Ahhhh, the post-holiday life "hangover." I've been going 100mph lately celebrating, making merry, and festivizing, and it's long past time for this little corner of the Internet to get a little more attention from me!
So let's kick the post-holiday inertia to the curb with my favorite thing ever: brunch! Hannah, Sarah and I reunited after nearly 2 months off our regular brunch schedule…the last time we brunched was well before there was snow on the ground and, I think, before I even put notice in with my Big 4 employer!! We've seen each other plenty since then, and I've brunched with other people (and with them, separately!), but this was a long-overdue dive back into the land of mimosas, girly gossip, and eggy deliciousness.
We met up at the Good Day Café today, right off Park Place and Xenia (and close to our other fave spot, Rojo!), and oh my god, campers, it was madness. We walked through the door at 10:30 to a half-hour wait and at least 40 people milling around in the (spacious, but sure felt) small entryway/foyer. Thank goodness none of us was starvingly hungry!
Without further ado, here's the rankings:
Location/Ambiance:
The view from our back-corner booth.
Good Day is actually in kind of a weird location--it's kind of tucked behind an office complex, and from the outside looks pretty standard--their signage is cute, lots of windows, and it looks about as roomy as an average TGI Fridays. Once we entered, like I said, it was madness--a bajillion people, two bars (one for coffee, one for libations), a few different rooms, etcetera. We hit up the coffee bar, waited in the packed lobby, and were seated at the back of a huge (loud) room in a cute little round booth tucked in a corner. Overall, the decor was adorable and the atmosphere was fun, but points were lost for the crazy entryway and high volume. Had we not been in a corner/quiet booth, it would've been even more nuts!
Score: 7/10
Beverages:
White chocolate yumminess.
Since we had a half-hour wait, each of us got a coffee beverage while we waited and a mimosa once we were seated--double dip for the win in this category! Shockingly, I preferred my white chocolate mocha to the mimosa--the mocha was served in a huge 16-oz mug, piping hot, rich, velvety, and topped with oodles of whip and white chocolate drizzle. It was sweet but not tooooo sweet, which is usually my gripe with white chocolate mochas, and warmed me up super fast.
Mimosa madness. See all that pulp? Sad.
The mimosas were good, but nothing to write home about. Not bottomless (but let's be real, a girl can't and probably shouldn't have everything), a bit pulpy on the orange juice front and a bit light on the champagne front. Not to say I didn't adore it, because I adore all mimosas indiscriminately, but if it had come down to being between the mocha and the mimosa, this would have been a case where the mocha would've won out.
Score: 8/10 (for the mocha's sake!)
Food:
I already want it again. Paulie's Quiche for the win.
Oh my gosh, friends. This is where the Good Day sets itself apart. Each of us had an egg dish--Sarah had a bacon-and-cheddar omelet, Hannah had crab cake Benedict, and I had "Paulie's Quiche." We were all in agreement that the food was amaze-balls. Like, seriously…I'm a big-time quiche addict, and have pretty high standards. This quiche? Super-deep, super-fluffy, and full of the ingredients, which were mixed really nicely throughout. The caramelized onion, basil, and roasted tomatoes were blanketed under a Fontina cheese layer on top--holy delish--and the crust was buttery, flaky and not too thick. Served with a side of fruit, this was seriously one of my fave quiches in memory.
Score: 10/10
If the scores don't speak for themselves, I'd definitely recommend Good Day! We had a great time catching up, and on our way in and out, all the food I spotted looked delicious. Although I was skeptical at first--can eggs and champagne really be worth that intense a wait?--I think the hordes of people attest to the solid goodness of the restaurant and their offerings. It started my good day off on a great note!
To check it out for yourself, hit up http://gooddaycafemn.com…or check out my full Brunch Challenge for more inspiration. Happy brunching!