Another day, another delicious brunch to check off my challenge!
When Emily was home last weekend for the Fourth, we kept the holiday going and took advantage of the beautiful weather Saturday morning to adventure up to the Lakes as a family. We've always enjoyed walking around Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, or Lake of the Isles, checking out the stunning houses, enjoying the bustle of activity, and peoplewatching. We lapped Lake of the Isles this time and couldn't believe how high the water still was from all our crazy June rain...the whole walking path was underwater in places, so we stuck to the side of the bike trail like the rest of the pedestrians.
After our 3-mile circuit, we were all craving breakfast in a big way and headed up Lake Street to Bryant-Lake Bowl. Looks like we weren't the only group intent on keeping the Independence Day party going...the place was packed, and many tables were still sporting red, white, and blue. I don't think I've ever felt more sorry for a waitstaff...from what I could tell, it was just a hostess, a bartender, a cook and two waitresses, and every one of them were running their asses off.
After about a 20 minute wait, we were seated, and ended up waiting about 20 more minutes for service...like I said, it was nuts. Fortunately, we passed the time checking out a darling family sporting Miami-Ohio gear (my siblings' alma mater)...their son was a year older than me and totally adorable. Too bad I was wearing full Irish gear and didn't get him my number ;)
Enough rambling: onto the rankings!
Location/Ambiance:
Bryant-Lake Bowl is a super-old, quirky restaurant SLASH bar SLASH theater SLASH bowling alley, and that in and of itself scores it a pretty darn high location rating. The ambiance is classic 1950's bowling alley, replete with bright, punchy colors, retro logos, and a view of the lanes from most of the dining tables. Super kitschy, super fun.
Score: 10/10
Beverage:
Mom had a mimosa. Dad had a bloody Mary. Emily and I...had nothing, because we didn't have our IDs, because we didn't anticipate that brunch was in our future when we headed up to the Lakes for walking. FAIL! According to both parents, though, the drinks were a letdown...the bloody was super acidic and the mimosa was pulpy to the point of being undrinkable. Sad day!
Score: 0/10 (because I abstained)
Food:
Amazing. Dad, Em, and I had scrambles...theirs was bacon, onion, green pepper and blue cheese, and mine was sausage, red pepper, and smoked Gouda. Both were served with potato medallions and toast. I loooved mine...the smokiness of the melted cheese, sweetness of the seared peppers and spice of the sausage melded perfectly. Mom had buckwheat pancakes and similarly raved.
Score: 9/10
To check out Bryant-Lake Bowl for yourself, visit http://www.bryantlakebowl.com/.