Foundry on Elm, Somerville, MA

Let me start this blog already with its punchline: "This is the perfect brunch in a non-brunch spot" [Diego's dixit]. The non-brunch spot in that quote is Foundry on Elm, Somerville's newest addition to Davis Square long list of bars. It is gastropub with cool decor, great food, an inventive cocktails and drinks menu and -as featured in their page- nine huge TVs, including one in each bathroom.

We went very late on a Sunday, so we were seated immediately and we could even choose between a couple of tables. I do not know how long one might have to wait during "regular brunch hours", but the space is very large and seating does not seem to be a problem. In particular, large parties seem to be accommodated with relative easiness.

For a long time we tried to find the quintessential brunch cocktails -Bloddy Mary and mimosa-listed under their really long drinks menu, to no avail. But when Diego asked if they had Bloody Marys, our server nodded as it if it had always been obvious that they did. She brought a particularly tasteful and well-spiced large BM. I had orange juice which tasted better than any other non-freshly squeezed OJ I've ever had. Almost like Tropicana with sugar added. Right after ordering the drinks, a pastry basket was brought to the table.It came with five medium-sized raisin scones that were absolutely delicious; sprinkled with a little bit of sugar and with pieces of orange peel inside, we had to brace ourselves not to eat them all.

As with any new place, Diego ordered eggs Benedict.

They didn't look great, but he said they tasted really good. I had the Croque Madame sandwich, a plate-sized fried toast of ham, cheese and egg deliciousness. Both Diego and I agreed that the Neuske ham was crazy good. It was thickly cut, and had a hint of smokiness. We also agreed that the homefries were quite good, although they could have used more salt and better seasoning.

One doubt we could never address was whether the coffee had free refills or not. Initially it came in a very pretty white cup, and we took that to be a sign of no refills. In addition, we never saw any server carrying coffee pots. And, when Diego ordered a second cup it never came. At that point we decided we would leave the mystery open and give us a good excuse to come back to have a perfect brunch in a non-brunch spot.

The Neighborhood Restaurant, Somerville, MA

The Neighborhood Restaurant, in Union Square is probably the best brunch setting in the Boston Area for the summer months. It has a grapevine-covered patio that allows subtle rays of sun to warm you while keeping the heat away. The waiting line reflects this. On a hot July day I waited for an hour an a half to get a table and then an additional 45 minutes for the food to arrive. Of course, this is not all about the patio. The food is excellent, the portions very generous and the prices unbeatable. This is the reason why on a cold January Sunday we also had to wait -outside- for a table (I think there were about 4 parties ahead of us, but some of them left before being called, so we "jumped the queue" a little bit). In order to make the wait more tolerable, regardless of the season they take out a coffee dispenser and a tray with freshly baked muffin pieces.

Once inside -or in the patio- one is presented with a fairly long menu in which all the possible combination of eggs (any style), bacon, french toast, toast, bagels, Belgian waffles, Portuguese sausage (it is owned by a family of Portuguese origin, in a Portugues/Brazilian neighborhood), omelets (all types), ham, homefries and pancakes are available. All the plates come with a small glass of orange juice, unlimited coffee, some pastry and an option between fresh fruit or cream of wheat. Because of the weather, this time they were offering baked apples instead of fruit salad. The three of us (we were with Sepu, Diego's best friend) went with the apple -which was as good as the ones Diego bakes!- but the cream of wheat always seems to be very popular amongst other tables. From the moment we stepped in I had my eyes on the chocolate brownie, but instead, we got a cranberry muffin as baked good. Don't get me wrong; all the pastries are amazing. And they are baked on-site, so we were happy to get a fresh batch of muffins instead of waiting who knows how long until more brownies were ready.

In any case, the plates are so big that most likely you will eat the pastry just because it's a pity to leave something so yummy and fresh on the table, not out of hunger... So, what did we order? I had #2: three eggs (over easy for me, but you can have them anyway you like), toasts and homefries. There are few things I love more than breaking the yolk with a crispy piece of bread, and this is what I did thee times! The toasts had too much butter on them so it was not as perfect as it could have been, but still really good -and rich and heavy-. The homefries were also great; sauteed with onions and green peppers they were crispy where they touch the pan but soft for the most part. Diego and I have been to the Neighborhood Restaurant several times and we both agreed this time the homefries where particularly tasty.

Diego's dish came in two (huge) plates. One very similar to mine: two eggs over easy, homefries and a thick piece of ham. I don't know if he was talking about this particular one, but it certainly reminded him of something good when he said "the U.S. is where I've had the best cooked hams in the world". Quite a compliment, right? The second part of Diego's dish was a ridiculously large Belgian waffle (about 8in) topped with strawberries, kiwis, bananas and whipped cream. It also came with a side of butter, in case all this was not enough! He did not use the butter, but he did pour a substantial amount of syrup...

Sepu said you could only have this much food in two occasions: when it's very cold and your body actually needs all those calories or if you are planning on skipping lunch and working out during the day. So, brave the weather and go to the Neighborhood Restaurant! You won't be disappointed. And during the summer... just go early before starting a day of sightseeing with out-of-towners, or have one of their healthier options (egg whites omelets, veggie scrambles), or simply share (for $3) one of the regular plates.

Is this the perfect brunch? If they start serving lox and bagel, they very well might be...

Empire garden, Boston MA

This weekend we went for dim-sum to Empire Garden (no webpage). Is dim-sum the Chinese response to brunch? Well, Diego has been promising to write a theoretical post about this for a while.... In my opinion , dim sum fulfills the same social function that brunch does. It is an activity you do with family or friends (it's almost impossible to eat a variety of plates by oneself), usually on a Sunday noon, and the meal in both cases is greasy enough to cure any hangover. Granted, dim sum is not known for its cocktails, or its eggs (although some dishes have them) or its relaxed atmosphere. But if you want a different experience with the same "social" connotations, head to your closer Chinatown and enjoy.

Diego and I are lucky to live near Boston's Chinatown, really well known by its dim-sum joints. As most dim sum places, Empire Garden's is set in a huge hall (say for a 500-person reception) crowded with tables and crazy carts carrying dumplings, sticky rice, buns, and many types of mystery meats in mystery doughs. The carts (maneuvered mostly by non-English speaking women) approach the tables and one is supposed to a) guess what is being offered; b) try to communicate to the cart "driver" any questions you may have and c) finally decide whether you want it or not.

Unlike most dim sum places, Empire Garden's decor is that of an old theatre/opera house, with grand arches, golden dragons and frescoes-like paintings staring at you from the ceiling. It's quite an interesting atmosphere. In addition, the carts are privately owned. In most other places, carts come from a single kitchen -the restaurant's-, but here the arrangement is more that of a centrally-managed food court. This means that the cart drivers are very aggressive. We hadn't finished settling on our table, when a woman rushed to us carrying short ribs in one hand and something that looked like fried calamari or octopus. We went with the ribs.

So, let me tell you about the food. We are not very adventurous -bah, Diego is, I'm not- so we usually end up ordering stuff we already know about, or have previously tried, or we can easily recognize. After the ribs I plunged over some pork buns, my all-time Asian delight favorite. Barbecued shredded pork in a sticky white dough, I ate two of the three that came in the bamboo steamer and would have kept eating just those if Diego hadn't been eager to have more variety. Thus, we moved to shumai -pork dumplings- that tasted better than they looked. We decided to have one more item: noodles. No matter how desperate we looked, we couldn't get any noodle carts to approach our table. We even took matters into our hands and walked around the hall asking the different carts what they were carrying. No sign of the noodles -which we had seen on some tables-. Finally, we had a revelation. Was it possible that, besides the carts, food could be ordered "a la carte"? Empire Garden has no carte, but more sophisticated dishes can be ordered from an invisible menu. We had the chicken crispy noodles, which came with a terribly bland sauce I had a hard time swallowing. I ate the dry crispy sides while Diego ate the rest. He finally agreed that, although he was happy with the food it was blander than some other dim sums we've tried.

So, Empire Garden may not have the tastier food in the neighborhood, but the ambiance is unbeatable. And, while dim sum is definitely not the perfect brunch, it is great to go for it at least every once in a while if any, to change your weekend routine.