Sunday Brunch: Sun Street Breads

I don’t even know if you can really call this one a brunch, but I like breakfast and I like cute little local places, so here goes!

A few weeks back my parents and I met up to take a lengthy morning walk around the Chain of Lakes…it’s one of our favorite summer activities. Afterward, we usually swing over to Isles Bun & Coffee for giant cinnamon rolls and fresh-squeezed orange juice, but we weren’t in the mood for pastries on that day. I suggested Sun Street Breads, just south of Lake Harriet, and we headed over that way for a quick al fresco breakfast!

Location/Ambiance

It’s kind of funny…Sun Street is located in a strip mall, so on first glance you sort of assume you’re not in for anything special. They’ve done some really cute things with the interior, though…I love the daily riddle, for example:

Add to that the ample opportunity to admire the bakery case while waiting in line, and you’ve made me a happy camper.

In the summer, their outdoor patio is as charming as can be, too, which helps.

Score: 6/10

Beverage:

N/A. We all stuck with water because it was crazy-humid and we had sweat out approx. a gallon.

Food:

Sun Street is, above all, a bread bakery…so each of us went with a breakfast biscuit sandwich. My mom and I got turkey sausage, aged cheddar, and scrambled egg, and my dad went with a barbecue pulled pork offering. We also split a blueberry-peach turnover and ordered these really weird matzoh-ball gordita things. The turnover was delicious, but we each threw in the towel after one bite of the matzoh. Just not our thing. The biscuit sandwiches were delicious…fluffy eggs, flaky, buttery biscuits and the sausage was super good. All in all though, a bit disjointed. Good for a super quick breakfast or grabbing something on the go, but I would never treat it as a destination, per se.

Score: 6/10 (the matzoh was so bad it subtracted like…2 points!)

Sunday Brunch: The Red Cow

Ready for me to blow your brunch-loving mind? Two words, my friends. 

Pancake. Flights. 

That's right. 

Kelsie and I ventured to The Red Cow in Edina a few weeks ago before our bi-weekly A La Mode manicure, and I have to say, the concept of a pancake flight pretty much made brunch all on its own. The execution of a pancake flight? Beyond perfection. Without further ado, let's get to the good stuff. 

Location/Ambiance: 

Meh, you don't go to The Red Cow for the location or the ambiance, although I have to say I'm a sucker for 50th and France. The ambiance was sort of an odd yuppie cowboy sports bar...there was cow print on the walls and a lot of TVs around. Their patio looked cute despite its microscopic size...I'd be interested in trying that if we make a return trip! 

Score: 6/10

Beverage:

We went with the standard mimosa, and I have to say, it made me fairly sad. In my opinion, nothing ruins a perfectly good mimosa quicker than using pulpy orange juice, even if it is fresh-squeezed or whatever. This mimosa was super-pulpy. That said, we still managed to choke down two...and as you can see above, they were generously poured. So maybe it wasn't thaaaat bad...

Score: 5/10

Food:

PANCAKE FLIGHTS. Feast your eyes. 

Three different pancakes: red velvet with peanut butter cream cheese spread and bacon syrup, sweet potato with bacon-maple butter, Guinness caramel and candied pecans, and blueberry sweet cream with almond cookie crumbles. 

I was in HEAVEN. My personal favorite was the sweet potato...perfect combo of savory and sweet. You really couldn't go wrong with any of the three, however, which is what made the "flight" option SO enticing. Other Twin Cities restaurants, take note: I WILL fall in love with you if you offer me a breakfast flight. (I ate less than half and was full, too...so this could be a cute girly split-brunch option for those less ambitious than Kels and I!)

Score: 10/10

To visit The Red Cow for yourself, head here. Otherwise, pick any of the 100+ other locations on my brunch list...and don't hesitate to leave a recommendation! 

Sunday Brunch: Lucia's

I’ve mentioned approximately a bajillion (okay, five or six) times that Hannah is one of my all-time favorite people, especially to have adventures with. And, while it may make me the most basic of the basic bitches currently roaming the Twin Cities, I consider brunch an adventure. What’s not to love about girl time over some bubbles?!

We hit up Lucia’s about a month ago on one of the hottest days in July, and, in classic Hannah-and-Lizzie form, it was total girly catch-up perfection.

Location/Ambiance:

Located just a few blocks off Lake Calhoun in the heart of Uptown, Lucia’s is a light-filled, spare and clean space. The big windows, white walls, and touches of bright blue, yellow, and pink in the napkins and flowers made the whole space feel open and airy.

Score: 7/10

Beverage:

We skipped the bubbly, knowing we were headed to the Sociable Brewers’ Block Party in a few hours for beers. Instead, we savored coffee, and it was delicious…a perfect, hearty dark roast. I maaaay have let its bottomless nature get the best of me and totally overcaffeinated myself in the process…oops!

Score: 8/10

Food:

Hannah is an ideal brunch companion in that she will go splitsies with me whenever my heart desires…win! We started with a pastry basket featuring a buttery, flaky, delicious house-made popover, along with this cute little guy:

This is a “Baby Buddha Muffin,” and it is a cinnamon-y, crunchy, decadently delicious little morsel of yumminess. I could have eaten like…six of them and called it brunch, it was so good.

We wisely didn’t just order a dozen more baby Buddhas, and instead opted to split the omelet and yogurt with granola:

The omelet held sweet corn, onions, a little crème fraiche and some delectably melty goat cheese, along with the sweetest, freshest basil I’ve ever tasted. As for the granola and yogurt…also perfectly refreshing. The granola, served in the form of giant clusters of oats, dates, and brown sugar, added a hint of sweetness to the yogurt, and the strawberries and blackberries were perfectly ripe.

Lucia’s menu changes constantly to accommodate seasonal produce…there’s a new flatbread on the menu with summer squash that’s practically begging me to make a repeat stop!

Score: 10/10

To visit Lucia’s for yourself, head to www.lucias.com, or find a different place to brunch from my list! Happy munching, campers! 

Sunday Brunch: Barbette

A few (okay, several, like REALLY SEVERAL) weekends ago, Hannah and I met up for one of our usually-long-overdue catchup sessions over brunch, and it was one of those days where you could linger for hours enjoying the sunshine, and people-watching, and appreciating a friendship. I think late spring and early summer are the best seasons for brunching…especially on a patio this charming!

Location/Ambiance:

Barbette is a little French hole-in-the-wall that’s been around on Lake Street for close to a decade now…walking distance from Lake Calhoun and Uptown alike. While the exterior is nothing to write home about, housed in a nondescript whitewashed brick hulk of a building, the interior is all warm wood and interesting light fixtures and a big horseshoe-shaped bar. Their patio, tucked along the side of the building, features café lights strung overhead, bright painted tables, and ivy-covered walls…utterly precious.

Score: 7/10

Beverage:

Hannah stuck with the classic mimosa, and I tried the “Red Dwarf,” which turned out to be a mimosa with cranberry juice instead of OJ. It was yummy! Very little cranberry, so it was just a whisper of flavor, but the champagne was good, and it was tart enough that I didn’t chug it like I sometimes do with the more citrusy counterpart.

Score: 7/10

Food:

It’s funny how, less than a month after returning from Paris claiming I was totally oversaturated with French food in general, I made my way to one of the best-known French places in the Twin Cities. What can you do, I guess?

Hannah went with the quiche of the day, which featured asparagus, onion, goat cheese, and pepper. I picked the breakfast crepe…scrambled egg, Brie, and herbs in a buckwheat crepe, all rolled up with apple compote on top and a delicious bed of mixed greens. It was delicious…exactly the sort of un-fussy, plain old good flavor I loved about crepes in France. Bonus points for the delicious light vinaigrette dressing on the greens…perfectly astringent and fresh.

Score: 7/10

All in all, I highly recommend Barbette for your next girly catching-up…especially if you can grab a colorful table outside! To visit yourself, head to www.barbette.com, or if French breakfast offerings don’t tickle your fancy, pick another place! I’ve got over a hundred of them right here. Happy brunching!

Sunday Brunch: The Dawson (Chicago!)

As previously mentioned, my time in Chicago didn’t wind to a close on Sunday as Melissa’s wedding was that evening. And that, my friends, means that Laura had to take me to brunch. Oh the horror.

Turns out she’s got pretty fantastic taste in brunch…The Dawson, in the West Loop, was a positively idyllic spot to enjoy the mid-70’s sunny day. Their outdoor patio was enclosed and protected from some of the street noise, featured a giant outdoor fireplace and porticos for shade, and teemed with pretty people drinking pretty drinks and eating pretty delicious food.

The giant outdoor bar didn't hurt either!

Naturally we had to start with drinks. Laura picked a frozen Mai Tai...

...and I went with a Capri Sun to start, a super-refreshing concoction of passionfruit, gin, green tea, strawberry, and prosecco. The only thing it was missing was the foil pouch.

Later, I picked the Mellow Yellow...two kinds of rum, banana vanilla bean liqueur, lime, and Triple Sec. It came with a tiny umbrella, and my day was made. (Drew later wore the tiny umbrella around as a boutonniere of sorts all day...it matched his purple shirt perfectly and couldn't have been more Pride-appropriate!)

We started off with two sinful appetizers...a caramelized banana-pecan monkey bread, and a bacon flight. That's right, a BACON FLIGHT. 

Featuring four types of bacon...blackstrap molasses, allspice jowl, Hungarian-style, and maple-glazed...we housed the entire board's worth of meat in near-silence, totally overcome. Each of us preferred a different type: Drew favored the Hungarian-style's thick cut, I loved the savory, crackly allspice jowl, and Laura could've eaten an entire blackstrap molasses cut on her own. The monkey bread made the perfect sweet, doughy counterpart to the savory bacon. 

We probably would've been fine without entrees, but that didn't stop us from indulging in andouille sausage breakfast sandwiches or, for Drew, classic steak and eggs. The sandwiches were spicy and cheesy in exactly the right proportion. The only drawback was that with the bacon and monkey bread taking up so much gastronomic real estate, I couldn't even come close to finishing. 

Best part of brunch, though? Getting to share it with this girl...also please note Drew's clever framing of the Willis Tower in the background! THAT'S SO CHICAGO. 

We followed up brunch with a little (a lot) more day-drinking: headed to the Fulton Market District!

We entertained the notion of hitting up the RM Champagne House... 

...but faced with a dearth of outdoor seating, we headed across the street to The Allis at Soho House, where I drank a "Daisy Buchanan" and sought my Gatsby to no avail. 

All cocktailed out, we headed back to Haymarket to chase our sweet drinks with some beer. Laura and Drew indulged in a cuddle while I people-watched to my heart's content...Chicago's finest were out in full force celebrating Pride and enjoying the sunshine!

Drew and Laura made pretty great hosts, and I'm already looking forward to another stop in the Windy City. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Laura's for dog-walking and wedding prepping. More to come...