Annie's Cafe

Thanks to my new found love of yelp.com, I frantically searched for a nearby Saturday brunch place (which are very hard to find) and discovered Annie's Cafe on Congress. Yelp makes it so easy for me now.

Judging by the location and how delicate and swanky the restaurant is, I thought for sure it was going to be somewhat expensive. WRONG. Everything was $6 on average and delicious! I took my parents here for their first brunch blog outing with me and we all ordered different things. We tried the fried egg sandwich, brioche french toast and popeye omelette.

My only complaints would be that the fried egg sandwich could've used an extra egg and their hot tea selection was lacking.

They even have outside seating that reminds me of the streets of Chicago in the fall. Huge french doors open up to about 4 tables that look out onto Congress Ave. The weather is just right for enjoying a cup of coffee and a hot breakfast on the streets of downtown Austin.

I give this brunch 8 stars. Food prices - under $10, mimosas - $7, great outside seating and atmosphere. www.anniescafebar.com

Perla's

If I had the funds to make my own seafood restaurant, this is EXACTLY what I would make. I was literally walking around the restaurant in awe. Every detail is perfect. It was a modern/beach house theme with bright yellow, blue and red accents. Someday I will have a beach house that looks just like it.

We sat down outside in the most perfect weather. Browsing

the menu and deciding what we wanted was somewhat challenging. Everything on the menu was incredible. Even the drink list was impressive. We ended up with the lobster omelette and the crab florentine.

I had the crab florentine which was English Muffin, Poached Egg, Lump Crab, Lemon Spinach and Tabasco Hollandaise. To.die.for. My only suggestion would be to include slightly less spinach but let's be honest, I would order this all over again in a heartbeat.

Lindsay, my usual brunch companion and foodie extraordinare,

had the Lobster Omelette. I joked that I always let her order first and she always gets to order what I REALLY want. Unfortunately

this item is not on the online menu so I couldn't write the ingredients verbatim but it was an omelette filled with lobster and crab amazingness and topped with caviar. It also came with a side salad, however that was totally unnecessary because with our two mimosas each and eating every last bite of our awesome choices, we were stuffed.

Moral of the story is that this is the CUTEST place I've been with the best atmosphere and the food was heavenly. Two mimosas each and two great dishes and we got out of there for $24 each.

http://www.perlasaustin.com/

Bess Bistro

She might as well just change the name to Best.

Arriving on West 6th, we were surprised by the ease of parking. We strolled up to Bess not really knowing what to expect based on rumors we've heard in the past. Everything about it charmed me. The employees were incredibly friendly, the restaurant was

beautiful - it felt like being in a REALLY fancy basement. Every detail was perfection.

If you have read this blog before, you would know that I think putting truffle oil on ANYTHING is about the greatest idea I've ever heard. With this thought in mind, I ordered the Eggs Bess; poached eggs on toasted English muffins with roasted tomato, wilted spinach, white truffle hollandaise and jumbo blue crabmeat. Do yourself a favor and be sure that you have white truffle hollandaise at some point in your life. To.die.for. The portion size was surprisingly large and although it was TORTURE to leave some left behind, we had to, we were stuffed, for a mere $10.

Lindsay, my foodie bestie and fellow brunch admirer, ordered the Croque Monsieur. A stack of sourdough toast, shaved country ham, bechamel and gruyere cheese with pomme frites. Of course she added the fried egg, who wouldn't? We agreed that we could've lived without the fries. For $15 each, including a little mimosa, we were STUFFED and incredibly happy.

I give the food, atmosphere and price combination a 9.5. Bess will go on the top of the list of brunches we have experienced so far.

http://www.bessbistro.com/

Somnio's Cafe (South First and Annie)

Instead of giving up hope on our neighborhood restaurants, we walked a little further the next day to Somnio's Cafe. The outside is surprisingly drab compared to the delicate, quaint inside. The menu changes on a regular basis because they only use fresh ingredients.

First of all, it is BYOB. That's right folks, take your own champagne, bloody marys, or micheladas with no cork fee or anything. Not sold yet? How about the max price on the menu being $6? Hmm...still unsure?

Well, I am not. I ordered the French toast with bread of the day that happened to be cinnamon

raisin. One of the best french toasts I have ever had. It can definitely put up a good fight with Lambert's. Peters had the buckwheat pancakes with cinnamon, apples and sour cream. Delicious. The sour cream was an interesting idea but I think it complimented it all very well. Very unusual but delicious. I will be returning to Somnio's very soon.

Cheap, BYOB, delicious and great atmosphere, what more could you ask for?

http://www.somnioscafe.com/

Bouldin Creek Coffee House (S 1st and Elizabeth)

Enjoying the walking and the shockingly nice weather the weekend before last, Peters, Matt and I cruised over to the Bouldin Creek Cafe just down the street from our new house.

The coffee was delicious, lots of great choices and nice outside seating. As we sat there enjoying the weather, I thought, man, I could really love this place. Thirty minutes later, we have STILL not received our food and I was 100% over that place. Then we get our food and it is less than good. On a scale of 1-10 I give the food a 3. I ordered the biscuits with pecan gravy and they just tasted like flour; dry and tasteless. Overall the atmosphere was nice for enjoying a morning coffee but I will be passing on the food in the future.

http://www.bouldincreek.com/menu_breakfast.asp

Blue Star Cafeteria

Although I know we have all been here before, this brunch just HAD to be mentioned to compare their version of the open faced egg sandwich with the "life-changing" one mentioned below. Max's sandwich is the clear winner (I mean nothing beats truffle oil) however Blue Star put up a definite fight with scrambled eggs, spinach, bacon and goat cheese on grilled marbled rye. My biggest complaint was the marbled rye. It is a great idea in theory but ended up being impossible to cut (maybe too grilled?) and slightly more trouble than I want to experience while eating breakfast in a slightly hungover state. We also ordered the vanilla french toast which is always a safe bet here. Delish!

Another reason I wanted to mention this brunch is that I spoke with the manager while I was there and she mentioned that they are starting tons of new, fun activities including but not limited to First Wednesday Wine Tastings and Thirsty Thursday Beer Tastings. Check out their website for more information. http://www.bluestarcafeteria.com/index.html

Max's Wine Dive

This new definitively "dive" bar/restaurant was a sight for sore eyes. Located on 3rd and San Jacinto, Sunday brunch timing provides a nice change from typical parking situations downtown. Not only was their food incredible but they also offer a unique twist on alcoholic brunch beverages including a mimosa with grapefruit juice instead of orange. Definitely a new favorite of mine.


My amazing foodie friend and food expert Lindsay Lehfeld accompanied me this past Sunday and beat me to the best thing on the menu. Of course we couldn't order the same thing so I conceded but luckily for me she was amenable to sharing.


Three pan-fried eggs drizzled with truffle oil and Maldon sea salt, topped with three slabs of Applewood smoked bacon and Veldhuizen Farms gruyere, organic Bibb lettuce, hothouse tomato, and garlic black truffle aioli, sandwiched between two pieces of Waltons Bakery bread and served with hand-cut chips.


Oh truffle oil, how do I love thee, let me count the ways. Any chef who uses truffle oil in two different ways on one dish is a hero in my book. I took a bite of this INCREDIBLE sandwich and it might be too ridiculous to say that it changed my life however I would not be opposed to going back and getting one of my own. My only complaint was the temperature of the tomato. It threw me off just a tiny bit with the other warm ingredients dripping all over my face and the table.



The second best option, which I chose, was the nutella banana french toast. Thick-cut Texas toast stuffed with Nutella and banana, then battered and fried…with a side of bacon. Who doesn't love nutella? This dish was intriguing and delectable but slightly under the radar for impressiveness considering the caliber of the egg sandwich. I would've preferred more nutella and banana and less cake/bread.


I would give the atmosphere an 8 out of 10 and price ranged from $8-$15, drinks also being similarly priced.


To see for yourself visit http://www.maxswinedive.com/austin/menus/index.php

Threadgills

To celebrate Mother's Day we joined everyone else and their mothers for Threadgills Gospel Brunch. Arriving at 12:15 and waiting 20 minutes left us in a crunch for the buffet but we definitely got our money's worth in the short 20 minutes we had available. Sadly the gospel music was so far away that we couldn't hear it but it looked very gentle. :)

The buffet line consisted of migas, potatos, biscuits and gravy, grits, sausage and bacon, french toast, pancakes and fruit. Hands down the sweet potato pancakes were the best thing on the line and coming in second place were the biscuits. They were so soft but also

 firm on the outside, the perfect biscuit. For $10.95 we filled our stomachs to the brim and we didn't even hit the omlette bar! Everyone agreed that we would have to repeat that someday. 

We will be on hiatus the next two weeks as most of the group will be in San Diego next weekend and in Dallas the following weekend. Stay tuned...

Chez Zee

I was waiting for pictures from ehm ehm, Justin, but decided I can't delay this post any longer. Thanks to the Pecan Street Festival we were detoured from Iron Cactus to Chez Zee last Sunday. It was a perfect day to sit on their patio and eat mini muffins while waiting for our table.

After reading over the menu, I was torn between several things and luckily Justin got one of them. I chose Will's Lobster Benedict - two crispy english muffins topped with sauteéd lobster, poached eggs and their famous béarnaise sauce. I LOVE béarnaise sauce for starters, the lobster was a little bit chewey but all and all it was a very delightful dish. I also had the poinsetta drink which was pomegranate and champage...always a great addition to brunch. Rachel had a benedict dish as well that included one beef tenderloin benedict and one “Southern” Maryland crabcake benedict. The beef tenderloin was very tender and yummy but I avoided the crabcake due to my distaste for onions. Same goes for Sally's migas dish. 

Justin got the creme brulee french toast platter... it should've been on the dessert list under cake. It tasted like cake, looked like cake and even was cut in the shape of a cake slice. Made from Challah bread infused with Creme Brulee mixture, soaked overnight, baked and

toasted to order. Matt Lauer baked this recipe on The Today Show! All of us loved it!

Chez Zee was a super fun atmosphere with crazy decorations all over and the piano player played an assortment of pop culture and classic songs. Price ranges from $10 - $20 a dish.

Lambert's

Despite looking for parking for 15 minutes and walking a mile, Lambert's was the greatest brunch experience I have had so far. Although it was expensive, everyone agreed that it was well worth the $26. 

The buffet portion of the meal consisted of the usual fruit, breakfast meats, eggs and grits but also had a random assortment of items prevalent to Lambert's menu including asparagus, potato salad, salmon, brisket and THE BEST mac n cheese I have EVER had in my entire life. Rachel thinks it was made with cream cheese and some sort of really expensive cheese because it was so creamy and delicious. It also had a tiny kick that we couldn't put our finger on. When it was all said and done, Peters said, "well, that mac and cheese might have just topped Lubys for the best in my book and that says a lot." Amen sister.

In addition to the buffet, we were allowed to choose as many items from the menu as we

 wanted. Having eyes bigger than our stomachs, we each decided to get our money's worth and order two items a piece. 

I think I chose the best by ordering the Thick Cut Brioche French Toast with Whipped Strawberry Butter & Real Maple Syrup and the Benedict with Niman Ranch Ham, Poached Egg and Tabasco Hollandaise. The strawberry butter definitely made that french toast. Not sure anything can every compare to that. The benedict was ok, just normal but delicious none the less.

Matt had the biscuits, eggs and gravy which turned out to be less than impressive.   The biscuit was somehow doughy and dry at the same time.Justin said that the biscuits and gravy from Star Seeds the day before definitely topped the one at Lamberts. However he claims his Smoked Brisket Hash with Egg Sunny Side Up was awesome. 

We all left there as stuffed as we possibly could be, happier than ever. I will be giving Lambert's 4 stars for that brunch. 

Star Seeds

If your wallet is looking for a break, Star Seeds is definitely the best option for brunch. Justin, Rachel and I all fought over who would get to order the biscuits and gravy with sausage and scrambled eggs. Being the first to mention the "eye opener" as they call it, Justin won that battle and Rachel and I didn't feel like we lost with the migas and pancakes. 

The atmosphere was very chill and was modeled around an old-time diner. Justin's eye-opener was delicious and everything we imagined it would be. It possibly could've used more sausage but I believe more meat is always better. ;)  One bite was all I needed of Rachel's migas. She said they were delicious but I was pretty skeptical with all of the onions and jalapenos that were mixed in.   I got a blueberry pancake and a chocolate chip pancake. The latter was the best for sure, it tasted like a chocolate croissant.

All and all we highly recommend this for a low budget brunch. We ended up spending $10 a piece and had a delicious feast. 

Taverna

We finally started the first of many delicious brunches to come! Taverna was the hot spot on Saturday with absolutely NO WAIT for a table! Is it sad that is something on the top of my list of things to like about a place? 

First and foremost, we took full advantage of the $1 mimosas and bellinis. The bellinis were deliciously frozen peach/champagne concoctions but it was just a wee bit too cold outside to enjoy more than one of these. We definitely downed at least 7 mimosas each.

Now to the mouth watering part...fortunately the two lovely ladies who joined me were all about the sharing. So we ordered three items that looked the most delicious in writing and decided to share. 

Classic Eggs Benedict  - Two Poached Eggs on Toasted English Muffin with Bacon, Topped with Hollandaise Sauce and served with Breakfast Potatoes

Eggs Al Forno all ‘Olio Tartufato - Two Pan-Fried Eggs with Breakfast Sausage served over Bruschetta with Truffle Oil and Breakfast Potatoes

Orange French Toast - Served with Mascarpone and fresh fruit

The eggs benedict was my choice and definitely my favorite of the three. I liked the choice of bacon instead of ham, gave it a little something extra because I LOVE bacon. Orange french toast in no way resembled orange to me but was made with cinnamon swirl, raisin bread and melted in my mouth. The eggs al forno was my least favorite but still freaking delicious, how can you go wrong with truffle oil. 

We ended on an awesome note with dessert of course. 

This beautiful lady to your left was a small chocolate cake filled with warmed nutella and topped with vanilla bean ice cream. 

MMMmmmmm....

Looking forward to Lambert's next week! 

An oldy but a goody!

I started my morning off with this link... http://www.austin360.com/food_drink/mediahub/media/slideshow/index.jsp?tId=151802

and sat in torture at my desk while I contemplated whether or not I should totally avoid my diet plan and spring for breakfast tacos. The longer time went by, the more intense my hunger became and the less my mind resisted it. At 10:30 Lehfeld messaged me saying how she did NOT want to resist anymore. One second later I was on the phone to taco deli to find out what time they stopped serving breakfast and placed my to-go order. It was as delicious as I imagined.

I had a sausage, egg, cheese and potato taco and a bacon, egg and cheese. The mexican mashed potatos are such a delightful addition to any taco. I'm sure everyone reading this blog has already been to Taco Deli at some point in their life, just thought I would share this treasure that brought me so much joy today. Please do not post delicious food links on your gchat status anymore, thank you very much. :)

Dedicate

No one loves brunch more than I do (except maybe Lehfeld.) Therefore this blog is dedicated to the ladies I love who appreciate a good mimosa on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Each weekend we will feature a new brunch place that we will attend and review after. Get ready for some Sunday Funday at its finest!

May 31st - Iron Cactus - All you can eat buffet featuring migas, huevos rancheros, skillet potatoes, biscuits and jalapeño gravy, pancakes, waffles and fresh fruit, omelette station, carving station, fajitas, enchiladas, soup, salad, fresh fruit, desserts and other Cactus specialties. 13.95 per adult

Brunch is served 10am - 3pm

BOTTOMLESS mimosas for $5

Others that don't have dates yet.

Somnios Cafe - http://www.somnioscafe.com/

The Counter Cafe

Woodland - http://www.woodlandaustin.com/food/category/brunch/

Roaring Fork

Paggi House

Vespaio

PRICEY ($30-$40) saving for big splurge days

Trio at the Four Seasons

Green Pastures - http://greenpasturesrestaurant.com/page/o967/The_Food.html

Olivia - http://olivia-austin.com/wp-content/uploads/menus/brunch.pdf

SATURDAY OPTION

Chez Zee - http://www.chez-zee.com/pdf/Brunch.pdf

Bess Bistro - http://www.bessbistro.com/

South Congress Cafe - http://www.southcongresscafe.com/brunch.asp

Mulberry

Eastside Cafe