Henrietta's Table, Cambridge, MA

Last week the The Quest for the Perfect Brunch turned one year old. And we wanted to celebrate in style. Where else could we go than to Henrietta's Table, the mother of all brunches in the metro-Boston area????
Henrietta's has been awarded "Best brunch in Boston" by the Improper Bostonian for the past 10 years. And rightly so. The all-you-can-eat buffet is decadent and fresh, covering a raw bar (all-you-can eat oysters!, shrimps, smoked salmon and gravlax); a grilled vegetable and salad station; a nice variety of local and imported cheeses, terrines and pates; pastries; several hot plates (including eggs Benedict, pasta, fish, chicken and beef), made-to-order omelets and a luscious dessert table.

You can have as much as you want of any of this, plus unlimited

OJ and coffee for the not so moderate amount of $45. The secret

is to skip dinner the night before and the night after and pack up three meals in one! We ate so much that we couldn't even think of eating anything else for the rest of the day. Not only did we have our favorites ---Diego had one egg Benedict (now he is complaining he should have had more!) and I indulged in at least one quarter pound of lox on a bagel with scallion cream cheese--- but we also tried steak, goat cheese and mushroom pasta, waffles, pates, potato and caesar salads, peach cobbler cheesecake, and countless of other things.

Henrietta's also has a very interesting and complete menu of cocktails and wines. But, as much as we would have enjoyed a Bloody Mary or a Strawberry Rhubarb Martini we had to keep our budget under control... Maybe next year if, when we celebrate the second anniversary, we are also celebrating a higher income! In any case, the free flowing coffee (a bit on the light side if you like strong roasts) and OJ kept us hydrated throughout.

It is not only that the food is tasty, fresh and

made from local and organic ingredients. The ambiance of the restaurant is that of a sun-filled New England farm, relaxed but elegant. The servers are quick, efficient, unintrusive and very friendly. And, with so much food around you can sit back and enjoy a paced, quiet and long meal without being rushed out or bothered by endless churn.

And there's always the casual celebrity sighting...this time we had Rene Russo brunching a few tables from us.

So, is this the perfect brunch? Well if it's not, it comes in pretty close. They have everybody's

favorites and then some. And they even have outdoor seating (although this last weekend with the record heat wave, outside seating was a big no-no!) and a relaxing atmosphere. Who said money doesn't solve it all? Unless, of course, you are on a budget..., or your brunch favs are pancakes (I guess it is just impossible to make them to order and get them right each time), or like your bennys straight out of the kitchen, or you don't live in MA...

The quest lives on!

Extra Virgin, New York, NY

Last weekend we found ourselves in NYC, the brunch capital of the world. Of course, we were not about to miss a great opportunity to explore another great spot (after our Friday escapade to Clinton Street Baking Co.) and meet up with friends. Therefore, we decided to go to a place that had been recommended to us by several NYC locals. Our Saturday destination was Extra Virgin. We called up our NYC based friend Luciano and headed towards the West Village.

We arrived quite early, 20 minutes before noon, but still all outside seating was taken. It was really a shame, as this is actually the highlight of this establishment. It is a place to see and be seen (as we were leaving, we saw Liv Tyler having brunch in the restaurant next door....Maybe that is the real place to see and be seen.... :) ). Having expected this situation, we were very happy that it was not to crowded inside and talked to the hostess about a table for three. Even though she did not seem busy at all, it took her around 10 minutes to pay us some attention and actually take us to a table.

Once we sat down we ordered coffee and OJ and went through the menu. It was pretty varied with all your brunch fundamentals plus some interesting salads and sandwiches. Luciano and I went old school with Eggs Benedict and Ana had some Yogurt and Granola. Although food was tasty, it was nothing to write home about. More notable was the very impersonal attitude we got from the waiters. Also, in more than one occasion, they tried to clean our table and pick up our plates while we were still eating! Bizarre...

Overall, I have to say it was a pleasant experience and the outside sitting is great for a nice summer morning. Having said that, New York is a city where there is no shortage of cool brunch spots, so I am sure you'll have no problems finding another establishment that's as cool and where the attentions is more considerate and the food more memorable.

Clinton Street Baking Co. & Restaurant, New York City, New York

We had been warned. "Last time I was there, I arrived two hours (15 minutes) before opening time, at 6am (8:45am), and even then there was already a waiting list of one and a half hours..." Pablo said. "But", he continued "they were the best pancakes I have ever tried". We thought we would beat the hordes if went to Clinton Street Baking on a Friday instead of during the weekend. We were partially right, since we only waited for 45 minutes. As Pablo had said, the pancakes were pretty amazing. So much so, that they serve them all day long, not just for breakfast.

The pancakes come in three varieties: blueberry (Diego's choice), banana walnut (mine) and chocolate chunk. At first sight they all seem to be the same except for the toppings: A stack of three perfectly fluffy but succulent pancakes with a barely-there -but very important- crust. This, I believe signals that a fresh batch of butter is used for every pancake, and really adds to the pancake-eating experience. As it happens, in between each pancake -specially nearing its center- there is a large spoonful of topping. It is not exactly clear whether this "filling" comes in the batter or is added afterwards. That does not really matter; it is a welcomed surprise to find that filling after the first couple of forkfuls.

Both Diego and I were very happy with our respective

choices. Diego argued that his was best because the blueberry preserve added some moisture to an otherwise dry plate. However, that's not exactly true. Instead of the traditional maple syrup, the pancakes come with a heavenly maple butter. The rich texture accomplishes what most syrups fail to do: adding a little bit of sweetness without feeling that you are pouring caramelized water.

To ease all this down we had iced latte and OJ (Diego), cafe con leche and a sparkling rhubarb-mint lemonade (Ani). The iced latte and lemonade were huge and clearly we did not need as many drinks. However, they were delicious and the lemonade super original. We barely took a sip while eating the pancakes, but we then realized we needed liquid if we didn't want to roll out of the place.

Of course, pancakes are not the only items in the menu. There are different breakfast combinations, french toast, several egg-based plates, granola and potato pancakes. Probably next time's strategy will to share some pancakes and try one of the other fares. We will surely be back.

Sorella's, Brookline, MA

Hi! We took a month off.... After six brunches in May we decided we needed a break! (plus, my parents were here and Diego went to Europe). But, we are back.

Last Saturday we woke up craving pancakes. The day was beautiful so we hop on our bikes and rode to Jamaica Plain. We had our minds set in Sorella's, ranked no. 13 in the list of America's best pancakes. As in every occasion we go to Sorella's, there was some excitement as to whether we would beat the early closing time; sometimes at 1:30pm, sometimes at 2pm.

We made it there with plenty of time to carefully consider each option of the many daily specials.

A blackboard on the floor lists at least four types of special pancakes, and a whiteboard on the wall

describes the omelets of the day. On top of that there is an impressively regular long menu of pancakes, waffles, french toasts, burritos, sandwiches and all kinds of breakfast fare. And we also had time to notice a small sign on our table newly advertising their freshly squeezed orange, grapefruit and carrot juices. Diego had a freshly squeezed OJ (you also have the option to ask for the bottled one) and I order half OJ-half GJ.

I don't think there will be a day when we'll try something from the regular menu.... the specials are always tempting, varied and fun. In addition, you can order them with or without toppings;

usually a mound of whipped cream, fresh fruit and a "twist" (i.e. nutmeg, caramelized cranberries, nuts, etc). The copious toppings, however, are relatively expensive, specially as compared to the inexpensive and abundant plates ($6 for the pancakes/toast/waffle, $3 for the extra topping), so we chose wisely: I ordered mine with it, Diego's without, and we shared.

So, what did we order? Diego had the macadamia nut pancake with banana and raspberry. Because he didn't have any wet toppings, he lusciously poured watered-down syrup on them Someone at a neighboring table brought their own syrup, so clearly this is not the highest point of Sorella's. But the pancakes are light, fluffy and tasty. I had corn bread (oh yeah!) french toast;

two awesome, huge, crisp on the outside, crumbly on the inside slices of no-sugar added cornbread topped with whipped cream (slightly runny for my taste), fresh strawberries and caramelized cranberries. Diego helped with the toppings, but my plate was too large even with Diego's help, and I had to leave some :(.

Sorella's is definitely a great place for brunch. Some outside tables would make it even better, specially for those that, after 50 minutes of biking on a beautiful summer want to sit down, replenish calories and enjoy some of the best pancakes in town.

Morning Glory, South Philly, PA

Morning Glory is what an unpretentious Brunch should be: tasty, hearty and... ketchuppy. We'll get to that...

Ana's parents, Norma and Nestor, were visiting us while they were attending some business in New Jersey, so we decided that, instead of going to NYC for yet another go at the infinite Brunch options there, we would go to Philadelphia and enjoy one of our favorite places in the city of brotherly love. I got behind the wheel of our awful rental car and off we went south on 95, non-stop to South Philly.
Philadelphia is quite an interesting city, that offers many options in different neighborhoods as far as restaurants go. For Brunch we have two favorite places in the city (the other being Sabrina's, which we will review at some point) and both are in South Philly. This is a great area of the city, not only to have Brunch, but also to buy groceries at the Italian Market and have your fix of weird walking down South St.
On to Morning Glory. We were introduced to this establishment by our friends Sid and Anjana who used to live in Philadelphia (and who I suspect will be having brunch with us soon...). The place looks like a slightly rundown (but in style!) diner with a great Philly attitude.
They have a nice patio outside, but it seems they only use it as a waiting area for the long waiting minutes (hours!!??) that can go by between writing your name down in a list and enjoying their great food. In any case, this is not a problem as you can walk down the Italian Market, very close by, if you get bored.

Inside the decor is minimal but to the point: a sign reads "Be nice or leave". So, we had no choice but to be nice and enjoy a great Brunch.
Their menu is heavily influenced by southern diner style comfort food. And that is alright! Their menu features awesome frittatas as well as breakfast pizza (!), eggs any style and sandwiches. Most dishes are accompanied by a homemade biscuit that makes plates even more massive.

Not to be forgotten are the specials, that are always yummy and surprising.

Ana had one of the special frittatas that included potatoes, asparagus and goat cheese. Just perfect. If that was not enough, home fries were included as well as a slice of watermelon. More than enough food to feed two people.
I decided to go for the big prize: home pulled pork sandwich! Just perfect. Cooked to perfection and covered with cheese and... Did I mentioned the Ketchup? Well, this is the real reason why I come to Morning Glory. They have bottles of home made Ketchup in every table. They use old bottles of European beer (yes, what you see in the above picture is Ketchup, not beer!) which makes the sauce look like something they found in an old attic. It is just amazing. There are no words to describe the rich sweet goodness that flows down these brown bottles into your plate. You'll just have to go and sample it yourself.

At this point you are running out of excuses. If you feel like Brunch in Philadelphia, you know where to go.

Gaslight, Boston, MA

After almost a year of wanting to go to the SOWA market, we ended up going on a cloudy Sunday a couple of weeks ago. When planning the day, there was no doubt in our minds that if in SOWA, we had to have brunch at Gaslight. We were afraid of the hour-long waits that inevitably accompany every escapade at any brunch hotspot but, much to our surprise, reservations for brunch could be easily made through OpenTable. We were all set for a great day of vintage shopping, farmers market and, of course, brunch.

Things weren't as easy once there. Despite having a reservation, we were told our table would not be ready for another couple of minutes. We were asked to wait by the bar. The initial fifteen minutes turned into thirty, those thirty into forty-five. I got very upset. And I told so to the maitre d'.

Had we not had an online reservation, they would have taken our phone number and we could have spent those same 45 minutes walking around the Sunday market. Instead, we were stuck

in the very crowded bar area , with plenty of time to compare Gaslight with its excessively similar New York predecessor Pastis. Both places are decorated as neo-French bistros; white tiles, old mirrors, table cloth-type napkins, small round coffee tables. Gaslight even has the same menu layout as Pastis. But, while Pastis is cool, hip and crowded with models from the many agencies around the Meat Packing District, Gaslight is dark, noisy and crowded with baby showers, after-wedding brunches and a few bohemian types.

Complaining to the maitre d' had its effect and we got one of the "good" tables -a booth (only reserved for large parties)- at a bad location: in front of the kitchen and right next to the hallway that ends in the bathrooms. But the other tables are so small and there is so little space in between them, that any booth would beat them. I guess we had more traffic around us, but it was not terrible.

Now to the good news. Our server was great and he immediately put a smile in our faces. The brunch menu was very tempting and both Diego and I found at once what we wanted to order. He had one of the day's specials: lobster eggs Benedict with a bed of spinach. Despite its small size, Diego was happy. He downed it with a Bloody Mary, which was ok but not memorable. For a brunch menu with croque madames, croque monsieurs and seven egg-based plates, I went with an unexpected choice: Caramelized Banana Crepes with almond cream. As with Diego's choice they were also delicious albeit small -more like a dessert than a main, but the dough was perfect and the cream had tiny almond pieces that gave it a really nice texture.

Paying for the meal was also fun: our server brought a

postcard with the check and told us they would mail it to anywhere in the US. We immediately thought of Pablo, our New York-based friend, who had been many times to Pastis with us.

Gaslight is certainly no Pastis, and they have many kinks to work out (i.e. some lox and bagel in the menu!) but we were certainly be back next time we are missing the NYC locale.

The Friendly Toast, Cambridge, MA

Yesterday we went to The Friendly Toast, an incredibly popular spot near MIT. Maybe because there aren't that many shops and stores around campus and, most likely, because the food is delicious and much more student-budget-friendly that the neighboring Blue Room, it draws a crowd from early in in the morning. We got there at 11 am and there was already one hour of wait, with about 50 people waiting outside (from the distance, we even thought there had to be some sort of event going on!), under very cloudy skies. Clearly, all these people were willing to brave the rain for a chance to eat TFT's spongy homemade bread and filling breakfast plates.

We had come here a couple of times before and, even more, Diego had gone to-and blogged about- their New Hampshire sister location. So, we put our names on the list and went for a long walk.

Exactly one hour later we were at the table. Inside, the decor is crazy eclectic. With bright green walls and 1950's posters, wall papers and memorabilia, it is as if you were having brunch at the place of someone with an incipient hoarding disorder. Somehow, it all works together.

The coffee mugs also look like they came out of a 1950's cupboard. They are thermal; two layers of plastic with pastel-colored knitted patterns in between.

As the name suggests, most plates feature some homemade toast. The bread here is awesome. It is light, and fluffy and one slice can pretty much make a meal (for example, Laura -our Argentine friend who joined us during the weekend- had the French Toasts that come plain, without any fruits, or cream, or toppings, but they are perfect just like that). There are several types of bread: whole wheat, cinnamon-raisin, oatmeal, anadama (molasses and coconut), cayenne-cheddar and a rotating special.

In fact, Diego's scramble came with a side of toast, and he asked for the special: the atomic! A base of cayenne-cheddar with with jalapenos, crushed red peppers and all kinds of spiciness. He complained, however, that it was not as hot as it could have been. In any case, it was delicious. Diego's scramble was the "New Hampshire's finest": an egg scramble with locally-made goat cheese, asparagus, scallions and bacon. I tried one of the asparagus and it was crisp and tasty.

As I had had brunch already on Saturday, I ordered a fruit salad (this is what I usually do when I have brunch twice in one weekend) but I couldn't resist having a slice of cayenne-cheddar toast on the side. The fruit salad was fresh and made-to-order. It was brought to the table after all the other plates, and our server excused herself saying that the fruit was being cut as we spoke. It had strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, honey dew, pineapple and grapes. When in season, it also comes with kiwi. It is a great healthy option. And, if you want to add a little bit of fat, it is topped with homemade granola (you can ask it to be on the side), which has pecans and cashews, and it is very lightly drizzled with honey. Spot on.

To top it all off, we had coffee, orange juice and a mango-strawberry smoothy, which was a little acid and could have used a banana (my own fault, as it is made-your-own...), but which was entirely gulped down anyways.

So, is this the perfect brunch? well... we come to The Friendly Toast often, rain or shine, we walk for 25 minutes to get here, then wait in line for almost an hour every time, and we always leave happy... you can figure it out.

Stephi's on Tremont, South End, Boston, MA

 Sometimes, it is about greasy food, colorful waiters and questionable decor... But, sometimes, you just have to play it cool. That was the plan, as we headed towards Stephi's on Tremont, last weekend on a cloudy Saturday morning.

Our friend Laura (who would be brave enough to come with us for another Brunch excursion the very next day) was in town and we were determined to show her what Brunch was about in Beantown. Stephie's had been on our radar (and anyone else's, for that matter) for a while so we decided it would be a great opportunity to take pride in the great Brunching scene the South End has to offer.
The absolute pinnacle of coolness on a Saturday morning is sitting in one of the very few outside tables Stephie's has to offer. Of course, managing to get on of those tables is a formidable feat comparable with dealing with the maitre d' at their cousin establishment Stephanie's on Newbury. However, the weather was certainly less than perfect and we were happy to sit inside, close to one of their large windows. Our people watching hunger was therefore satisfied and we could concentrate on food (and drinks!).

As usual, I decided to go for the Bloody Mary. I have to say I was very satisfied. It was very well spiced, contained the right amount of alcohol and was abundant. The celery was fresh and it was very tasty overall. A great way to kick off your weekend. More noteworthy was Ani's choice. Get a hold of this. "The Executive Mimosa": Champagne, Grey Goose l'Orange Vodka, Cointreau and Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice on the Rocks! Oh, and it was a generous size. I have to say I was pretty impressed. Ana was certainly very enthusiastic about it. :)

As far as food, their menu is comprehensive and it contains your Brunch fundamentals plus a couple of interesting twists. Two of them are variation of our good friend Bennie. One is the Salty Pretzel Crusted Crab Cake Benedict. The other, I went for: Smoked Salmon and Avocado Benedict. Just perfect. One thing that sets this dish apart from other Salmon based variations of this classic is that the fish seems to be slightly cooked. Also, the mustard Hollandaise was a cool touch. It was a great choice.




Ana decide to try one of their 3 egg Omelets. It was huge! It contained healthy quantities of black forest ham and aged cheddar. I thought it was a little bit plain, but Ana seemed to like it. Of course, the whole thing was just an excuse. Ana really was looking for a dish that was served with home fries. The omelet filled that condition. The fries were brown and tasty.

Overall it was a great experience. And let's be honest, if you are looking for a cool spot for brunch in Boston that creates a New York type experience, the South End is the destination. Stephie's is clearly a great choice if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Zoe's, Cambridge, MA

This past Sunday we went for brunch as usual, without realizing it was Mother's Day... needless to say it was almost impossible to brunch without waiting -at best- 20 minutes anywhere. We were on our way to Harvard Square, so after a quick recap of all the possible brunch spots on our path, we decided to head for Zoe's. Zoe's is one of those "breakfast all day" retro diners. It is conveniently located four blocks from Harvard Sq. so, although it gets crowded, is mostly locals looking for a quick bite. Accordingly, after less than 5 minutes we were seated.

The menu is what you would expect: healthy portions of breakfast basics; some with Greek twists (like Greek French Toast -made with Greek bread); as well as many sandwiches, salads and wraps. And, most importantly, nothing in the non-dinner menu costs more than $10.

Diego and I stayed with the basics. I went with the Classic French toast with strawberries, which was not particularly memorable, as the six medium-thick slices of bread were not seasoned well, the strawberries weren't ripe and the syrup was watery.

Diego was more successful. He ordered a plate called "My 3 sons" which is basically three of each: eggs any style, pieces of bacon, sausage links, and pancakes or pieces of French toast. These were all accompanied by a large side of homefries, the kind which is almost indistinguishable from chunky mashed potatoes with some paprika. The three eggs were perfectly made -firm whites and warm barely cooked yolk. The sausages were meaty and lean -I asked for a bite, and ended up having one all for myself. I did not try his pancakes, and Diego did not say much, but he ate them all with a bit of syrup so I guess he liked them as much as the rest of his meal. Diego also asked for a small -what in any other place would be considered large!- OJ which was yummy enough to be mistaken for freshly squeezed (it was not).
This was certainly no the perfect brunch, but it was a good enough back-up to keep it in mind for next Mother's Day!

Renee's Cafe, Somerville, MA

It happens, from time to time, that you discover a new brunch place in a completely random way. I'm not talking about the case when you visit a new place that has been recommended to you or that you've been hearing about for a while. This is not the kind of place you read about in magazines or newspapers. You just stumble upon a place by sheer luck... And when that happens, when fate helps you on your Quest for the Perfect Brunch, you'd better relax and enjoy the ride.

This was how we ended up having a delicious brunch on a beautiful summer morning at Renee's Cafe (this is a link to the Urbanspoon webpage. Is it possible that in this day and age a restaurant does not have a website? Apparently so.). Ana was still jet lagged from her trip to South Africa and we woke up (meaning, she woke me up) early on a perfect Sunday morning. I think it is fair to say this was the first warm, perfect blue sky, Sunday of the year, signaling the end of a long Winter. We decided that, since we were up, we should go out for brunch early to some place where we could relax and enjoy our meal away from the crowds. While we were browsing for places on the web, we randomly stumbled upon this great little place in between Davis Sq. and Teele Sq. in Somerville. As I mentioned, they have no website. We had not heard about it. I have no clue how we ended up on the Urbanspoon page dedicated to Renne's. It was a good thing we did because we really loved this place.

Renee's Cafe is very nicely decorated, unpretentious cafe that seems to embody the essence of  brunch. They have a very comprehensive menu that includes very interesting Omelets as well as different variations of Eggs Benedict. Furthermore, they offer some pretty good looking French Toasts on real french bread. If you are being difficult and find their menu incomplete, they have a huge blackboard with a long list of daily specials, which included, in our case, dishes containing crab cakes, roasted sweet potatoes and other very appealing options.

I decided to go, as I often do when I visit a place for the first time, with a variation of Eggs Benedict.  In this case, the protein was a very hearty and yummy corned beef hash. Eggs where cooked to perfection and the roasted potatoes could rival your mom's on a good day. Ana decided to try one of their wonderful omelets: Brie cheese, Virginia cooked ham and apples. Good stuff, indeed.


Although food arrived rather fast, as service was impeccable, we decided to hang around for a while and take in the morning while sipping coffee and orange juice. Renne's Cafe has very large windows which make it an ideal spot for people watching while reading the newspaper in a sun drenched atmosphere. If you haven't been to Renne's, now you have plans for next weekend! We will certainly be back.