Blizzard Home Brunch with help from S&S, Cambridge, MA

Last weekend, right after Xmas, there was a pretty strong blizzard messing up Brunch plans for all Brunchers in the Northeast. That's why Ani and I decided to stay home and prepare our own, with a little help. We did not feel like anything too heavy, so we did away with the Eggs, and decided that it was a Bagel and Lox kind of day. So, off I ran to S&S, through the snow, mind you, to get our fix and bring home the bounty. S&S is an Inman Sq. institution. Although we go there often enough, there has not been a posting in this blog about this establishment (although we have posted some thoughts on its sister restaurant, Ryles). That is why I won't go into the details of describing S&S (or its menu) thoroughly. I'll save that for a future posting. Let it just be said that S&S is THE jewish deli in Cambridge and probably in the whole of Boston (some people claim they have some competition from Zaftigs in Coolidge Corner). This is the place to go to get Lox and Bagels.

Armed with a healthy portion of fish and two Bagels (one sesame, one everything) I went back home, where freshly brewed hawaiian coffee, OJ and warm scones (courtesy of our friend Jenni) were waiting for me. Fortunately, we also had some home made cranberry jam, a project of Ani's that put to good use the fresh berries  that came with our box of vegetables from our CSA. All in all, it was a great experience and a fun way to stay warm and away from the snow, while not giving up our Brunch rights.

Orinoco Restaurant, Boston, MA

By now, you may have realized Diego and I live in the Boston area. So, if you know anything about the culinary world around here you might be wondering how can we have a brunch blog and never blogged about any South End spots....

We did most of that area before starting the blog and, trying not to repeat places, we hadn't been back in a while.

That changed this weekend, when we brunched at Orinoco, a cozy Venezuelan restaurant located in Boston's South End, with great atmosphere, delicious passion fruit -panchita- juices and filling arepas.

The menu is mostly comprised of small plates; empanadas, fried sweet plantains, bacon-wrapped dates, seven different types of savory arepas, and two sweet arepas (banana and berries). There are also bigger plates, like salads -although we didn't try them, so I don't know how "big" they actually are- a pork sandwich and several breakfast plates.

I ordered just an arepa (a grilled corn pocket sandwich) with stewed

shredded beef, called arepa Mechada. First, let me say that the sauce was absolutely delicious; tomato-based and slightly sweet, complemented the tender meat perfectly. Second, the arepas come as they are -no garnishes or side

dishes; a 3in. corn dough with about four tablespoons of filling. Ex-post, I know that would have been enough for me (a petite woman), but ex-ante, I had to order something else for the meal to feel complete. I went with the fried green plantains, one of my all-time favorite caribbean dishes and a great option at Orinoco; without sugar added and at the right point exactly before getting crispy.

Diego, also thinking that one arepa would not be enough went even further and ordered the Resuelto breakfast plate. It was basically a "deconstructed" Mechada (meat on the plate and arepa on the side), with tomato and fried onion scrambled eggs, and black beans. A powerful dish aimed to feed any Latin macho. As such, Diego finished it all helped with many cups of coffee and a passion fruit juice.

I also had a passion fruit-based beverage: a passion fruit mimosa that arrived at the table at the same time we were finishing the meal(!), as if it were an aperitif, rather than an actual drink. But it was so amazingly delicious that I didn't say zilch and I zipped it as dessert.

All in all, Orinoco was a great discovery. It felt very authentic and the food tasted and looked really homemade. In addition, we got there exactly before the place started getting crowded. There were three of us (Pablo, the third bruncher had the berries sweet arepas) and we could choose between a small table and a booth. A couple of minutes later it would have been no longer the case. However, I was checking the waiting line the whole time and I don't think anyone waited for more than 10 minutes (there are not that many tables; just enough to fit the crowd) a clear plus when looking for a relaxed place to brunch.

The Gazebo Restaurant, Maui, Hawaii

Yes, you read it correctly. We are in Hawaii. And it's Sunday... Actually, we weren't planning on having brunch; lunch plates are more the style around here. We were looking for a casual light lunch on the beaches near Kapalua and we discovered The Gazebo, an out-the-way "beach dinner" with award-winning omelets.

Let me first say that the view was absolutely stunning. Diego complained about our table a little bit at the beginning -by the window, with amazing views of Napili bay- but then he changed seats (on the same table) and saw this

and found his cool.

This was only momentaneous, though. His food choice was as uncool as his initial mood... Instead of going for the obvious option -the gazebo eggs Benedict!-, he ordered a tuna sandwich. He said he thought it would be a grilled tuna sandwich.... But we were in a dinner!!! so a tuna salad sandwich was brought to the table. As with the view, he was initially unhappy, but then admitted that the sandwich tasted quite good, and that it was more beach-compatible than any other item in the menu. To drink, he ordered a POG -passion fruit, orange and guava- juice. Super refreshing and delicious.

By now you must be wondering whether we may have expanded our idea of brunch to tuna sandwiches just to say we went to Hawaii...

We didn't. I did have eggs -should we say at least one person in the table has to order eggs to be considered brunch I'll have to check all the previous postings to be certain of this...- I had the chicken and basil (and tomato) omelett, topped with Jack cheese and accompanied with home fries and four heavily buttered toasts. The omelett was cooked to my taste - not runny- but the chicken was a bit bland. The basil's flavor helped it significantly, however, and I ended up devouring three quarters of it. The home fries were on the hashy side, but quite decent. Treasoning my brunch principles (diego's fault), I also went with the POG and passed the coffee. So, was this the perfect brunch? Certainly not. Was this the perfect setting? You bet!

Brunch in Cambridge at Brookline Lunch, Cambridge, MA

Say you are in Cambridge, MA and Saturday sneaks up on you. You decide you've had a long enough week and it is time to forget about the uninteresting details of everyday life and concentrate on the important things. You decide you want to go out for Brunch. Cambridge? Brunch? Where do you go? Brookline Lunch???????????????? You bet!

Ok, I agree it is a confusing name for a Brunch spot in Cambridge. The fact it is called Brookline has nothing to do with the neighboring town, but with the address of this establishment on Brookline St. (by the way, this is the first time since Ani and I are writing this blog that we come across an establishment with no official web site! In any case, here's a link to a Yelp! page with all the necessary info). Lunch, I don't understand. Maybe they thought lunch would be their thing when they opened this place. Maybe people do go for lunch. Maybe it hints at the fact that prices are more lunch like than dinner like... Whatever the reason you should not be discouraged and consider this hidden gem as an option for the Mother of All Meals when in Central Square.

Brookline Lunch is located in a little rundown building just off Mass Ave. The decor is eclectic and dominated by exposed brick walls and old artifacts/toys that might have been forgotten and left there by previous tenants 60 years ago. Tables are old and a little bit unstable. Still, the whole atmosphere is mostly dominated by pieces of art borrowed from Out of the Blue Art Gallery, which is located not far, on Prospect St. I believe this establishment was closed for repairs for a while (can't tell what was it that needed to be fixed) last year, but it is now back in business full blast.

Now, one of the main features of this place is that it is clearly inexpensive. Don't expect fancy cutlery or table centerpieces. On the other hand, affordability lures in a pretty interesting and heterogeneous crowd ranging from hungry grad students to starving poets and artists. The establishment has a family-owned-and-run feel and everything is cooked to order. The menu is dominated by egg-based food divided by categories: Egg breakfast sandwiches, Benedicts, Eggs+ (like Eggs + Bacon) and Pancakes with Eggs (yeah, pancakes are considered egg based food). As always I decided to give the Eggs Benedict a try. The main reason I was attracted to this option is that they offer a wide variety of Benedict-like dishes, where different ingredients take the place of the thick cut ham. I went with the Bacon Benedict. It was really tasty, I have to say. Eggs were perfectly cooked and the home fries (of which I'll say more in a second) were perfect. The only complaint is that bacon was a little scarce. It is obvious to me - and we can put it up for vote - that two strips of bacon are needed per English Muffin. At Brookline you'll get one. Of course, you can't complain about value, even with the one strip per muffin situation. Ani, on the other hand, went with the Ham and Cheese Egg Sandwich. It had a great home-made look (and taste!). As with all dishes, home fries accompanied the sandwich in style. These home fries are something else, I'll tell you that. Crispy on the outside and soft inside, mixed with all sorts of vegetables, from large pieces of green peppers to broccoli, they are a great side to any dish and great way to jump start your weekend. One more thing: do not forget to ask your server for the home made hot sauce - it goes great with the potatoes.

All in all, this is a great option for a low key Brunch experience in Cambridge, where sometimes it gets steep to have a good meal. We will certainly be back.