Tag Archive for: brunching

Ocean & Acre: Brunch A-Hoy!

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 3/10/20

BRUNCH, a-hoy! Enjoyed a brunching voyage at the newly christened Ocean & Acre that set sail two weekends ago. Yes, this just in, Ocean & Acre in Halcyon Forsyth has brunch! It literally just launched two weekends ago!! Insert heart emoji here. Take a look through our booty of beautiful sippers and savory landlocked dishes like pancakes, steak and eggs, and polenta bowls. Who’s ready to pop the champagne and dive in for a Sunday Funday?

We found it! The prettiest, most photogenic drink in all of Atlanta, it’s on Ocean & Acres brunch menu, the Gin Sour. With an orange-pink hue, white whipped crown, and dried blood orange, she’s ready for her close-up. Beyond the beauty, with Old 4th Ward Gin, Aperol, orange bitters, lemon, and whipped egg, it starts out just as sweet as it looks, but ends smooth with the addition of the egg white. This one will be a crowd favorite. We also sipped on the Gin & Cucumber Spritz, as well as the Red Tide specialty cocktail of the week. The Gin & Cucumber Spritz is one of those drinks that reminds you of the ocean, earthy and salty. With the addition of lemon, cucumber, and prosecco, this spritz is refreshing and sunny. If you like hard seltzer or something light, this one is for you. Finally, The Red Tide was a good pair with the steak and eggs we had as it is bourbon, star anise, clove, with red wine on top. This one they use their inhouse infuser and added blood orange into the bourbon. This really reminded us of a traditional Gluhwein drink, just not hot, as it has a lot of the same ingredients. It was boozy, citrus, and then ends like a fine red wine. So, unique. They have a featured infused drink of the week, so maybe they’ll have something fun when you go brunching! They’re also thinking about having a Bloody Mary bar during brunch in the future. Wouldn’t you love that? What would you like to see on this bar?

Have you ever had a Dutch Pancake? A Polenta bowl on a brunch menu? We haven’t either and we’re in love with both. If you’re looking for a unique brunch, they have some different dishes beyond the staple eggs and bacon fare, but don’t worry, they also have steak and eggs, so you’re covered if not. We tasted three dishes, the Dutch Pancake, the Breakfast Polenta Bowl, and the Steak and Eggs. Starting with our favorite dish, the Polenta Bowl is like a grits bowl, only more like mashed potatoes texture filled with bacon, ragu (tomatoes and mushrooms), and two poached eggs. Think a mixed-up, eggs, bacon, and grits dish but ELEVATED with polenta and the tart of the ragu. And here’s our tip: play with your food! The bacon is on the top and you can use it as a scoop to get all the polenta, egg, and ragu into one bite. The bacon adds a salt element to the creamy and savory of the other ingredients. What something even more playful? Eat the polenta with the steak and eggs. Wowza!

That being said, the steak and eggs were delicious, as well, with tender steak nicely seasoned and topped with perfectly cooked sunny-side up eggs. The addition of the potatoes and oil brings an element of earthiness and richness. Get the potatoes and add to the egg and a small amount of steak = paradise. Beyond that, the dutch pancake was our sweet for the brunch. What’s so unique about this dutch pancake is that it was more fruit and tart forward, not super sweet like we thought. We loved it that way because once you get down to the lemon curd and mix in the whipped cream, you’ll get some of that sweetness mixed in with the savory of pancake and the fruit. Plus, the combo of the fruit like pears and pineapple rounded out the dish to give a great tang and tart. It was a good balance between all the flavors!

This brunch will reel you in as they have a ton of other things we’d love to try. Can you say avocado toast with fish dip, Eggs Benedict Florentine, or even that amazing looking brunch burger? We know where you’re brunching this weekend, save us a bite of the Avocado Toast, please.

The Whiskey Project: Boozy Brunching

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 2/23/20

Not too far from the heart of downtown Roswell is The Whiskey Project, a cozy restaurant offering lunch, dinner, and traditional and unique brunch selections. From the dynamite décor, delicious and inviting cocktails, to the delightful brunch food, The Whiskey Project does Whiskey AND everything else right. The Sunday afternoon was relatively full so we sat at the bar and tried Maple-Bacon Old Fashioned (!), Brunch Bomb, as well as Kalettes, Tartine, French Toast, and Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit served with fries. When it comes to food adventures, you’re in for an egg-celent brunch. Let’s go.

When we think of Old Fashioned, it’s just a bourbon staple drink that some of our other guy friends or their father’s drink. This will make you rethink the assumption, the Maple Bacon Old Fashioned is a miracle cocktail marring bourbon, maple, lemon, and candied bacon on top. They take a drink torch and char the bacon in front of you. But you have to eat the bacon first and sip the cocktail at the same time, so the bacon grease doesn’t set into the drink itself. Insert fire emoji here. It was EN FUEGO with sweet and light char up front with a savory, maple, and boozy bourbon back end. Love, true love.

On the lighter side, the Brunch Bomb is a cool, easy sipper with Rekorerling Strawberry Lime cider, soda, and a choice of flavor: lavender, rosemary, and thyme. We chose rosemary to give it some earthiness and it mellowed out the sweet of the cider. Just imagine being on the beaches of Hawaii with a pretty flower in your hair, sipping on a light drink. That’s the feeling you get with the Brunch Bomb.

In thinking about brunch, what immediately comes to mind? Chicken and waffles? Eggs and bacon? French Toast? Yes, The Whiskey Project has some of these staple brunch dishes, but they also have some fun and unique brunch variations that makes this place one you can go back to and have a totally different experience. This is how we felt about the Tartine and the Kalettes. Both were something unexpected and rare that we’d never had at brunch before. The Kalettes were our absolute favorite with charred kale mixed with pomegranate balsamic glaze and pulled pork belly. It was almost like getting a brussel sprout appetizer but with a twist. The charred kale started out smoky and savory of the pulled pork belly, but the tart of the pomegranate and sweetness of the glaze balanced it out. It wasn’t over saturated with the glaze so you could get all the flavors together in the bite. Make sure to include the little peppers on the top for a slight spice on the back end. Divine. We also enjoyed the Tartine with the crunch of the toast, the sweet of the glaze, cream and tart of the goat cheese, and savory of the prosciutto. We liked putting the toast together and making a sandwich with all the elements in between. Plus, did you see how pretty these dishes comes out? PS: Sometime, we’re coming back to try those deviled eggs. Pumpkin Yolk? Yes, please.

From there we went with a traditional French Toast and Egg, Cheese, and Bacon Biscuit. We wanted something over-the-top breakfast-y and something sweet. To us, French Toast like traditional pancakes is just having dessert for breakfast. We’re all in. Nothing goes better with coffee, or who are we kidding, a cocktail, then something a little sweet? Surprise, this French toast wasn’t traditional. From the egg-drenched sweetness of the bread to the bourbon apple compote which made this dish unforgettable to the whipped cream and smokier maple syrup, we couldn’t get enough of this pretty dish. Get all the dish elements in one bite. You’ll thank us. Now, all we needed was a rich cup of hot coffee and a bigger stomach. On to the Egg, Cheese, and Bacon Biscuit, which had something for everyone. From the red pepper baked into the biscuit to the crisp bacon, savory egg, and cheese, it was a great all-around bite that even the pickiest eater would love. Our suggestion: pack the fries inside the biscuit. This gives the biscuit crunch and even deeper flavor. What fun!

With that a long, Sunday afternoon nap was in order. Can you blame us with all this good food and drink? Who wants to join us for some deviled eggs and a maple-bacon old fashioned at The Whiskey Project soon?

5TH ANNUAL ATLANTA BRUNCH FESTIVAL

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 2/16/20

Saturday, March 7th at Noon

Atlantic Station

The 5th annual Atlanta Brunch Fest will be held on Saturday, March 7th from 12-4pm, with Early Entry ticket holders entering at 11am.

Over 60 restaurants will be participating in the event (10 more than last year!) and they will all bring their tastiest brunch items for the crowd to sample. Samples will all be priced at $3 and paid directly to the vendors. There will be Bloody Mary’s, mimosas, Brunch Punch, as well as a selection of beer, wine, cider and hard seltzer to choose from. A live band and everyone’s favorite DJ Q-Tip will get the crowd moving. The list of restaurants and menu items are continuously being added to the website. https://atlantabrunchfestival.com/menu/

Early Entry tickets include all of your drinks and four food tickets to be used for any food vendor sample. (Tickets must be used between 11am and 1pm.) Cost: $65; $70 after Feb 27th, $80 day of.

Bottomless Drink tickets include all of your drinks. (No food included.) Cost: $45; $50 after Feb 27th; $60 day of.

Buy tickets here.

The Shed at Glenwood: Cool Salads and Sweet Treats Mix with Traditional Brunch Fare

Nestled near the Atlanta Beltline in close proximity to EAV and Grant Park, The Shed at Glenwood has a stellar brunch menu with everything from cool salads, savory and sweet French toast, to traditional omelets, eggs, and bacon. Top it off with a specialty cocktail, bloody mary, or mimosa. Perfecto. Let’s jump into our culinary journey, come join us.

Starting with the Watermelon Baby Spinach Salad was one of the highlights of our time at The Shed at Glenwood. The crunch of the sweet watermelon combined with the slight spice of cumin in the dressing, and topped with the savory spinach, which was crisp and light. Sprinkle with crunchy sunflower seeds to all blend together; sweet, salty, light and fresh. Follow up the light salad with something sweet and savory, like the French Toast with poached pears. Light and fluffy, the bread was the right balance of sweet cinnamon, savory of the egg wash, and crunchy walnuts. Top it off with tart blackberries and warm, yet light maple syrup, and the savory crunch of the poached pears. The best thing on the French toast were those poached pears. Savory, slightly sweet, tender. Pro tip: drizzle the maple syrup directly on the poached pears. It could be a dessert itself.

After you’ve done all this, they also have some very good standard brunch and breakfast fare, like their southern chicken omelet stuffed with chicken, vegetables, and cheese. What made this dish was the side of Nashville hot sauce and some of the best roasted potatoes: salty, savory, right amount of crunch, but potato thick enough to enjoy on its own. We found that if you take some of the omelet, get some hot sauce on it, and then add a roasted potato it’s a fabulous bite.

Don’t forget to grab a refreshing cocktail or spritzer! We had one of the best summer patio drinks ever, a French 75 with champagne, lime, and a spritz of Gin. Something you could drink a few of that’s light, refreshing, tangy, sweet, bubbly, and so good. We also tried the Jungle Bird stuffed with house spiced rum, pineapple, lime and a beautiful pink color. This beauty was surprisingly tart but smoothed out on the end with the pineapple.

Next time you’re on the south end of the beltline and need a quick brunch, breakfast, or even lunch or dinner, get over to The Shed at Glenwood. You’ll be glad you did.