A few weekends ago we went to brunch with a few friends, and happened upon Resurrection Ale House, officially a new favorite. This small charming spot is a great destination for brunch with friends, with incredibly friendly service and knowledgable staff members who know their beer.  Also, they have probably the best french fries I’ve had in the city.  Here’s the rundown of what we had:

Seth had the Salad of Chicories, with a side of the fries that came with this amazing curry dipping sauce.

We actually all loved the fries so much that we got another order, which we all finished in about a minute flat. Reason enough to return!

Claire had the pork belly and grits (shockingly she doesn’t like eggs, so this was perfect):

It was savory and sophisticated.  Slip had a burger— I didn’t get a picture of it, but it was juicy and situated on a delicious challah bun.  I enjoyed a great bite, and it came with fries!

I had the biscuits and gravy (yum!), that came with scrambled eggs and some fierce hot sauce.  The gravy was made with spicy sausage and was amazingly flavorful.  It’s hearty stick-to-your-ribs food, and it was delicious.

I definitely plan to return to Resurrection Ale House for another cozy meal.  I’ve heard that they have some of the best fried chicken in the city, as well as famous brussel sprouts, two items that I can’t pass up.  I can’t wait for my next trip there!

Dreaming of this lunch I shared with Jessie last month at the Iris Cafe in Brooklyn. We shared a few simple, incredibly tasty dishes. From top left, clockwise: a cup of savory Parmesan broth and vegetables; avocado toast with 2 soft boiled eggs; dijon mayo, cheddar, cucumber, lettuce, turkey, and avocado on cranberry pecan bread. The toast was fantastic dipped in the runny egg yolk. The venue was small, quiet, and quaint. The birthday lunch: all perfect and amazing.

Greek scramble: feta cheese, tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, and parsley. Yummy!

Ok— one more Boston post. We ate lots of super delicious food while we were in Beantown, but above quaint Italian in the North End, a picnic from Haymarket in Boston Common, and even the acclaimed Myers+Chang in South End, I think my favorite meal was brunch our first morning there, at The Friendly Toast in Kendall Square.

Brunch is probably my favorite of all possible meals, maybe even including dessert. First of all, it is breakfast and lunch. It is savory, it is sweet, it is hearty, and it is damn delicious. And The Friendly Toast, with a wide variety of sweet pancakes and waffles, as well as lots of egg dishes, burritos, sandwiches and salads, offered up so many brunch items I had the hardest time deciding what to order.

I got the Costa Rican— black beans, sliced plum tomatoes, under melted provolone with 2 sunny side up eggs, sour cream, scallions, homefries, and homemade toast. I got the toast of the day, which was carrot ginger raisin, and so amazing (pre-spread with the perfect amount of butter). I secretly wanted to buy a whole loaf of it to bring home, but since it was my first meal after arriving in Boston I decided to wait it out. (Oh, and check out those perfectly cooked eggs.)

Slip got the “Crazy Quesadilla”—brie, mashed chipotle sweet potatoes, red chile pecans, granny smith apple slices, and swiss. And yes, that is a side of sweet potato fries (no apologies there, I love them!) That was one tasty crazy quesadilla.

So, the verdict? The Friendly Toast was so delicious with so many things that I wanted to try that I tried to convince Slip to return for another round of brunch during our long weekend. And we almost did, too. I’m sure it will be on my roster the next time I’m in Boston!

Pesto Parmesan Potatoes— make great breakfast leftovers, topped with egg whites, served with bacon and tomatoes and basil.

How yummy and amazing does this look? I want it right now! One morning in Rockridge (Berkeley area) we headed to Crepevine, a perfect breakfast destination with sweet and savory crepes, and lots of other delicious concoctions like this dish, called The Mission. It was filled with some amazing black beans, scrambled eggs, soy chorizo, salsa, and guacamole. And of course, topped with lots of fresh avocado. The fact that everything in California has avocado on most dishes made me really really happy, and so did this breakfast.

A few weeks ago I headed down to Society Hill to grab brunch with some friends at Kanella, a quaint and incredibly charming Greek restaurant with classic Cypriot dishes. The restaurant was featured on Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate for their Cyprus Plate (what I had— it was amazing!) and is definitely worth heading to for brunch. You get to avoid the long hassle of a wait at places like Sabrina’s, plus the food is really unique and fresh. I’m heading down to Kanella with some friends tomorrow, so to prep for what I’m going to order it seemed time to post our Big Greek Brunch.

We started off with some big, fresh, French presses of coffee and the Kanella platter with grape leaves, tabbouleh, falafel, fried eggplant, tomato salad, tzatziki, olives and warm pita:

Then for brunch everyone ordered up a variety of plates, meaning we all got to taste a ton of delicious Greek food. Lindsey got the Malohwa, described as a savory flaky puff pastry that was indescribably delicious— something I am definitely considering ordering for tomorrow. It was served with rich Greek yogurt and a spicy tomato salad, a winning flavor and texture combination.

Brett ordered one of my favorite things to cook or eat, shakshouka— eggs poached in a spicy tomato stew with some crusty bread on the side. This definitely lived up to my expectations of the classic Mediterranean dish.

Adam got the Tachinosalata platter, full of Mediterranean flavor— hummus, tahini, falafel, fresh veggies, and pita bread.

Erica ordered one of my favorite things of the day, the Cyprus Crepe. This was a paper thin crepe stuffed with a subtly sweet Greek cheese, almost like ricotta, drizzled with mulberry syrup and blueberries. It was delicate and delicious.

Finally, a few of us ordered the Cyprus Breakfast— two eggs fried in olive oil, lounza, halloumi cheese, and fresh bread. Lounza is kind of like the Greek take on Canadian bacon— perfectly cooked and salty. Halloumi cheese is one of my favorite things— it’s hard to describe well because it has an odd texture that is almost rubbery but yet it is absolutely divine. This halloumi, also salty in a lovely way, was fried and served up with the rest of the dish and some fresh vegetables. This was a Greek homerun.

I can’t wait to go back tomorrow— my biggest challenge will be deciding what to order! At least I know the French press coffee and ultra fresh orange juice are a beautiful and tasty way to start my morning.

Did I mention the other delicious bites that were served up at Gladys Knight’s last weekend? Well, here’s my chance—

We started off with some fried green tomatoes served with spicy remoulade. One of my favorites whenever it’s on a menu.

For sides we had:

(L to R) Macaroni and cheese that rivaled the best in my neighborhood (Delilah’s!), collard greens, and squash casserole, Gladys’ favorite. I loved it, too!

And of course, the main course, the chicken and waffles:

Chicken and waffles has become a big trend lately, throughout the country, and I can tell you why. The unlikely combination draws on savory and sweet flavors, fluffy and crunchy textures, and just plain old tastes good together. It might be an untraditional brunch choice, but it’s showing up on menus everywhere. I say, check it out! I couldn’t eat it all the time— but it was a great Atlanta choice.

What’s one of my favorite brunches during the week of Passover? Matzoh Brei, naturally. Unfortunately I didn’t have an salami to throw in it like I had at Zaidy’s in Denver— but it was delish nonetheless. How to make this super easy breakfast dish du jour?

Start by filling one bowl with lukewarm water and breaking 3 pieces of matzoh into the water to let them soak for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, break 4 eggs into another bowl.

Add a splash of skim milk, kosher salt, and pepper to the eggs and whisk them with a fork. Squeeze all the water out of the matzoh and add it to the eggs. Give it a quick mix with your fork and season as you please (garlic powder, hot sauce, cinnamon, sugar, whatever your palate is!)

Add 1/2-1tbsp unsalted butter to a frying pan and allow to melt over medium heat. Add your egg/matzoh mixture to the pan and scramble with a spatula (stir minimally, so you don’t over scramble), until eggs are cooked through.

Makes enough to serve 2. I topped my salt and pepper matzoh brei with some maple syrup— a classic combination. You can also add some caramelized onions and salami to your brei to make it savory, or green apples and cinnamon to make it sweet— your call!

Ahhhhh, Sunday brunch— what a glorious luxury. Sunday morning Slip and I made plans to meet our friend Seth and wanted to find somewhere we hadn’t tried and that had a great menu for brunch. Enter: Fork Restaurant in Old City, located on Market Street between 3rd and 4th. First of all, I love walking around Old City on a sunny day, with so much beauty and history to take in. Second of all, any restaurant with so many baked goods a la carte, as well as a menu that actually inspires me to order dessert at brunch, is a go for me.

We all started with some drinks to whet our appetites. Seth had the blood orange iced tea (yum!) and a hot chocolate :) which was served up nice and fancy in a big ‘ol wine glass. The server seemed a little taken aback at his hot chocolate request, but she made it happen.

Slip and I opted for the traditional brunch drink of choice, the bloody mary:

It was a little spicy for my taste (which I know is what is appealing to some), but Slip thought it was really tasty with a great horseradish kick. I’m sure it went perfectly with his crabcake sandwich!

This sammy wasn’t fooling around— served on a buttery freshly  baked brioche bun with a side of serious slaw, this was an excellent brunch choice. As a Maryland girl I will say it could have done with a tad more crabmeat and a tad less filler, but I tend to be a critic of any crabcake (except my favorite ones from G&M, a must if you’re in MD!) The bloody was a perfect complement to this delicious dish.

Seth started with the roasted beets:

Although visually appealing and very delicious, this plate did have the effect of the question “didn’t I order more than this?” Not to worry though, this is the only plate that was sparsely covered with food. Seth’s second dish, the local spinach risotto, more than made up for it.

This dish was the epitome of truly satiating comfort food. I could imagine it served at an Italian grandmother’s house somewhere in the Italian countryside on a winter evening. I would definitely go back to Fork for this one alone.

I ordered the blackberry brioche to start— I couldn’t pass up all of the baked goods, but it was really hard to choose just one!

It appears massive here— but it really was.

Mmmm, perfectly baked, with that subtle creaminess and warm blackberries wrapped up inside. It was the perfect suggestion that spring is just around the corner. And honestly, it was so good that I think after it arrived and we all had a bite we spent the next ten minutes talking about everything brioche and how we could possibly recreate this at home. I think we’ll have to go back and get this again!

For my next course I had a tart that was on the menu, topped with all different kinds of grilled vegetables, including zucchini and cauliflower, cheese, and some microgreens.

Savory and bold yet subtle and delicate, this tart with a rich buttery crust was a delight to me.  It was a great way to start my afternoon.

At most brunch outings the post would end here, but as the server gingerly offered us the dessert menus we all took a peek inside and just decided, why not, it’s President’s Day weekend after all. And we’re glad we didn’t pass it up!

From the top left (clockwise): chocolate and sesame tart, espresso flan, a fig, walnut and some other delights Semifreddo, and apple olive oil cake. The apple cake was nothing to write home about but everything else was really scrumptious. My favorites were definitely the chocolate sesame tart and the semifreddo— such interesting flavors in both and delightful textures. I learned on my recent lunch at Zama that sesame seeds in a dessert is a great idea, and Fork proved this theory right again.

All in all, our relaxed brunch at Fork on Sunday was absolutely wonderful. From the friendly, smiling welcome we received, to the serendipity that someone cancelled their reservation at the last minute and we got their table (make a reservation— it’s very busy!) We had what felt like a completely private meal, tucked away into a corner near some billowing velvet drapes (P.S. I loved the decor), but the service was excellent, and the food just topped it off.  I hope to be back soon— there are so many more things on the dinner menu I can’t wait to try!