One of Erin's only requests for her time in Minny last weekend was to do brunch, and I, obviously, freaked the eff out with excitement. Erin's read this blog for longer than most people other than my mom, I think, and I was so thrilled to officially loop her into the Brunch Tour!
We went with a true Minneapolis classic, Ike's downtown...
Location/Ambiance:
Ike's is located on 6th Street, right in the heart of downtown, and has long been a Schwegfam favorite for its cute, retro bar vibe and adorable signage. Fun fact: my grandparents used to come here for date nights! We still have photos floating around the house somewhere of them all dolled up and out on the town. It just has that vibe to it, I think...
...a place where you want to go out with people you enjoy and just socialize and people-watch and read the quotes on the walls and have a generally delightful evening.
Score: 9/10
Beverage:
You mix your own mimosa with a split of champagne and a tiny carafe of orange juice. Excuse me while my inner control freak runs a victory lap. This is the best idea ever.
Score: 10/10
Food:
Absolutely obscene in volume and quality. For starters, about five seconds after we sat down THIS monster was brought to our table:
That, friends, is about a quarter-pan's worth of giant, hot, syrupy caramel roll with melting whipped butter all over it. Please note there are multiple forks stabbed in the top, as if to encourage you to just throw all decorum to the wind and essentially faceplant into that thing. I honestly could have had this as a meal and still had leftovers.
Ike's brunch format, though, guarantees leftovers no matter what. You pick your eggs (breakfast quesadilla, Benedict or omelet, or prepared any which way), and then your table gets this giant, bottomless platter of pancakes and hash browns and sausage and bacon. IT'S BOTTOMLESS. It gets refilled. This would be the perfect place to bring like...a team of hungry high school athletes or that guy from Man Vs Food or something. Erin and I were out of our depth in a big way.
I did the breakfast quesadilla and it was FANTASTIC. My hangover go-to meal is cheesy eggs with salsa, and this was like that, plus a tortilla, minus a hangover. So great.
Full table shot! Corner of the caramel roll, our GIANT PLATTER OF SIDES, Erin's scrambled eggs and toast, and of course champagne, because what brunch is complete without it?! We barely dented this spread. I had leftovers for days, folks.
Score: 10/10, for sheer volume. Also, for deliciousness.
To check out Ike's for yourself, first assemble a team of at least five others, preferably who have been wandering in the woods without food for like a week and are optimally hungry. Then go to http://ilikeikes.com/. If, on the other hand, you don't have an army of ravenous friends, find somewhere else to brunch right here. Happy dining!