brunch at The Source

image uploaded by andrew.deci on Flickr

I was recently invited to The Source to try out their new-ish Saturday brunch; this had been on my list since they announced the new offering this summer, but travels and busy weekend schedules had prevented me from getting there until now.  So I was obviously very excited to get the invitation on a weekend I was in town and without brunch plans.  To ensure that we got a bit of everything they have to offer, the chef sent a sampling of several items before our entrees came, so I left very full but excited for a return trip.  I will do my best to summarize everything, but keep in mind that the menu is regularly changed to highlight seasonal foods and new items that the chef is experimenting with.

I’ll start with the drinks, and a disclaimer.  No, I did not even come close to finishing everything put in front of me! The Source offers three Bloody Mary’s: The Classic, the Shanghai (extra spicy), and The District (with Old Bay).  They wanted us to see how these are constructed in their full glory, so they sent out three full-sized drinks for each of us.  This, understandably, led to some amusing looks from people walking into the restaurant.  Due to the fact that I’m a light weight and had a full afternoon ahead of me (meaning no time for a Bloody-Mary-induced nap), I tasted all three but only finished one.  My favorite was The District, but everyone at the table seemed to pick different ones as their favorites.

On to the food.  I have always shied away from Dim Sum for breakfast — I tend to gravitate toward traditional breakfast items, and Chinese food doesn’t seem to call my name in the mornings — but after this and my experience at Cafe Atlantico, I am officially a convert.  The chef sent out an order of the Dim Sum platter for us to split, and I couldn’t get enough.

The selection is changed regularly, but this is the list we were treated to:

• Crystal Garlic Chive Dumplings, King Crab, Kurobuta Pork, Chinese Mustard
• Organic Chicken & Wild Field Mushroom Dumplings, Shishito Peppers
• “Tiny Dumplings” Pork Belly, Black Vinegar, Chili Oil, Ginger, Cilantro Leaves
• Scallop & Shrimp Sui Mai with Shanghai Curry Lobster-Uni Emulsion
• Vietnamese Style Springrolls, Crawfish, Pork, Nuoc Mam
• Szechuan Chili Dan Dan Dumplings, Crushed Peanut, Cilantro
• Lobster Springrolls, Honey Ten Spice Dipping sauce

After the Dim Sum, the chef sent out a taste of the steak and eggs — a small piece of juicy steak on top of a couple of hand-cut fries with a quail egg on top, and garlic dipping sauce on the side. Fantastic.  I’m not sure how big the full-sized platter is — likely more than I could eat in one seating — but it was delicious.  Another dish that I would quickly return for — this one from their lunch menu — is the creamy seven onion soup with bacon confit.  They had me at “bacon confit.”

On to the rest of the menu: I was kind of too full at this point but we had already placed our orders.  Out of choices of an omelet, eggs and sausage, or French Toast, I went with the French Toast thinking it would be a good sweet dessert to my entree.  It was good but not amazing compared to everything else we had been eating.  I think that’s the trick with places like this — branch out if you want to be impressed.

Another benefit I want to point out: admission to the Newseum is only $7 with the purchase of a three-course lunch ($28/person).  The Newseum is one of my favorite museums in town and considering regular admission is $20, this sounds like a great deal to me!