Brunch in Cleveland

After 3 months in Cleveland, it was about time I tried brunch here. I recently went to 2 different places: Luna Bakery and Cafe and The Inn on Coventry.

First, Luna Bakery and Cafe is a relatively new spot in the Cedar-Fairmount area. It's hip, modern, bright, etc. The space is crowded, but the atmosphere is energetic. You order at the register and then fight for a table (on busy weekends). Or, while waiting for the table, you can watch the "chefs" make crepes and regret that you didn't order 10 more things... The menu selection is pretty diverse. There are no egg classics (benedict, etc.), but there are a variety of sweet and savory crepes and breakfast and lunch sandwiches. I got the dark chocolate crepe with fresh berries. Then, because the display was so tempting, I also got a green tea macaron, a chocolate-hazelnut macaron. Finally, I noticed the mushroom quiche and decided to try it as well. Never mind that I had already had breakfast that morning... So let's start with the quiche: it was incredibly smooth and melted in my mouth. The crust was still flaky and buttery. However, I wish that the mushrooms flavor was more detectable. I next tried the crepe. It was warm and thin. The chocolate filling was neither too much, not too little - it was in good balance with the crepe. And the berries presented a nice contrast to the sweet chocolate. I managed to save the macarons for home, but I quickly finished them, as well. They had good texture, but nothing special as far as macarons go. They were delicious, but the flavors were just average.

Only a couple of weeks after the experience at Luna, I went to the Inn on Coventry. We were a large group (8 of us), but didn't have a problem getting a table at 9:45 am. Unlike Luna, the Inn is old, dark, and crowded. It's an old establishment, and it feels like it has never been renovated. The character can be nice if the original features are done in the right way, but that wasn't the case with the Inn. Fortunately, the food was worth it. I got the Maryland crab cakes Benedict. I wasn't sure if getting seafood at that location in particular was a good idea, but it turned out ok. Well, the crab cakes didn't have that much crab, but they were ok. They weren't great, but they weren't a disaster. The eggs, however, were perfectly poached. The yolks were soft in the middle and ran on the plate as a nice rich cream. I love egg yolks! Who cares about cholesterol ;) The Hollandaise sauce had red peppers in it, which complemented the crab cakes well. On the side, I got grits just because I miss the South :) My first impression of the grits was that they were very bland, but I eventually got used to the taste. They definitely didn't have any cheese. At least they were still creamy...

Despite the old interior, I would have liked the Inn on Coventry if it wasn't for the service. They problems started as soon as we sat down. The waitress was rushing us to decide on drinks. I understand that she was busy, but she was almost rude whenever she had to interact with us. But the worst part was at the end, when we were done with the meal. The waitress simply set the checks on our table without asking them if we were ready. And then both her and the hostess kept coming over to our table to see if we were ready to leave. It did feel like they were making us leave. Yes, there were people waiting, but we got there early to get a table, so I feel like we had the right to stay. Plus, we weren't simply sitting there. We were already packing our things up. Maybe they got a little more revenue that morning by giving our table to someone else, but they definitely lost a customer in me.

Compared to the vibrant, happy and friendly atmosphere at Luna, the Inn on Coventry was quite a disappointment. But I'm looking forward to trying more brunch places. I hope that more of them will be closer to Luna rather than the Inn.

Eating my way through Cleveland

I have exciting news: I'll be moving to Cleveland!! The date is not set yet, but tentatively, it will be in the middle of October. Luckily, I've heard that Cleveland is becoming a foody town. I got to see this for myself last weekend when I was there to look for a place to live.

As soon as I arrived on Saturday afternoon, I headed to downtown and the East 4th St. area. This is a cute area, a couple of blocks long, but lined with many restaurants and bars. You've got everything from more casual bars to upscale places. I was getting cold in the chilly northern nights (compared to Atlanta!), so I got really happy when I saw a Vietnamese restaurant called Saigon. I was craving pho anyway, and it sounded even more appropriate for the cold night. Yet, something I cannot resist when I see it on the menu is lotus root and shrimp salad. I got that first, and then I got the pho with rare beef. The salad really surprised me when it arrived. The lotus leaf wasn't shaved into matchsticks - which has been the case with all the other lotus root salad's I've had. Instead, it was cut into offset cylinders that resembled penne pasta. The other thing different from the classical version was the absence of fried crackers. I'm used to placing pieces of salad on the crackers and eating them. The crackers add a nice crunch, but the salad at Saigon was still great. It had the same flavors that I'm used to. Eventually, I also warmed up to the strange shape of the lotus root. It was whimsical and interesting, and it was easier to pick up with chopsticks. But I had to pack up most of the salad to go, and enjoy the pho. I'm not a pho specialist, but I really enjoyed the one at Saigon. The broth was flavorful and the beef was thin. My only complaint is that it didn't come with basil, but that's a minor thing.

The next day I checked out another popular area: Cedar Fairmount. It's the intersection of Cedar and Fairmount streets, on the east side of the city, where the suburbs start. The area has several restaurants and local hang out spots. I went to one of those - Nighttown - which is also known for its amazing brunch menu. The Dublin Layer, which is a lobster and mushroom dish, has been featured on Food Network. That's actually the reason I went to Nighttown. But as I was deciding what to have, I saw the people on the table next to me receiving theirs. It's probably really delicious, but it looked simply like a stew to me. So I got the lobster eggs Benedict instead. I'm so so happy that I got it! It had huge chunks of delicious lobster, and also Canadian bacon in between the eggs and English muffin. The Hollandaise was really good, too, with a tangy flavor. And while I was enjoying the delicious food, I was also sipping on a great Bloody Mary. I think it had more vodka than mix ;) But it was perfectly spicy and flavored :)

Later that day, I met up with a friend in Cleveland, and we went to Sushi Rock, which was close to where I was staying. I ordered the Golden Dragon roll (sorry, no picture :( ). It had shrimp tempura, tuna, salmon, crab and avocado inside, and thinly sliced mango on the outside. It was topped with red roe. The roe and mango did make it look like a golden dragon :P I admit I was nervous about having sushi in Ohio, a state that is not next to the ocean, but I was pleasantly surprised. The fish was fresh and tasty. And I actually loved the combination of crispy shrimp tempura and raw salmon and tuna. After dinner, my friend and I decided to get ice cream at Mitchell's. I've read that it's a good ice cream place with interesting flavors, but I never expected to be blown away. The have a pretty long flavor list, each one sounding amazing. I somehow settled on the S'mores ice cream (roasted marshmallow ice cream with graham crackers and chocolate pieces) and lemon and black raspberry frozen yogurt. I really liked the roasted marshmallow ice cream, but it was waaayyy surpassed by the frozen yogurt. I mean, WOW! It is probably in the top 10 (maybe 5) things I've ever had! The balance of tart and sweet is so good. I can't even describe it. But I loved it so much, I went to Mitchell's the next day to get more. I didn't even try any other flavor. If you know me, you'll know that I'm the "always try something new" person. So it's a huge thing to have the same thing twice. And by the way, it was after a large dinner that made me stuffed.

So the dinner in question was at The Melt Bar and Grill. Again, it's been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on Food Network. When I went there, they had a pig roast special that included chipotle pulled pork, fried sweet potatoes, and corn on the cob. I love both sweet potatoes and corn, so having them in one dish was too irresistible. Overall, I wasn't that impressed by the meal. I guess I expected more of a grilled cheese sandwich, with lots of cheese and maybe some meat, but I got the opposite. And I couldn't even taste the sweet potatoes. On the bright side, the charred corn was amazing :) So I ate half of the huge sandwich and the corn, had a 21st Amendment Watermelon Ale and went to get some more lemon raspberry ice cream :)

Based on my short experience with dining in Cleveland, I can't wait to move there! Is it October yet?

Brunch on the patio

The beginning of summer is the time of the year when we all flock to pools, parks, and patios. [Ha, they all start with a "p"] It's not too hot yet, and we're sick of spending time indoors. Well, it's been a tricky summer here in Atlanta, raining pretty much every single day for as long as I can remember. But Snooki and I had a deal for brunch, so we chose a not-too-rainy Sunday to use it. And yes, we chose to sit on the patio :) What could be better to start a Sunday that fresh air, coffee and a nice breakfast at half the price :)

The aforementioned brunch deal was for Olmsted, a relatively new restaurant in Midtown. The deal included bread and a meat platter to begin, one mimosa or bloody Mary each, and an entree. Unfortunately, we didn't think ahead and went there early on Sunday morning when you can't buy alcohol. That's the South for you... Well, the server was nice enough to let us use our cocktail credit for coffee drinks. And well, that was one of the few things about the service. It took forever to order and get our food even though the restaurant was pretty much empty when we got there. Also, we never got silverware when we were seated. We had to ask for it after the food was brought to us. By the time we started eating, it was already getting cold.


So now to the main point, the food. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special either. I was very disappointed by the bread platter that we were supposed to share. I expected several types of breads/muffins/maybe cornbread/scones. Instead, we got four dainty pieces of zucchini bread. The meat platter was ok. It had sausage, ham and bacon. But it's really weird to eat greasy meat by itself. It would have been much much better with some bread.

For the entree, I got the Yet Another Shrimp and Grits, Snooki got the Eggs Savannah, and her boyfriend (BrayBoy) ordered the fried chicken. Yes, "Yet Another Shrimp and Grits" is the name of the item on the menu, and that's exactly what it was. I have definitely had much better shrimp and grits before, and I can make better ones myself. There wasn't any flavor on them. I was hoping that the name was just a joke, but unfortunately it wasn't. Snooki's  dish was good, at least. The crab and shrimp cakes weren't overflowing with flavor, either, but there was a good amount of crab meat in them. The hashed potatoes were crispy, as they should be. BrayBoy was happy with his dish, though. It was definitely a guy's portion, with a huge chunk of cornbread that was the size of half a loaf. On the bright side, he had leftovers.

I guess the best part of the meal was sitting outside. But once it started drizzling, we were ready to go and I don't think any of us would be going back.

Mardi Gras

A friend of mine recently moved to Baton Rouge, LA, to work at LSU, so my roommate Snooki and I went to visit her at her new house. And it just happened that Mardi Gras was going on at the same time. You know, no coincidence at all ;) But in between the parades, Bourbon St and driving around to find a parking spot, we got to enjoy some awesome Louisiana foods.

It was Snooki's first time in New Orleans, so she had a long list of things to try. Thankfully, every touristy place in the French Quarter has a New Orleans sampler platter. This one came with gumbo, crawfish etouffee, and jambalaya. One time that was missing was the rice and red beans, so read the menu carefully to make sure you go to a place that has all four! Anyway, Snooki loved the gumbo, but didn't enjoy the etouffee too much. She is freaked out by the crawfish even when they're cleaned up ;) But she likes shrimp... Go figure... That first night I had a proper fried oyster po-boy because getting a po-boy from a BBQ place doesn't really count. This one was really really good. The oysters were crispy on the outside, but not overfried. And the fries were surprisingly good. However, nothing was better than my bloody mary which had the perfect amount of kick to it :) Sorry, though, I don't have pictures from the dinner.

We finished off the night in Baton Rouge at a local beignet spot. By the time we got there it was already 2 am, but why not have some sugar, right? They are known for the "Finger" beignets. Sounds creepy, but all it means is that they were fried in long, thin streaks. The larger surface area-to-volume ratio makes them very crispy. We also got their traditional beignets which are bigger and not as crispy as the ones at Cafe du Monde. On the bright side, they were completely free because the store owner was an incredibly nice Southerner who was impressed that it was Snooki's first time in NO. Oh, and he made us try the hot chocolate! After many refusals (after all, it's not wise to have sugar AND caffeine at 2 am), we did each have a sip. And I was glad we did because it was great! And we didn't have to worry about not being able to sleep after all; we passed out as soon as we got to my friend's house.

The next day was extremely hectic and we didn't have a real meal until 9 pm. We did each have a snack during a parade we saw, but our major source of calories that day was beer ;) Not surprisingly, we were starving by dinner time at stopped to eat at the first restaurant we saw after getting to the French Quarter: Corner Oyster House. I skipped the oysters and went out on a limb and decided to try something different - alligator picante. Well ,i can tell you that everything does taste like chicken... The meat wasn't too flavorful and it was quite dry. The spicy sauce was much better, though. And I was so hungry that I ate the whole thing despite the inferior quality ;P

On our last day there, we woke up semi-early and had brunch at The Chimes, a place right next to the LSU campus. I was really happy when we got a table after only about a 20 min wait. Some of our friends decided to get the fried bowties and artichoke dip for appetizer. Yes, bowties as in the pasta. I admit I wouldn't order something like that because I can't image what fried past would taste like... But I'm glad they did because it was really good! That pasta was very crispy, but not completely stiff. The dip was just a regular dip, but overall the appetizer surpassed my expectations. For my entree, I had the crabcakes. That was a great choice because they were amazing!!! They had a good amount of crabmeat, were moist, and a little spicy. The potato hash lived up to the high standards set by the crabcakes, too - crispy and with a little kick. I even liked the grits even though I'm not a huge grits fan. Unlike most grits out there, these tasted like corn :) Again, I ate the whole thing. I guess the best way I can summarize this trip to New Orleans is "overeating on delicious food." Mardi Gras, what?

San Francisco: La Boulange

When I first went to San Francisco a couple of years ago, a stumbled upon a bakery in the Cole Valley area called La Boulange. I was mesmerized by the desserts on display: croissants, macarons, quiches, tarts, breads... Then I tried the Fantastic French Toast and I knew I'd be eating at La Boulange again!

Skip to the present, and I have been to San Francisco two more times and I have eaten at La Boulange several more times. It turns out La Boulange is a local chain with stores all over the city. This past month I was staying only a block away from a location on Sutter Street in downtown. It was hard to resist its pull, so I went there several times over three weeks. The first time I had the French toast that I love so much. It's not a simple French toast! It somehow has a layer of custard on the bottom, and then the custard-soaked toast. It tastes like eating creme brulee in a cake form. How can you not love that? :) The toast itself is fluffy inside, but crispy on the outside. And it's served with fresh fruit. If I was ever on that show "Best Thing I Ever Ate," I would talk about this French toast :)

This year I decided to branch out and try some of the non-dessert things at La Boulange. They also make sandwiches using bread made in-house. I've had the hummus sandwich and the smoked salmon sandwich, both with a side of quinoa salad. Both of them were delicious. The hummus sandwich was topped with avocados and cucumbers, so overall it had a very refreshing taste. It would have been perfect for a warm summer day, but it tasted just as great on a cool fall morning :) The sprouts were too bitter for my taste, but I pushed them off the sandwich and ate them with the quinoa to cancel out the bitterness. As to the quinoa salad, it was too salty both times I had it :( Well, at least I got a good amount of fiber and protein from it...

The salmon sandwich came with cucumbers, creme fraiche and capers. The capers were well-washed and weren't too briny. I need to wash my capers when I cook with them that well, haha ;) Other than that, it was a solid sandwich with nothing too special about it, but I enjoyed every single bite.

My last time at La Boulange I ordered half of the goat cheese sandwich and a cup of French onion soup. The sandwich was very disappointing. It barely had any cheese on it. And it was toasted to the point where the bread was burned and the cheese was completely dried out. I hope this mispreparation is not the norm for this sandwich. Even the portobello and the roasted red peppers couldn't rescue the sandwich. The soup, on the other hand, saved the meal. This was actually my very first time having French onion soup, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I liked the one at La Boulange. The onions were caramelized well and sweet. And there was a crouton in the cup that nicely mopped up all the flavors.

I've had so many good experiences at La Boulange that I'm willing to overlook this last negative one. At the end I want to mention that all of the prepackaged desserts are also amazing. I've tried pretty much all types of shortbread cookies. Surprisingly, I'm not a huge fan of the chocolate ones, but love all the others. La Boulange is also known for their French-style macarons. They are always fresh and have the perfect texture. Now they even have a delicious pumpkin macaron :) They also sell so-call San Francisco-style macarons, which are single cookies of almond-hazelnut flour; these might be my favorites so far. Finally, the almond-chocolate croissants are a must-have. Honestly, I wish I could have every single meal at La Boulange, I love it that much!

Breakfast Paradise

I recently realized that I haven't written yet about one of my most favorite places in Atlanta: The Original Pancake House. I live only a couple of miles from it on Lavista Rd. and I have been there probably around 10 times. If I was an early riser, I could probably go there every day. However, it seems that everyone loves this place so forget about getting a table in a timely manner if you go after 9 am! Even for only 2 people, you'll probably need to wait at least 30 min. One tip I can offer is waiting close by the "bar." Those spots are first-come, first-served, and it's usually possible to get a spot there pretty quickly. Plus, the whole menu is available at the bar, and the person who works there is very friendly :)

The Original Pancake House has a multi-page, diner-like menu that I would scoff at if I saw it at most other places. They offer probably 30 different types of pancakes, 10 types of waffles, many omelets and typical breakfast specialties with eggs and meats. I'll start with what I haven't tried: any of the waffles, the French toast, and the huge, intimidating Dutch baby. An order of a Dutch baby, a baked custard with berries, is literally the whole pan. I've seen it on other people's tables, but I haven't been brave enough to order it.

Now the things I've had, starting with pancakes. The banana pancakes are amazing! They are light and fluffy, not too salty or too sweet, with real bananas inside the pancakes and on top of the pancakes. Plus, they come with their own special tropical sauce instead of syrup. The sauce reminds me a lot of diluted orange juice, but it's surprisingly good. I've also had the plain buttermilk pancakes and the buckwheat pancakes as part of a breakfast dish. The meat dishes come with a side of buttermilk pancakes, but you can sub the buckwheat pancakes if you ask nicely. However, the buckwheat variety is a little too dense for me, so I prefer the plain buttermilk.

In the pancake section you can also find Swedish pancakes. Well, I expected an American pancake-style dish with lingonberry sauce instead of syrup. However, what I got are HUGE crepe-like pancakes. The Swedish pancakes were oblong, the size of two large crepes put side-to-side, and each order came with three of them. The pancakes were even lighter than crepes, having a more lacy appearance. After my initial surprise with the order, I really enjoyed them and ate 2.5 of those enormous pancakes.

Talking about crepes, I've tried the cherry crepes and the banana crepes. I was a little disappointed with the cherry crepes mostly because of the quality of the cherries. They tasted very artificial, as if they came from a jar. Plus, they lacked the tartness I expected. On the bright side, the banana crepes were perfect. It was obvious they were made with real bananas :) By the way, the crepes have whipped creme as a base for their fruit stuffing, and the amount and sweetness of the cream are just right.

On the more savory side, I've had the Southwestern omelet. It comes with red and green bell peppers, onions, and typical Tex-Mex flavors. It comes with a special spicy sauce that I really loved and a side of pancakes. The omelet at Original Pancake House is one of the fluffiest I have ever seen. It looks more like a souffle than an omelet. It was cooked well, and wasn't greasy or soggy. Some omelets I've had at many other places become soggy when the liquids from the veggies separate from the eggs - not a nice sight.

On mornings when I'm not too hungry, I just order two scrambled eggs. I've had both the plain version and eggs scrambled with cheese. I like the plain version a lot more. The cheesy eggs had way too much cheese. I don't even know how that's possible considering that I LOVE cheese, but the eggs with cheese just don't taste right to me. Well, two scrambled eggs is not a big enough breakfast even if I'm not hungry, so I have to order the mixed berries fruit bowl. You have to try it!!!! It's a large bowl of fresh, ripe, juicy, sweet berries - blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas. And yes, bananas are actually berries. But what makes this dish so amazing is the small bowl of whipped cream to dip the berries in. I don't even know how to describe the whipped cream, but it's simply heavenly. It's thicker than, say, Miracle Whip, but it's just as light in taste. It's just a tad sweet. But the combination of the texture and flavor make it the best whipped cream I've had. I can definitely eat it by itself, but I also use it for the berries. Everyone who's tried it has loved it. Oh, the fruit bowl also comes in a melon version, but I have never ordered it. As long as it has the same cream, it must be good :) By the way, the restaurant uses the same cream for the crepes, but the hot temperature of the crepes starts melting the cream and it loses some of its appeal.

Finally, I haven't ordered any of the meat dishes, but I've been told that the bacon and the hash browns are also delicious. But what I'm dying to try next are the coconut pancakes or waffles. Maybe it's time for my first waffle?

Brunch at Highland Bakery

Highland Bakery is one of the traditional Atlanta establishments that offers great baked goods and artisan sandwiches for brunch. In the past couple of years, it opened a new location in Midtown, but only the original location has all of the original charm. And yes, part of the charm is the long wait times, but my friend Cat and I braved them recently.

I had actually been to Highland Bakery once before for a sit down meal and another time to get food to go. So before I describe my most recent experience there, let me mention what I had before. The first time I went there, I stayed on the conservative side and ordered the Caprese Sandwich, which contains Italian staples like mozzarella, basil and tomatoes. The sandwich was really good, but something I can make myself. The second time I ate food from the bakery, I got the Sweet Potato Pancakes. I was pretty worried about how they would taste by the time I ate them at home, but all my worries were unfounded. The pancakes were still warm and fluffy. The caramel-based sauce that they came with was in a small container on the side, so I could eat the pancakes before they got soggy. Let me tell you, they were divine even after an hour away from the griddle! Well, the pancakes themselves were nothing extraordinary, but the sauce was just delicious! It was thick, sweet, buttery, and nutty (from the toasted pecans), and just the epitome of a guilty pleasure :) I have to admit, I had a few small tastes of the sauce by itself...

Finally, the most recent time I went to Highland Bakery, I decided to try yet another food group and got the Crabcakes Benedict. Just like the other items I had had before, they were delicious. The crabcakes were large, moist, and full of REAL crab meat. The Hollandaise sauce was the perfect consistency and lightness. I had the potatoes on the side, and they were nice and crispy without being too oily. They had sauted peppers and tomatoes, which is always a plus for me.

So, I've had traditional breakfast, sweet/dessert breakfast and a sandwich at Highland Bakery, and it hasn't disappointed me yet. This is the sign of a truly good place, but can't live up to the brunch at Murphy's...

Radiant Cafe

The trend of using seasonal, local ingredients is sweeping over Atlanta! Well, this has been the case for a couple of years now. Using seasonal ingredients is not only good for the environment, but also makes food taste better the ingredients are used at the prime of their ripeness. And while most new places now offer often-changing, seasonal menus, one place has been doing this for a while. Hidden on the east side of Decatur is a place called Radial Cafe. It used to be a great brunch/lunch spot, but recently they started offering dinner as well.

I had heard wonderful things about Radial Cafe, but didn't get to try it until a few days ago. It was my friend Vivmuk's last weekend in Atlanta, so we met up there with him and Cashew for a goodbye brunch. We went all out and ordered a ton of food! I was craving some eggs, so I got the salmon scramble. Cashew and Vivmuk both went for the biscuits with gravy and poached eggs. Cashew chose bacon on the side, and Vivmuk chose sausage. We all shared a peanut butter toast, one of the specials that day, and the cheesy grits. Oh, they also brought out some complementary cranberry-lemon crumb cake and cranberry-pecan mini muffins. I loved the tartness of the crumb cake, but wasn't a huge fan of the muffins.

My favorite thing at Radial was definitely the peanut butter toast. The toast itself was challah bread that was so so soft and stringy. When you tried to cut it, you could see the different layers separate very nicely. But the thing that made this toast incredible was the peanut butter sauce on top. It must have had a pretty generous amount of butter in it because it was very smooth and deep in flavor :) It reminded me a little of the caramel sauce that comes with the sweet potato pancakes at Highland Bakery, but without the pecans...

I had never been a fan of biscuits and gravy, but I LOVED them at Radial. I love each component separately, but whenever I had them together before, the biscuits got soggy and unpleasant to eat. But somehow, the biscuits at Radial had a strong, but not tough, crust that prevented the moisture from the gravy from getting into the biscuit. So each bite consisted of buttery bread and really really delicious gravy. Seriously, that was some of the most flavorful gravy I have ever tasted!

Actually, the main dish I liked the least was my scramble. I wish I had traded it for some of those delicious biscuits :P There was nothing wrong with the scramble, really... It just wasn't as flavorful as the other things at the table. The only flavor that stood out was the salmon, so the dish was overly fishy. Even the presence of sun-dried tomatoes, something I love, couldn't redeem the dish.

Finally, I liked the grits even less. I might even say that I disliked them. There is something about grits, but I was never a huge fan. The only place where I kind of liked them was at Murphy's in the shrimp and grits dish. I think it's how plain they taste anywhere else. Even adding cheese couldn't help. Yes, I did taste the cheese, but it was like eating cheese with a really weird texture. Plus, the grits cooled down and congealed very quickly, making them even less pleasant to eat.

Well, there were definitely some hits and misses at Radial, but the misses were because of my personal preferences and not the quality of the cooking. I will be happy to go back, maybe try the dinner menu next time. Or go for breakfast/brunch again and enjoy some more of their awesome food and coffee :) Btw, I don't think the coffee at any other place had been memorable enough to be mentioned, but the coffee at Radial is amazing!

Along the Pacific coast

California might be best known for its cities like LA and San Francisco, but the culture of the state is best experienced in the small towns dotting the coast. They can be located on either precariously steep hills or on quiet bays, but they all have the same atmosphere. Sea life and organic local food are everywhere. Even popular tourist attraction like Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea still manage to retain their original California style. However, finding a place to eat in places where tourists need a quick and rich meal can prove to be hard.

That was the case again in Monterey. If you stay in the downtown area (Canary Row), which I had to do, all of your options are Italian restaurants or places like Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. So what should a person do when they want good seafood that's not slathered with Alfredo sause? The answer, surprisingly, is eat at the C Restaurant at the InterContinental hotel in downtown Monterey. It was located right at the bay, so I had a good view of the open ocean from my table. Plus, it was one of the few places where I didn't have to wait for a table. To start my meal, I was brought complementary warm rosemary bread and goat cheese butter. The bread was amazing. I love any type of warm bread, but the aroma from the rosemary made it so much better. I was also curious about the goat cheese butter. Was it supposed to taste like goat cheese? Sadly, it didn't. It tasted like regular butter to me.

For my brunch, I was trying to decide between two dishes with seafood: shrimp frittata and crab huevos rancheros. I finally decided to get the frittata, partly because it had that goat cheese that the butter made me crave. I was quite disappointed in the frittata. First, it didn't have as much shrimp as I was hoping it would. In addition, it came with a topping of chip strips. I assume they were house-made, but the strips tasted just like Lay's chips. On the bright side, the goat cheese had lemon zest in it and gave the whole dish a fresh citrus tang.

Later that day, we arrived in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Unlike Monterey, there was a large selection of restaurants that seemed nice in terms of both food and ambiance. My problem here, though, was that we didn't have much time. I ended up eating in a French bakery because the desserts at the counter looked too enticing to resist. I again was started off with warm bread, but this time it was simple white bread. The butter was not any different than butter you can get from a grocery store. Thankfully, I gad ordered the baked Brie with red onion and balsamic vinegar marinade which I used to pair with the good bread. The marinade was sweet and acidic at the same time. It had a unique taste that I really liked and that went great with the plain bread. The Brie was also good, but I think I prefer it fresh, not baked. As I mentioned, the desserts looked great, so I got a coconut creme pie to go (not pictured). It contained a thin custard layer, a much thicker meringue layer, and a top layer of toasted coconut. It was really rich tasting, and a great indulgence at the end of my tour of the California central coast.


My goal for the day had been to get some great fresh seafood, hopefully caught close to where I was eating. At the end, I had just a few tiny shrimp in my frittata at lunch. I did enjoy what I ate, but my craving for seafood still remains to be sated.

Brunch the French way

French culture and cuisine seems to have a huge influence on San Francisco. There are countless of bakeries everywhere in town - from small neighborhood cafes to popular chains. Luckily, the majority of them serve delicious authentic food. The only bad thing is that I can't possibly try all the places I want to go to...

Well, the most obvious choice if you can go to only one bakery in San Francisco is La Boulange. It is a chain with several restaurants around the city, but the location I go to is the one in Cole Valley. This location offers typical bakery a-la-carte fare like croissants, quiches, turnovers and macarons, and it also has a made-to-order menu. I first tried La Boulange last year. On my last day there, I ordered the Fantastic French Toast. I was expecting a traditional French toast because nothing from the menu description suggests otherwise. But WOW! The French toast at La Boulange is seriously the best thing I have tasted in my life, at any restaurant, for any kind of meal. I couldn't go back there this year and taste it again.

So what makes the French toast so special? Well, it does comes in a round shape, but other than that it has a pretty much nondescript experience. But once you bite into it, you notice a flavor that's familiar, but yet it seems like it doesn't come from a traditional toast. After a little bit of thinking, you might realize that it tastes like creme brulee! Yes, that's right. And if you look carefully, you'll see that there is an egg custard layer beneath the toast itself. The combination of the creamy custard and the egg-soaked toast makes for a truly heavenly taste.

La Boulange is known for its macarons, which are supposedly the best macarons outside of France. I've tried several flavors so far, including chocolate, lemon, walnut, and raspberry mango (not pictured). They were fresh and did have just the perfect texture. However, the flavor wasn't as intense as I would have liked it to be. For example, I wish the lemon macarons were more lemony and that I could distinguish any kind of individual flavor rather than an overall fruity flavor in the mango raspberry macaron.

I'm a huge granola fan, so I also tried the granola at La Boulange (not pictured). I got mine with yogurt, which was the best part of the dish. It was very thick and sour, just like I like it. There are other items that I want to try, so I will definitely be going back there :)

Another French place that I had brunch at was La Terrasse at the Presidio park. The location of the restaurant was great. I had my brunch while looking at the Golden Gate Bridge on a sunny, warm day. I ordered the Brie, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes omelet, which was great. The cheese was perfectly melted, but not overpowering. There was a lot more spinach than I have seen in any omelet before, so I was able to get my daily serving of veggies :) My only disappointment is that the sun-dried tomatoes didn't stand out too much and were hard to find in the omelet.

You always wonder whether an international place here is as good as it would be in its country of origin. There were French people sitting close to me at both La Boulange and La Terrasse, and that to me is the best stamp of approval for a place.

Sun in My Belly

This is yet another place with a unique name that deserves to be the name of a post. Plus, the name exemplifies how you feel after you eat there :)

Sun in My Belly is a brunch spot in Decatur that is far away from the square and other popular spots, thus it had escaped my attention until now. I went there recently with Little Richie after he found out about my obsession with brunch food. Their menu featured all the standard brunch items, plus a good number of sandwiches. I didn’t even look at the sandwich list this time, but maybe I’ll try them some other time. My attention this time was grabbed by the omelet special: sun-dry tomato and cheddar cheese omelet. I ordered it with a side of hashed potatoes. The omelet was really good. First, it was the right size, so I was actually able to finish it. Second, there was just the right amount of gooey cheese in it. Finally, I loved the homestyle potatoes that were prepared with red and green bell peppers and onions. Plus, the potatoes held their shape well, rather than become disintegrated from overcooking which I’ve seen with other home fries.

Little Richie’s breakfast was the Kirkwood Special which included scrambled eggs, ­­­­­­­­­­a biscuit, and bacon. The scrambled eggs were infused with onion/chives flavor without any discernible pieces of onions/chives. In addition, they were quite creamy without you seeing stretchy cheese when you got a piece. Overall, they were really tasty. The bacon was much thicker than any other bacon I’ve seen. (I must admit, though, I don’t usually order bacon and don’t have much experience with it.) On the negative side, it wasn’t as crispy as I like my bacon to be. I didn’t try the biscuit, but it looked delicious as well.

The food at Sun in My Belly definitely made my belly happy. But there were other little things that put my mind in a good mood as well. First of all, I already mentioned that I love the name. In addition, each table had a little vase with a live carnation in it. Having live flowers around me always makes me happy. Finally, I liked the laid-back atmosphere of the place and that it was away from the bustle of most other brunch spots. I will definitely be going back there.

Persistence pays off

Last time MissChris and I tried to go to Ria's Bluebird for brunch, we ended up going somewhere else because of the long wait. Well, we gave up that one time, but we were determined to go back and we did. This time we went on a non-holiday weekend at 10 am and had no problem in getting a table. It turns out that there are more tables around the corner of the main dining room. Those tables are set up on a covered patio that includes a little fountain!!! The patio itself is set with slated stone, so it's really pretty. By the way, the cover was really appreciated on that hot Atlanta day when the humidity was already oppressive at 10 am.

The menu of Ria's is not very extensive, but it offers a good variety" from Mexican breakfast classics like huevos to granola to pancakes. I ordered the daily special omelet with cremini mushrooms and Gruyere cheese. The omelet was nice and cheesy, but the cheese wasn't overpowering. I would usually like this, but in this case I was wishing I had more of the Gruyere  because I love it so much :) Overall, I can't say anything else negative about the omelet. On the flip side, I don't have outstanding praises for it either. The omelet came with a yummy toasted biscuit, ham, and a sweet potato cake. I have nothing to say about the ham except that it tasted like ham... The sweet potato cake, however, was pretty good. It had nutmeg in it, so I got a nice feeling of the Christmas season during the hot summer :)

A friend of mine who had been to Ria's before recommended the buttermilk pancakes with caramelized bananas. That's what MissChris ordered for her breakfast. I was really curious to try them, so I placed an order to go. They made for a great lunch later that day. They were light and fluffy. However, I wasn't that impressed with the bananas, so I wished I hadn't spent the money to have them as an add on.

Need my brunch!

In case I haven't mentioned it already, breakfast food is my favorite type of food. However, I'm not a morning person, so for 90% of the time I settle for cereal and soymilk. Well, there's nothing wrong with that because I love cereal as well. My current favorite is the Kashi Go Lean Crisp cereal. Not too sweat and very tasty!

But enough with the tangents. I love brunch because I get to enjoy breakfast food at a later time in the day. I have tried so many brunch places around town already, but my favorite so far is Murphy's in the Highlands. Another place that is supposed to be very good is Ria's Bluebird in Decatur. So on Mother's Day weekend, MissCriss, a friend of mine who shares my passion for brunch, and I decided to try Ria's. We got there early, to beat the Mother's Day brunch crowd. Well, by the time we got there, there was a huge line and a long wait. By the way, the place inside is pretty small, so that must contribute to the long wait times. We didn't feel like standing out for an hour, so we decided to go somewhere else instead. The place of choice was The Parrish, a Cajun-style restaurant in Inman Park also known for its brunch. Unlike at Ria's, the space at The Parrish is amazing, and we were seated right away. It's very spacious, on two floors, with a market downstairs, and decorated in an old plantation house style. It's very rustic and elegant. They also have an nice patio with leather armchairs, but all table there were taken :(

Now back to the food... I ordered the Parish Benedict, which was really tasty. Interestingly, the best part of the dish for me was the spinach. The beef was very tender, but was a little plain. On the bright side, the hash browns were seasoned perfectly in terms of salt.

I think I need bring up Murphy's again because this is the place that's come closes so far to having the best brunch. While I like the space at The Parrish better, the food at Murphy's in undoubtedly superior. The brunch menu at The Parrish wasn't as exhaustive as the one at Murphy's, but they had most of the classics: granola, pancakes, eggs benedict, American-style breakfast. One thing missing was any type of fritatta. I also missed the little things that Murphy's does at The Parrish, for example the free pastries they give you before you get your order. Can't beat free stuff ;) However, I'm having lots of fun trying new places to see if I can find something better than Murphy's :)