Brunch

Nomtastic Foods lists the Best Brunches in Baltimore

Arli’s Appetite is a contributor to Nomtastic Foods “Best Brunches in Baltimore” post.   Below is my blurb on GDL Italian by Giada in Horseshoe Casino.  Check out the other mentions here.

Be sure to follow my foodie and cocktail adventures on social media …  

@ArlisAppetite on InstagramFacebook and Twitter.

Brunch at Duck Duck Goose

I’ll admit it, sometimes I like to visit restaurants because of the décor.   It’s initially why I wanted to visit Duck Duck Goose in Fells Point, Baltimore.  I saw a photo online of their colorful wallpaper and I wanted to check out the space for myself.  I’d actually been in the space when it was the prior restaurant 8 Meatball and I wanted to see what renovations they’d done to the place.   I visited on a Sunday for brunch with three other foodie friends.

Duck Duck Goose Baltimore is a small plates French brassiere that opened in Summer 2018.  This visit was my first and I didn’t know what to expect, I just knew I wanted some soft French scrambled eggs.

Nutella French Toast
Shrimp and Grits
Poached Eggs on Toast
Roasted Eggs and Piperade
Steak and Eggs

We started off with a shared Nutella French Toast and let me tell you this was heaven.  It’s large enough to share and so delicious that it leaves you wanting more. I ordered the Steak and Eggs and asked them to add caramelized onions and blue cheese. They actually have a brunch sandwich that comes that way but I didn’t want the bread.  I loved the eggs, they were exactly what I was craving.  Shrimp and Grits aren’t what you’d typically find at a French restaurant but the shrimp were huge and the grits were thick and it was seasoned pretty well. I think they were going for the New Orleans French influence and did a great job.

LaVie en Rose
Banana Jameson

For my cocktail, I ordered the Banana Jameson which is Jameson Whiskey and Banana Liqueur, it’s one of the restaurants specialty cocktails.  They also offer $20 bottomless mimosas during brunch.

As always, follow my eating adventures at @ArlisAppetite on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

 

Brunch at Topside Baltimore in Hotel Revival

Revival Hotel’s rooftop bar has one of the best panoramic views of the city.  I’ve been to Topside a few times but recently I went there to check out their new brunch menu items.

Brunch is from 10:30am – 2:30pm and I had a Sunday 11:30am  reservation. When I arrived the friendly hostess sat me near a window for the perfect view of the Washington Monument and the perfect perch for my Mimosa.  Topside offers a $15 bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Mary option with the purchase of a brunch entrée.    There weren’t that many people there when I arrived but the tables started to fill up around 12:30.  There are eight brunch menu options and an extra five sides or add-on options.  My friend and I ordered one entrée each, an additional side and we split another entrée.

I ordered the Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy that came with two eggs any style.  The gravy was made with goat from Prosperity Acres Farm.   My friend ordered the Green Chorizo Chilaquiles and that came with fried eggs.  We wanted to order something sweet also, so we ordered a Dutch Baby.  It was my first time tasting one and I’m glad we ordered it.  I’ve seen them on a few menus but never knew how delicious they were.  They are a cross between a pancake and the light custard taste of Crème Brûlée.    And we also ordered the bacon and Topside Potatoes.  The potatoes were wedges were a nice size and fried up crispy and golden brown.

Of course I had to order the Old Fashioned to finish off my brunch because Topside makes one of my Top 3 Old Fashioneds in Baltimore City.

As always, follow my eating adventures at @ArlisAppetite on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

 

Brunch at Magdalena Restaurant in the Ivy Hotel

That’s me checking out the Bourbon selection at the bar

The beautiful Magdalena Restaurant inside the equally beautiful Ivy Hotel, is now offering Sunday brunch.  I recently went there with a few blogger friends to check out the new menu. The brunch is a prix fixe menu that costs $39.00 per person and includes non-alcoholic beverages such as coffee, tea and juice.  As an added bonus, it also includes menu items for everyone at the table such as, Smoked Salmon, Assorted Breakfast Pastries and Greek Yogurt Parfait – I think that’s a damn good deal for $40.00.

Smoked Salmon with Bagel Crisps
Breakfast Pastries
Greek Yogurt Parfait

The smoked salmon was phenomenal! It was topped with caper relish and chopped hard-boiled eggs. The assorted pastries were fresh and the yogurt parfait was delicious.  I loved having three options as my starter before the brunch entrée.

Duck Confit & Cheddar Waffle
Shrimp and Grits
Fuji Apple Waffle
Glazed Maryland Crab Omelet

I ordered the Duck Confit & Cheddar Waffle and it was served with Sautéed Plums and Cherry Compound Butter.  I love how they added a cheddar waffle, making my entrée savory and not too sweet.  As you can see, the cut of duck was pretty big, so big I almost didn’t finish it.  I didn’t taste any of the other entrees pictured above but everyone else said they loved their brunch.  I was eyeing that Glazed Maryland Crab Omelet so I’ll definitely be back for that.

The Blogger Brunch Crew pictured here with Chef Catina Smith

One of the private dining rooms at the hotel/restaurant.

Other brunch options included but not pictured were Country Ham Eggs Benedict, Roasted Vegetable, Basil & Pecorino Quiche and a Classic Croque Madame.  We didn’t order cocktails but they are available to order at the regular price. This is definitely a nice brunch option if you’re looking for something in Mount Vernon, Baltimore or Downtown Baltimore.  Just think, during the spring/summer months you can sit out in the courtyard and take photos in your Sunday’s best.

Be sure to follow my foodie and cocktail adventures on social media …  

@ArlisAppetite on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

 

Brunch at Spoons Café in Federal Hill

My favorite brunch buddy and I are up early on Sunday morning, I mean early like 8:00 am.  We’re ready to eat early too but most of the restaurants we frequent don’t open until 10:00 or 11:00 am.   Last Sunday, however, my friend wanted grits and I told her that I had the best cheesy grits at Spoons Café in Federal Hill, Baltimore.  We googled the hours and luckily they open at 8:00 am. We arrived at Spoons around 8:45 and half of the restaurant seating was already occupied. The hostess sat us quickly towards the rear of the restaurant at a two-seat table adjacent to the kitchen.  Spoons is a quaint restaurant space that looks like it could have been a house converted into a restaurant.

My friend and I order a carafe of Apple Cider Mimosas because it’s October and that means you drink apple cider.  That was my first time trying that flavor mimosa and I was impressed. I ‘d never thought to mix apple cider with champagne, but it was a fresh Fall take on the original mimosas. We scanned the menu and decided on The Beast, Fried Oysters and Grits, Deep-Fried Stuffed French Toast and the 2-2-2 (Two Eggs, Meat of your choice and French Toast or Pancakes).  I know, I know… we’re greedy.

The Beast
Fried Oysters and Grits
Deep-Fried Stuffed French Toast
Poached Eggs, French Toast and Scrapple

The Beast sandwich is — well you guessed it — A Beast. It’s a biscuit sandwich with buttermilk fried chicken, fried egg, smoked bacon, American cheese topped with sausage gravy.  Even though the menu describes it as a sandwich it’s not meant to be handheld, you have to eat this with a fork and knife.  In addition to the chicken and bacon, the sausage gravy added another meat element. The chicken was a tender cut, seasoned well and the biscuit was moist.  The Fried Oysters and Grits were my favorite. The oysters had a crispy, seasoned, thick batter on them, what you would call chicken-fried,  and the oyster inside was soft and fresh. The grits at Spoons are always great, even when I get them as a side with cheese, they are thick like grits should be. It also had an oyster sauce that was the consistency of soup and paired well with the oyster/seafood grits dish.  The Deep-Fried Stuffed French Toast was just light and flaky on the outside and stuffed with warm sweet cream on the inside, it’s the perfect portion to share.

Spoons is a great neighborhood restaurant with tasty food and great service. It’s the type of place you bring family that’s visiting from out of town, they’d love it.  They have beer and lunch options also. And because it’s in the heart of Federal Hill, you may want to stop at one of the nearby bars after brunch.

And always follow my foodie and cocktail adventures on social media …  

  

 

Night Brunch at Modern Cook Shop

Brunch is definitely my favorite meal on the weekends.  I get to sleep in late and wake with the anticipation that breakfast food and mimosas are on the horizon.  Even though it’s the highlight of my weekend, I can’t always make it to brunch because like most people I have errands to run and obligations to fulfill.  Scrolling through Instagram I was super excited to see a post from Baltimore entrepreneur, Jason Bass , about a new Night Brunch series he was hosting with Martell Cognac at Modern Cook Shop.   I thought this was a great concept for those who aren’t able to enjoy brunch on the weekends and for those who want something different to do on a weeknight.  Modern Cook Shop, per their website, is a “restaurant, market and bar, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

Me + Mimosa

I made reservations on Open Table for the event because it was strongly suggested and  I’ve never been to Modern Cook Shop so I didn’t really know what the set-up would be.  When I arrived to the event the hostess and staff were very friendly and accommodating.  My friend was already there waiting for me so they showed me to my table.  I must say, Martell sure knows how to brand their events! The long tables were set with large bottles of Martell, menus and the signature Martell blue pillows. The price of brunch was $40.00 plus tax and gratuity and that included bottomless mimosas and one entrée item.  The menu had 13 entrée items and that I definitely liked because I love variety.  The options included Blueberry Waffles, Traditional Two Eggs any style with a side of meat, Breakfast Sandwich, Omelet, Peach Cobbler Scrapple, Corn Cakes, Breakfast Scramble, Corned Beef Hash, MCS Burger, Cuban Sandwich and Chicken & Biscuits.  In addition to the fixed entrees, there was another menu with A la Carte items that included small salads, toasts, side items and Martell specialty cocktails from the bar.

Chicken, Biscuits and Gravy
Breakfast Scramble
Ricotta & Jam Toast

I ordered the Chicken and Biscuits, my friend ordered the Breakfast Scramble and we both wanted something savory so we ordered the Ricotta & Jam Toast.  Normally with breakfast chicken and biscuits I’ve seen it served with a sausage gravy, but this brown gravy was a pleasant delicious change.  The Ricotta toast I also liked because it was made with rye toast. The house made ricotta was perfectly soft but I do wish the jam was a bit sweeter. I sat next to the kitchen o I got to snap photos of other menu items as they were coming out.

House made scrapple over rye bread with soft egg
Breakfast Sandwich
Two eggs any style
Open Faced Cuban Sandwich

In addition to brunch and booze the event also included beats by DJ Impulse – it was essentially a brunch party with music and I must say I had a nice time.  I used to be able to party into the wee hours on the weekday but not anymore and at the Night Brunch I got to eat, drink, two-step and socialize all by 10:00 pm.  It was a mature crowd and there were some very attractive men at this event, OooKaaayy.! (insert emoji eyes).

And always follow my foodie and cocktail adventures on social media …  

  

 

 

 

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