Tag: brunch

Café Hollander

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One of the great things about blogging about restaurants is that I get the opportunity to meet up with friends while enjoying a meal. Holly and I hadn’t seen each other in a while and I had introduced her to Café Hollander a year ago when we went there to celebrate me receiving my M.B.A. This restaurant is located at Hilldale Mall and originated from Milwaukee. I was so happy it opened in Madison because I loved having brunch there when visiting friend. I hope they bring back the jalapeno biscuits my friends had raved about because I never got to try it.

It was cold the morning we met up so I ordered the White Chocolate Raspberry Mocha. I love the fact that they serve it with a piece of Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares. You cannot go wrong with this coffee, which has a shot of espresso and liqueurs, Bols Crème de Cacao and Van Gogh Vanilla vodka, mixed with white chocolate, raspberry maple syrup, and steamed milk. Let’s just say it was a good way to warm up and start my day. My waiter had forgotten the Ghirardelli, so of course, I asked for it.

It was a sweet kind of breakfast day for me. I ordered the Cinnamon Streusel French Toast. I wished it came with some type of protein because honestly, who wants to eat just sweets for breakfast. Not me. I ordered eggs over medium, breakfast potatoes, and bacon on the side. Now that’s a meal. I love French toast and it was delicious. I loved how thick the slices were and the whipped butter. I love maple syrup and it paired perfectly with the cinnamon streusel.

I don’t recall what Holly ordered but it was either the Traditional Eggs Benedict or Brewcity Benedict. She loves Eggs Benedict just like me. It was great catching up with her while enjoying a delicious breakfast. This is a must try place if you are into brunch as much as my friends and I are.

https://cafehollander.com/

Marigold Kitchen

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I had a Friday off since I was traveling for work on Sunday. That morning I woke up hungry as usual and decided to take Jeremiah and Francesca to brunch at Marigold Kitchen. It’s one of my favorite places for brunch in Madison. I wanted my siblings have great experience like I have in the past. Luckily, it wasn’t busy. We were able to place our order and find an empty table. My brother got the Granola Pancakes special and my sister the Pumpkin Buckwheat Pancakes. I ordered the Chili Poached Eggs and Hazelnut Mocha Latte.

Of course, I had to try each of their pancakes. I had one bite of the Granola Pancakes and OMG it was heaven. It had the perfect amount of sweetness, cinnamon, and butter – light and fluffy. I wished I had ordered it and I am not a huge pancake person. The Pumpkin Buckwheat Pancakes were good but it could not compete with the Granola Pancakes. The pumpkin flavor was very prominent but it lack the sweetness. Then again, my sister doesn’t appreciate syrup as much as I do.

I took a bite out of my dish and was disappointed by the poached eggs. They were poached in a dish and not freely in water, which you could tell by the shape, and were overdone. The prosciutto that the eggs were on top of was delicious but since it was on the bottom, didn’t do much to add flavor to the dish nor did the manchego cheese. The chili pepper flakes were sparse. In all, it was not horrible but not great either.

I did enjoy my Hazelnut Mocha Latte, which was served in a nice big mug with the leave design on top. The experience wasn’t what I wanted for my siblings. I don’t think Francesca was too impressed after my rave of how great it was. If it wasn’t for my brother’s pancake choice it would have been a bust going to Marigold Kitchen. However, I will still maintain that it is one of my favorite places for brunch because of the atmosphere and past meals I’ve had.

http://marigoldkitchen.com

The National Cafe

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I debated whether I should write a revue on this restaurant because I was not impressed. The National Cafe is located in Milwaukee. I met up with a few friends for brunch there. My friend, Sarah, is vegan, so we are always trying to find restaurants that offer vegan options. I showed up exhausted from the night before and was starving for food. I was surprised I was able to make the drive in the morning for brunch at noon. We were fashionably late due to getting my best friend’s, Nicole, little one ready while Sarah had already placed her order so that she could snatch a table when one became available.

The menu looked amazing. I knew I wanted breakfast but had a hard time deciding then settled on the Ulitimate Breakfast Sandwich. I placed my order and had to get the chocolate chip cookie. I ate it while waiting for a seat and was sad that it was almost rock like. It was freshly baked that day and one of the main reasons I got it, yet it was surprisingly a pretty stiff cookie. I don’t mind cookies that aren’t chewy and soft but it lacked sweetness in the dough, which didn’t make up for how tough it was eat. Regardless, I ate three quarters of it; I was hungry.

It took a while for us to get our food. When we did, I took a bite out of my sandwich and it was flavorless. I chose bacon as my meat choice and even that was lacking. It was also filled with caramelized onions, fried eggs, avocado, and olive tapenade. Even with all that no real flavor. The sourdough was too stiff from being toasted that I felt I was eating something charred just without the taste and the sauce was nonexistence. It’s sriracha mayo and usually noticeable. The name sure fooled me. The only thing I enjoyed was the fresh fruit it was served with. My orange juice wasn’t that good either. I don’t think any of us were thrilled with our meals. The restaurant was super cute inside but I don’t think I will be going back.

http://www.nationaleats.com

Monty’s Blue Plate Diner

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I’ve always loved this place. I think it’s because of their boozy shakes haha. Anyway, I ended up taking my mentee here for dinner. We had originally planned to go ice skating at Tenney Park but it was dark and freezing outside. I think dinner was a better idea. I asked her if there was any place that she would like to go. She couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant but after asking a few questions, I knew exactly which restaurant she was talking about: Monty’s.

I love the old school feel of the diner and how the first thing you see when you walk in is the desserts. It was busy for a Thursday night so we had to wait until they could clear off a table. All I could talk about was what dessert I was going to get. I was eyeing the Reese’s Cheesecake while waiting. When we were seated, we both examined the drink menu thoroughly before placing our order. She got an Oreo Shake and I got the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Shake.

We spent most of the time catching up since we hadn’t seen each other since November. Luckily, we both were able to decide on what to order even though we had been chatting the whole time. I ordered the Ultimate Mac & Cheese and she ordered the Corned Beef Hash. For some reason, I really wanted a hefty meal even though I had Chinese buffet for lunch that day. Mac and cheese sounded like it was going to hit the spot, especially since it was made out of sharp cheddar cheese and was topped with Parmesan and Asiago – yum!

We received our shakes and the stainless steel cup with the excess in it. It is literally another serving. The first sip was to die for so I took a big gulp. My shake had vanilla and strawberry ice cream from Sassy Cow and was topped with chocolate syrup. The wafer that is put on top of the whip cream was delicious – honestly, one of the reasons why I love their shakes. It was a great combination of chocolate and strawberry. I finished it all including what was in the cup and had no room for dessert.

Our meals actually made it to our table before our shakes did. I was disappointed with my first bite since I was expecting an explosion of flavors because of the cheeses that is used to make the mac and cheese. Overall, it was solid. The garlic bread served on the side was a bit burnt and was not as garlicy as I would like. It was also not cut evenly so one half was bulkier than the other which did not help the butter soak into the larger half. As for the Corned Beef Hash, it tasted good. I have never had it before but it seemed like you could do no wrong in ordering it. Moreover, my mentee finished it so it must have been good.

This diner is inviting and has awesome shakes. It is a great place to come for breakfast anytime of the day or for brunch. It is definitely a place worth checking out. And did I say they have awesome shakes? So if you like milkshakes or malts check it out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, even if your meal isn’t phenomenal, the shake will win you over.

https://montysblueplatediner.com

 

Heritage Tavern

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A couple weekends ago, I met friends for brunch at the Heritage Tavern before we went to see Rent at the Overture Center. I love brunch and was ecstatic when my friend, Nhi, suggested a new restaurant. I had walked by the restaurant several times before and never knew the name of it. Like most restaurants downtown, it was busy. However, it didn’t take long for us to get our table, but maybe that had more to do with the fact that I was late. I barely had a sip of my drink before we were escorted to our seats.

When going through the menu, I automatically knew what I would get. My rule of thumb for determining whether a restaurant has good brunch is how good its eggs Benedict is. If a restaurant cannot make decent eggs Benedict, it will probably be the last time I go there for brunch. Of course, that was what I ordered.

The Classic Eggs Benedict was plated beautifully when it came out. The eggs were poached and hollandaise consistency looked perfect. The rosti potato wasn’t what I expected it to be since the potato was not grated. What did I think when I took my first bite? It was good. Not great, unfortunately. I liked the “Old-Fashioned” ham and thought the hollandaise sauce was good. I prefer my hollandaise sauce with a bit more lemon than most people do. The eggs were poached exactly the way I like it – the yolk runny with a bit of pasty texture. The rosti potato was not crispy enough and needed more seasoning.

I also ordered the Donuts & Espresso-Coffee Ganache and yes, I did share them. They were delicious and absolutely divine as it was stated several times after brunch. The donuts had the perfect texture that was not too dense or light, and had the right amount of sugar. The espresso-coffee ganache sauce balanced the sweetness of the donut.

Nhi ordered the Lobster Scramble. I had a bite of it and OMG it was good. Honestly, I could have ate it for her. The croissant that came with it was huge. I will definitely order it the next time I go there for brunch. The House Cut Fries ordered for the table were delicious, especially with house ketchup and chili aioli. It was a great starter even for brunch. The feel of the restaurant was perfect for meeting friends for brunch and the donuts definitely increased the chance that I will be going back.

http://heritagetavern.com/