very good as they were.  Overall, while this was good, it may have been better if there was a little less ricotta and more breakfast sausage.

I did enjoy myself here.  The space is vintage and classic, the service was good, they very definitely have a handle on their cocktail program, and despite my picking, the food was good.  Between The Dawson and its sister restaurant, The Gage, I like both, but I may still prefer The Gage.  The Gage, though, also has the advantage of location.  Given an opportunity to return to The Dawson for a meal, I would surely return.