So yeah, I’ve been slacking on the reviews here lately due to some busy projects at work and at TheHillisHome.com.  But in my spare time I have been working on some new header banners, and building out new brunch guide lists (by neighborhood, Saturday vs Sunday, etc), so I think it’s all worth it.  They aren’t ready to be published quite yet but they are coming!  Take a look — I hope you like it!

I immediately recognized most of the places featured, but there were a few restaurant I have never heard of, such as MGM Roast Beef on Brentwood Road, which has been around for 20 years.  I’ve driven past this place more times than I can count but never thought to stop; had I known about their breakfast, I would come in have long ago.

I was a bit disappointed in their top “Capitol Hill” breakfast spots — Bistro Bis and Art and Soul — which aren’t really ON the Hill.  We have a number of greasy spoons in the neighborhood that I know, for a fact, are frequented by some top policy makers who call the Hill home.  But the documentary is only an hour, so plenty of things were bound to be left on the cutting room floor.

The breakfast spots that the documentary does feature are:

• Art and Soul
• Bistro Bis
• Café Atlántico
• Café Aurora
• Choupi Crepe Cart
• Chutzpah
• Corcoran Gallery of Art
• The Diner
• District Taco
• Florida Avenue Grill
• The Grille
• Kafe Leopold + Konditorei
• Kellari Taverna
• Lafayette Room
• The Mansion on O Street
• MGM Roast Beef
• Mosaic Cuisine and Café
• Poste Moderne Brasserie
• Seasons
• Tabard Inn
• Vaso’s Kitchen
• Virginia Kitchen
• Volt

Fun fact I learned about the Lafayette Room at the Hay Adams (one of the most amazing breakfasts you’ll ever have…but best when someone else is paying): theirs was the first dining room in the city to be air conditioned.  I was particularly glad to see a few of my favorites included: Florida Avenue Grill, Tabbard Inn, Seasons (expensive but also the quintessential location for a true DC power breakfast), and Lafayette Room. That selection is a good mix of upscale and divey, expensive, moderate, and wonderfully affordable.  It’s a bit of everything that DC has to offer.

The special will air on Monday, October 4 at 9 pm, and will be available for viewing on WETA’s website after the airing.  You can watch WETA TV 26 over the air on channel 26.4, and on Comcast 26 and 267, Cox 26 and 802, Dish 8076, FiOS 26 and 471, and RCN 164.

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!

I met a friend for brunch last weekend and wanted to pick a place with a nice patio that was half way between our houses.  Georgetown seemed perfect, and the waterfront even better on such a gorgeous morning.  So we decided to give Farmers and Fishers a try, even though it has a buffet, which I am generally very wary of.  But on the Georgetown waterfront, it’s your best best.  The tables line the large center fountain just off of the boardwalk, and on a sunny Sunday morning, it’s the perfect place to start your day.

After we sat down and took at look over the menu, which explained the buffet layout and drink options, we were led inside to serve ourselves.  At first glance it was a beautiful and appetizing-looking buffet.  French toast, grits, bacon, salad, chicken, fish, a carving station, pastries — the works.  I even had hope when I saw that they served eggs benedict one at a time instead of leaving the eggs out for too long to get dry and cold.  But, alas, the toast was hard as a rock, leaving the rest of the eggs benedict tasting disappointing. The rest of the food was your typical brunch-quality — not all that memorable.   Except for the goat-cheese ravioli.  That was actually quite delicious.

While the food wasn’t memorable, it wasn’t bad either, and we were in no rush to ask for our check.  And our waiter was certainly not rushing us.  I was enjoying the fountain-side seating and the ability to go back for more pastries while enjoying another mimosa.  And sometimes good company, a nice view, and a plate full of breakfast food is all you really need to start your morning off right.

That’s what’s nice about brunch, it’s more than a bowl of cereal, and more than a cure for your common breakfast. (Mad Men, anyone?)

First off, if you have not yet been to the Biergarten Haus and sat at one of the many outdoor tables, you’re missing out.  They have a large tent set up, as well as large umbrellas over another section of tables, so the outside can be comfortably used rain or shine.  And as for the beer — yes, it’s a bit on the pricey side but that’s because you’re getting a great selection of German beers offered in many sizes, including the large liter stein.  And for an added bonus, there are large screens set up outside playing the big games, which will make the Biergarten a great choice during football season. 

Now onto the food and what you can expect from brunch at a place best known for German Beer.  Schnitzle with eggs, of course.  I did not order this but one of my friends was kind enough to let me sample her’s.  It was good but not my thing.  If you like schnitzle though, which my friend definitely does, you will like this dish.  I took the safe route and ordered two eggs with home fries and bacon.  I know, very unadventurous but I knew I would be able to try plenty of other things since I was with a large group.  Other non-German options included blueberry pancakes, which were quite yummy, and a fruit cup, which was perfect for all of the kids in our group.  No one tried the German Ham and Emmentaler omelet but it sounded pretty tasty and I do think I’ll order it on my next visit.

If you’d rather stick with something a bit more traditionally German, there is also sausage platter as well as Geraucherte Fishplatte (some sort of fish plate with picked red onions) and Gurensalat (cucumbers and onions in a dill vinaigrette).

For beer, we were encouraged to try the Gaffel Kolsch, a lighter and more carbonated beer that they liked to say was their version of a mimosa.  I’m not sure I’d agree that it’s like a mimosa but it was very refreshing on a hot morning.  At some point a few people choose to order the sampling of beers — a carousel of .5L beers starting with their lightest and progressing to their darker options.  If you like your German beers, and you like tasting a variety of them, I highly recommend this.  Just build in time for a nap when you are done.

So while a straight-up German brunch may never be my thing, Biergarten Haus’ menu is a great choice for the football season or for anyone who really loves a lot of beer with their breakfast.  Considering my love for mimosas, you know I’m not passing judgment there!

image uploaded by iandavid on Flickr

This is the toughest question I get, as well as the one I am most frequently asked.  There are a lot of great brunches in this town that all offer different things in terms of atmosphere, bottomless brunch specials, creativity on the menu and just good old reliability.  So what can make a place “the best?” While I try to figure out how I would answer that — because I am really torn — go over to WTOP and nominate your favorite.  They will then let visitors vote on a list of the top nominees.  (So far, I am thoroughly unimpressed with the suggestions in the comments so I’d love to see my readers add to the list!)

From my favorite bookmarks: 100 Ways to Use a Strip of Bacon, from Endless Simmer.

Okay, so aside from the poor planning on my part?  The food was very good and we were all fairly pleased with our orders.  The menu is comprised of standard brunch dishes, along with a range of lunch-type items — so whether you’re craving pancakes or a Rueben, you should find something that will hit the spot.

I ordered the Chesapeake Benedict, which had a perfectly poached egg on lightly cooked crabcake.  My friends got the traditional Eggs Benedict (although it is served on a biscuit instead of an English muffin), and the French toast, giving both dishes good reviews.

While the food is good and covered exactly what you could want on a weekend morning, I do think it’s a bit over-priced.  The French Toast and pancakes are both $12 and the eggs Benedict is $14 — not anything to balk at — but any other egg dish is $16-$19.  Even the Continental Breakfast — granola, toast and juice or coffee – is $16.

Despite the food being a bit expensive, I would recommend and go back to Art and Soul for their great patio.  And I would definitely recommend it as a great place to bring your dog along.  They even offer a special menu for dogs which includes steak, beef tips, puppy cakes, frozen raw bones, homemade dog treats, and much more.  Doggie-safe drinks are $3 and $4 (water is free), and snacks are all $5 each, except for the $8 “Hungry Dawg,” which is a 6oz grilled steak.  My friend Nichole recently took her dog to happy hour at Art & Soul and reviewed it for The Hill is Home (where I am also a contributor).

So as soon as the temperature dips below 90 degrees again, grab your dog and enjoy a brunch on a lovely patio.  You can then work off those calories wandering the Capitol Lawn or the Mall.

I feel like Firefly is often forgotten when people ask for restaurant or bar recommendations around Dupont Circle since it’s a few blocks off of the circle and is in the first floor of a hotel. But being only a few short blocks off the busier streets makes it a great choice for a slightly quieter brunch with little or no line.

The best part about brunching with a large group is that you get to try more things on the menu. I ordered the Green Eggs and Ham, a spinach quiche with gruyere and ham. It was definitely very green, almost too much so. But one bite and I was pleased — the crust was wonderfully light and flaky, and the cheese and spinach were delicious.

Pop’s French Toast was very good although a bit too sweet — it was made of small slices of challah bread, which mad eit easy to share, and was topped with apple raisin compote. We weren’t sure what to expect with Snake Eyes, which was described as two sift cooked eggs in a bread basket. Did your parents ever cut a hole in your toast and cook an egg in the center? That’s essentially what it was, and I had forgotten how good eggs are cooked that way!

The strangest thing on the menu was definitely the Elvis Sandwich — a peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwich with maple-honey on pan-fried challah bread. I did not get to try this one but I was told by someone who has had it that it’s a creative idea but best to be ordered as a dish for everyone to sample for the fun of it, otherwise it’s just too much sugar for just one person.

The menu also includes eggs benedict, oatmeal, a burger, Italian sausage, a BLT and an array of standard breakfast sides. Bloody Marys are only $3 on Saturdays, and mimosas are only $1 on Sundays, so show up thirsty!