Baltimore 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 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.

 

 

 

Owl Drink To That: Brunch at The Owl Bar

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The Owl Bar ( 1 E. Chase Street) in The Belvedere Hotel is one of Mt. Vernon’s precious gems. This hotel has history! Along the entry walls leading to the first floor restaurant are old black and white photos of celebrities that have visited the hotel. What once was a hotel is now luxury condos, two restaurants and banquet and event space. I’ve visited The Belvedere Hotel many times before, mostly when they had a lounge nightclub on the top floor, but that space is now an upscale restaurant with panoramic views overlooking downtown Baltimore.

I recently visited The Owl Bar with three friends on a Sunday afternoon.  We got there around noon and we pretty much had the place to ourselves for a while.  There were maybe two other tables occupied.  We sat at the bar and ordered the bottomless mimosas for $15.00.  I’ve said it before, I like sitting at the bar for bottomless because it’s easy for the bartender to see that your glass is empty and fill it back up. I really like the decor at The Owl Bar because it has the historic feel of the original hotel but with a modern twist.  With a name like “Owl Bar” of course there is owl memorabilia like stain-glass windows and owl mugs, photos and figurines. They also have a collection of superhero mugs that I notice get requested and used  a lot. Cool lighting fixtures and fabric upholstery add to the updated modern appearance.

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If mimosas aren’t your think they have a serious Bloody Mary Bar with the fixings.

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The brunch menu includes your traditional breakfast items: Omelette, Fritata, Two Eggs Any Style, Eggs Benedict, Quesadilla and Pancakes.  The menu also features fresh brick oven pizzas, The Owl Burger, Cobb Salad and Crab Dip.  They used to offer the best Chicken and Waffle option in town, but they took it off the menu … I guess it wasn’t a popular item. I’ve had just about everything on the menu except the omelette so I ordered that this go round.  I didn’t prefer the omelette because I like my omelette ingredients cooked together. The eggs and the ingredients were cooked separately and the ingredients were put on the egg and it was folded over.

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Owl Bar Omelette

My friend ordered my favorite, the Breakfast Quesadilla with bacon, potatoes and cheddar cheese inside and it’s served with salsa and pico de gallo. I’ve ordered it so many times because I like it and I’ve started making my own at home.

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Breakfast Quesadilla
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Home Fried Potatoes
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Cobb Salad
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Owl Burger, Cobb Salad, Pancakes & Bacon

My other friends ordered the Owl Burger and the Pancakes with a side of bacon.  We also ordered the Cobb Salad to share. The pancakes were light and fluffy.  The cut of bacon they use is always great it’s not too thin.  The Owl Burger is a house blend of chuck, short rib, brisket and it was tasty! If you like meat, you’ll like this burger. The Cobb Salad is always our go-to shareable item because it features the perfect portion mix of the ingredients and we love the dressing.

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Owl Burger, Brioche French Toast and Nawlins Skillet
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Lil’ ol’ me leaving brunch reminiscing about the great mimosas

Be sure to follow my foodie and cocktail adventures on Instagram.com/Arlisappetite and twitter.com/ArliBaby.

 

Bottomless Brunch at Cava Mezze

If you mention the word “Bottomless” to me I get excited, especially if you are speaking about food or drink. I’ve recently heard some buzz about Cava Mezze (1302 Fleet Street), a fairly new restaurant in Harbor East, Baltimore. The main thing I heard about was their .1 bottomless mimosas…yes one cent! This Sunday I went there with my best friend to check it out.

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The weekend bottomless brunch is from 11:00 am – 3:30 pm, so we knew we had to get there extra early or a little late to beat the crowd. As my best friend and I pulled up to the restaurant around 2:00 pm,  we noticed there was a small crowd of seven people outside. Inside all tables and booths were occupied.  I overheard the host ask a party of five if they had reservations and there would be a 30-40 minute wait. Because it was just us two, the friendly host advised us that there was seating space at the bar. We actually prefer the bar seating because you get better service and a faster return on your requests because the bartender is in eyeshot. If you are coming with a party of three or more, I would suggest making reservations.

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We went to the bar and was greeted by a the bartender, he began to tell us the deal with the bottomless brunch and mimosas.  The brunch is a $30.00 flat fee and it’s all you can eat, you can choose whatever you want from a menu of 21 items. The items are served on small plates in smaller portions, perfect for sharing. The mimosas are .1 if you purchase the brunch option and they are also bottomless. If you don’t want the all-you-can-eat brunch,  the mimosas are $5.00 each. They also offer $2.00 Bloody Mary or Sangria with the bottomless brunch option.  I ordered an orange juice mimosa and my best friend ordered a grapefruit juice mimosa.

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We chatted with two young ladies sitting beside us at the bar and they had already ordered six items and gave us their suggestions.  Needless to say we went to town with out brunch choices…

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MINI CAVA BREAKFAST – fried egg, potato hash and bacon
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BREAKFAST BURRITO – chicken sage sausage, eggs, feta, tomato, onion, harissa topped with Greek yogurt
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SALMON BENNIE – hickory smoked, dill, hollandaise and capers
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CHICKEN SAGE SAUSAGE- house made chicken sausage and sage
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GRILLED CHEESE- tomato, aged barrel feta, oregano and olive oil
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NUTELLA WAFFLE- walnuts, nutella, bananas and cream
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SKILLET CAKE – pancakes with chocolate chips, powdered sugar and whipped cream
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VILLAGE FRITATTA- spinach, egg, feta, leeks and green onion
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FRENCH TOAST- thick cut challah, honey, berries and cream
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BANANAS FRITTERS – honey, walnuts and powdered sugar
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CRISPY PORK BELLY- Berkshire pork, thyme and honey

The food came out really fast, maybe 10 minutes after we ordered it. I would suggest ordering items in sets of three or four because it can get cold fast if you aren’t eating it right away.

Everything that we ordered was delicious.  I especially liked the meats and the sweets.   The chicken sausage with sage was so good that we ordered another serving.  The bacon that came with the Mini Cava Breakfast was think and filling. The Crispy Pork Belly was excellent and the honey added a sweetness to the savory pork. All of the sweet items were great. The Banana Fritters were my favorite, they remind me of the apple fritters my grandmother makes and my best friend especially liked the Nutella Waffle.

This restaurant atmosphere was chill and relaxing, letting all the light come in from the large open windows at the front.  They played 90’s music and kept the mimosas coming.  When the weather breaks I know this will be a popular brunch location in Harbor East.

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Have you been to the Bottomless Brunch at Cava Mezze? What did you think?

Be sure to follow my foodie and cocktail adventures on Instagram.com/Arlisappetite and twitter.com/ArliBaby.

Brunch at Barcocina

Brunch is hands down my favorite meal of the day. If you invite me to brunch, chances are I’ll say “Yes” every single time.  I especially love restaurant menus that experiment with flavors and cultures from around the world. Recently I visited Barcocina (1629 Thames Street, Fells Point), a Mexican-inspired restaurant with a unique food sharing concept.

On this particular Sunday, my best friend and I decided to sit outside and enjoy the weather. Barcocina is in a prime location in Fells Point. It’s on the water with views of the harbor, tourists and all the weekend aquatic activities.  Looking over the menu I noticed the different options for the Mexican-inspired items. There were six guacamole options, three salsa options and eight taco options. Some were very unique because I would never think to mix the ingredients.  There was an “Eggs and Bacon” guacamole, and a “Reuben” taco that caught my eye, but I had a taste for the traditional American breakfast items.  The traditional breakfast items also had a Mexican-inspired flair We ordered the Breakfast Quesadillas, Huevos Rancheros, Butternut Squash Enchiladas and the Maple Pancake Sliders.

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Breakfast Quesadillas
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Huevos Rancheros
Maple Sausage Pancake Sliders

 

Butternut Squash Enchilada

 

The breakfast quesadillas were delicious.  They were made with smoked cheddar eggs and crumbled pepper bacon and topped with sweet corn salsa and a sour cream drizzle.  The huevos rancheros was good, my best friend liked them but my only suggestion would be to add more of the citrus sour cream. My favorite were the Maple Sausage Pancake Sliders, it was prepared like a McDonald’s McGriddle but better. The Butternut Squash Enchilada was flavorful with fresh ingredients.   We also ordered Jalapeno Skillet Cornbread and the Skillet Potatoes.

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The cornbread was excellent!!! That was the first time I’d tasted spicy cornbread.  I’m used to my cornbread being savory and sweet, but I liked the spicy kick.  We devoured that skillet and wished it was a little larger because we both wanted more.

Barcocina’s Brunch also offers $10.00 Bottomless Mimosas and $12.00 Bottomless Bloody Maria’s or Bloody Mary’s. If you are looking for a chill outdoor or indoor dining experience, visit Barcocina…you won’t be disappointed.

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

  

 

 

Cap’n Crunch French Toast

Two all-star breakfast favorites join forces to make one awesome meal and leaves you wondering … Why didn’t I think of that?

My recent visit to Blue Moon Café (1621 Aliceanna St. Baltimore, MD ) was my second trip there.  The first time I visited was a few years ago with a few co-workers, back in my “late-night/early-morning” bartending days.  The restaurant is open 24 hours on the weekend, so that makes for a great grub after the club.   I don’t remember the food I ate, but I do remember the place being a very small and kitschy restaurant in Fells Point.  My second time around I was on a mission to taste their famous Cap’n Crunch French Toast.  I have many mention it on social media and I know a few people who’ve visited and raved about it.

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I am officially one of the ravers because this French Toast is awesome!  The Cap’n Crunch isn’t added in the batter mixture because that would be a little nasty, instead The Cap’n Crunch is encrusted on the outside of the French Toast giving it a savory crunchy topping.  The bread is soft on the inside and gives the firm outside a nice balance.  It’s not as sweet as I originally thought it would be, but I could still taste the flavor of the Cap’n Crunch cereal.

If I can remember correctly, the cost of the French Toast is $7.99 and it comes with fresh fruit, whipped cream, and powdered sugar…not bad for two heavenly pieces of delicious carbohydrates.  The only downfall with this breakfast is Blue Moon Café doesn’t serve hot syrup 🙁 forgive me but I like my breakfast breads dripping in hot syrup. I asked the waitress why and she said something about “safety…hazard…hot liquids”  –  O.K. I get it.  Surprisingly without the hot syrup, I enjoyed my French Toast very much.  I’m starting to think that’s the idea…serve the toast with little distractions and lots of flavor.

 

 

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