Burrito Beach or Brunch Blanket Bingo

The Slow and Savory Review

Now that the fall weather has started to settle in, Brandy has been coming out of her humidity imposed exile and doing a bit more walking about these days.  She loves a good walk, whether its down by the lake front, through the latest fashionable food hall, or best of all, on the bustling streets of downtown.  "There's nothing quite like a relaxing stroll through the city, listening to the conversations of passersby, helping confused tourists, doing a little window shopping, and petting lots of doggies out for their own evening constitutional," as Brandy explains.

One of a her recent walks took her past a corner in Streeterville she had been by many times, but hadn't taken much notice of until now.  There Burrito Beach, a fast casual Mexican restaurant, stood proudly, proclaiming its menu included fresh and healthy dishes along side gourmet signature burritos.  "I've always been rather skeptical of these burrito type places," said Brandy, "But seeing as how this one is Chicago based, perhaps its worth a shot.  It also just happens to be the brunching hour!"

The meal started off with traditional chips and guacamole.  These chips, however, were rather special, as they had been made in house and fried fresh for a crispy texture and true corn flavor.  Along with the guac, there was a nice abundance of salsas of varying heat levels to cater to every tolerance level.  This mix of salsas also came into play in the Loaded Nachos, using the same homemade chips along with char grilled chicken, various cheeses, sour cream, beans, pickled red onion, corn, and crispy cabbage.  Brandy was a big fan of these nachos, which were more loaded with veggies than cheese for a fresher version of a typically heavy dish, and she especially liked the zing the pickled onions gave to each bite.

Next up, Brandy sampled a selection of tacos with shrimp, ground beef, and brisket fillings.  The corn tortillas used had a great flavor that added to the experience rather than just serving as a vessel for the taco fillings.  The shrimp was Brandy's least favorite of the three as she found the salsa served on top of it overwhelmed the flavor.  The ground beef was good with a pretty typical taco spice to it which went well with the creamy guacamole.  The brisket was Brandy's choice for the most flavorful, being tender and well spiced, with a nice little tang added by some more pickled red onions.

Moving on to some of the healthier options, Brandy sampled the Quinoa Salad.  This was no typical salad filled with chopped carrots and tomatoes over a bed of lettuce, but rather a bowl full of fresh and sauted veggies like corn, beans, zucchini, peppers, onions, and avocado, all combined with a organic quinoa for a delightful mix of textures.  "For such a healthy salad, I have to say that it's rather filing," Brandy commented.  Also from the healthier and vegetarian side of the menu was the Goat Cheese and Black Bean burrito.  Brandy found this burrito absolutely delicious with its mix of grilled veggies, creamy goat cheese, black beans, and wonderfully spiced red rice all wrapped up in a warm spinach tortilla.  "I would have been happy with all the veggie in here," Brandy commented, "But that creamy core of goat cheese just puts it over the top.  This is one of those vegetarian dishes that could please even the staunchest carnivore!"

Speaking of carnivores, Brandy's last dish was the current special, an amalgamation of several Mexican favorites combined into something known at the Sirloin Steak Super Quesa-Zilla.  This crispy delight combined char grilled steak, a spicy and smokey ketchup cut with chipotle peppers, more guacamole, jack cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and best of all, more crispy tortilla chips on the inside.  The slightly sweet and smokey ketchup really set off the steak, especially when combined with a lick of sour cream, and the fresh veggies and chips made for the perfect and most satisfying kind of crunch.  "Never mind what I said about the vegetarian burrito," said Brandy, "This is the kind of thing that would have a vegetarian questioning their life choices."  Brandy finally concluded her meal with a selection of charming, freshly baked cookies.

There were a lot of things to love about Burrito Beach, from the fact that everything was made fresh and in house to the fact that the menu was infinitely customizable, to the locally sourced, high quality ingredients and the outstanding menu prices which never seemed to go over $10 for any single item.  "This is just the kind of thing I like to see in a fast casual restaurant," said Brandy, "Proof that one doesn't need to spend pockets full of money or 2-3 hours in a sit down restaurant to enjoy good quality, healthy food."  Unfortunately, having eaten about half the menu in one sitting, as healthy as it was, seemed to have lessened Brandy's desire to continue her walk, so she packed up her left overs and hailed a cab home.

The writers of this blog were invited to dine by the restaurant free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

The Short and Sweet Review

Emilio's Tapas or Eggs-Tending a Helping Hand

The Slow and Savory Review

Brandy is always disturbed by the idea that there are people in this world who simply don't like brunch.  "How can one not love brunch?  It's like the greatest hits album of meals!" is often Brandy's declaration.  At this point, she has heard every counter argument in the book.  Brunch is over rated.  The service is bad.  The lines are too long.  It's nothing but hungover, inconsiderate people.  Well, maybe that's true in New York, but it certainly isn't in Chicago where, as Brandy has proved over the last 5 years, the brunch scene is a dynamic, budget friendly, foodie paradise where chefs are often allowed to experiment with recipes and formats a little more freely than they can at dinner service.  And, as Brandy recently discovered, brunch can even make a major difference in people's lives.

Brunch for a Cause started in San Diego as a group of young professionals who wanted to shine a light on some underfunded charities in their area.  The idea took off with events being held all over the country at various restaurants, all of whom worked closely with their Brunch Ambassadors to provide special deals and dishes to enjoy while benefiting scores of worthy causes.  It was only a matter of time before such a brilliant idea made its way to Chicago, and recently, Brandy was pleased to attend the inaugural event at Emilio's Tapas in Streeterville, which benefited Camp Kudzu.

As the day of the event was a beautifully mild summer day, Brandy did the rare thing of choosing a seat on the patio, which overlooked a quiet side street.  The special the restaurant had worked out for those dining with Brunch for a Cause was a shockingly inexpensive choice of four courses for $25, plus $20 more for unlimited select cocktails and wines.  Never one to turn down an option to make her brunch bottomless, Brandy went for the whole hog, so to speak ("It's for charity, after all," she justified to no one in particular), and decided on the Gipsy Rose (sic), a concoction of Spanish Cava, strawberry, and lemon that made for a bright, sweet, and effervescent treat all throughout the meal.

For the first course, Brandy chose the Queso de Carba con Nueces, some pecan coated goat cheese with honey, red wine poached pear, toast, greens, and grapes.  Such a straight forward dish could have easily had its presentation ignored, but Brandy appreciated the little bit of extra effort that had been put into plating it.  The rich, creamy goat cheese was a perfect match for the sweet pear, with the nuts providing a nice crunch.  Brandy could have done with a few more pieces of toast, but in the end she just mixed what was left of the cheese with the greens to make a nice little salad.

The next course was the Tostada a la Andaluz (which Brandy thought resembled more of a bruschetta) that was topped with some eggplant, beets, and more goat cheese.  The over all taste was actually a nice counterpoint to the previous dish, as this one had a slightly tangy, pickled flavor as well as an herbal finish.  The overall plate was very hearty, even for a dish meant to be shared, and could have easily made for a nice little lunch all on its own. "I'm not usually the biggest fan of eggplant," Brandy said, "But I do have to say that this is possibly the most colorful way I've seen a normally drab vegetable dressed up in quite some time."

For her protein, Brandy chose the Gambas a la Plancha, a row of grilled shrimp with lemon and garlic butter.  The shrimp were very tender and fresh with a wood-fired taste from the grill.  The garlic butter was wonderfully balanced, serving to enhance the shrimp, rather than overwhelm them.  They were so delicious that Brandy considered ordering a second plate of them, but by that point, even her tremendous appetite was beginning to wane under the weight of the previous dishes.

After a bit of a wait (the first three dishes had come out fairly quickly, though as they were tapas and meant to be shared, that perhaps wasn't so strange) the forth course finally arrived, a dessert not on the regular menu consisting of vanilla custard filled crepes with chocolate fudge sauce and sliced almonds.  The crepes had a lovely texture that was light and fluffy, but still thin and delicate, while the custard was thick and rich.  The chocolate sauce, while delicious, dominated the dish a little with its decadence, but the almonds were a nice little touch.

For the price, Brandy thought the amount and quality of food at Emilio's had been a brilliant value, and the fact that it had all been for the benefit of a worthy charity made it that much better.  Though the service had been a little patchy with the drink refills and there had been a long wait for the dessert and then the check, the attitude of the servers was relaxed and friendly.  "It was the thought of benefiting someone while I brunched that brought me here, but its truly the food that would bring me back," as Brandy put it.

Brunch for a Cause will be planning monthly events at restaurants all across Chicago, so make sure to like their Facebook Page to find out when and where the next one will be!

The Short and Sweet Review

The Local Chicago or Old Fashioned Conversation

The Slow and Savory Review

A few weeks ago when Bunny was in town for a brief stay, Brandy actually managed to not only get her out for some brunch, but also her husband Benedict.  "There'll actually be quite a few of us, if that's alright," Bunny had mentioned to Brandy, "We're both in Chicago so little that we're pulling in everyone we can."  "Not a problem, my dear," Brandy replied, "Now, what we need is a spot that's easy, comfortable, and accessible to everyone..."  "And remember, dear, not everyone is quite the gastronome such as yourself," Bunny said.  "So...a molecular gastronomy brunch is out of the question then?  Right, I'll see what I can do," Brandy mused.

Eventually, Brandy decided on The Local Chicago, a sister restaurant to Chicago Cut Steakhouse that used many of the same high quality ingredients in their dishes.  The Local, true to its name, was a very down home and simple space, decorated mainly with a rustic Americana theme in mind.  The space itself had lots of nooks and crannies to sit in, which Brandy rather liked, and the enclosed patio space was rather pretty as well.  Bunny's group of family and friends, including one particularly adorable young brunch fan who went by the name of Baby Bacon, were already gathered around a large table towards the back of the restaurant when Brandy arrived.

Though a buffet was on offer as well, everyone in the group chose to go a la carte.  Quickly, decisions were made and the table was filled with plates at a rapid pace.  Brandy was the only member of the party that had ordered a cocktail, as she just couldn't resist the lure of the Local Picnic, a strawberry and basil infused vodka concoction.  Brandy (and after a sip, Bunny agreed with her) thought the drink was extremely well balanced, not being too sweet, too astringent, or too herbaceous, but perfectly in the middle of all three with a nice citrusy zing to finish it off.  "This is the type of drink I wouldn't mind sipping all summer long," Brandy sighed, moving the martini glass away from Baby Bacon's grasping reach.

The savory entrees for the group included the Bacon Omelet, the Classic American Breakfast, the Prime Filet and Eggs, and the Lobster Benedict (no bonus points for guessing who ordered that!).  The omelette and classic breakfast were pretty standard, but done well, both with a nice smoky bacon and some somewhat fluffy eggs.  The Prime Filet, which was Brandy's entree, seemed to confuse her a little.  She had ordered the dish, which was by far the most expensive option on the menu, because the cut of meat provided was the same as was served at the sister steak house and was a little disappointed to see that the steak was a little on the small side, but cooked very well.  The two poached eggs it came with were oddly served undressed on the side in a small bowl, requiring Brandy to lift them up and place them on the steak herself.  The menu had also listed the dish as being served with hollandaise, but only a little ramekin of ketchup was supplied.  Bunny's dish was also a little underwhelming, as it seemed to be scoopfuls of undressed lobster simply placed on an English muffin and topped with more poached eggs, again neglecting the hollandaise sauce that might have transformed the plate into a more traditional Benedict.  A favorite of the whole table was the Hashbrowns that accompanied almost every dish, which were actually chunky mashed potatoes formed into a cake and crisped on both sides, making for a crunchy outside and a creamy inside.

On the sweet side, the table sampled the Vanilla Brioche French Toast and the Belgian Waffle,  The Waffle was another let down, as the menu had listed it served with Devonshire Cream (indeed, this was the main reason the ladies had wished to try the thing, as it would have offered a little taste of back home in Old Blighty), but it came only with a little pot of maple syrup.  The waffle itself was on the denser side with a slightly grainy texture and no crisp exterior.  Brandy thought the thing, which was actually quite pretty in appearance, could have benefited greatly from a little fresh fruit on top.  On the other hand, the French toast was rather delightful with a soft texture, a nice eggy taste, and some fresh berries to perk things up (Baby Bacon particularly liked snacking on the blueberries).

The service at The Local was efficient and friendly, as was the atmosphere, even if the food was a little lackluster, especially for the prices charged, but the true goal of that morning was achieved, and that was a rather pleasant, distraction-less reunion.  "I do so miss this," Bunny sighed, Baby Bacon bouncing on her lap, "I really must remember to stay for brunch on my stop overs in Chicago more often.  There is just no other city with this kind of variety and flavor."  "Yes, well, next time, perhaps, we'll have to find somewhere a bit more exciting," Brandy grumbled, "I have heard a rumor about a spot in Roger's Park that serves sushi and pancakes."  "That sounds revolting!" Bunny squeaked.  "Maybe, but we won't know until we try it, will we?" Brandy grinned.

The Short and Sweet Review

Do-Rite Donuts or Do-Right Up Your Alley

The Slow and Savory Review

"I just don't understand why we keep loosing!" exclaimed one of the members of Brandy's bowling team.  It had been a full month since they had won a match and the members of the Bowling Brunchers were beginning to think they had incurred a billy goat style curse somehow.  Bad luck seemed to plague them, like the time one of the balls hit an unseen divot in the floor and bounced straight into the gutter, or the other time they managed to hit the pins straight on in the center, but not a single one tipped over because some prankster child had glued them to the floor just before the match.  Brandy looked around her at her team members, seeing them despondently chugging their vegan smoothies and munching on their energy bars.  "There's the problem!" she exclaimed, "What we need is some protein to build our strength and some good old fashioned sugar coated carbs to maintain our energy."  The members of the Bowling Brunchers starred at her incredulously.  "Listen, before our next match, I'm going to bring us the perfect meal to sharpen our focus and get us in the right frame of mind.  No more of this health food nonsense!"

Having set this goal, Brandy zeroed in on the Do-Rite Donuts on Erie.  She knew when she was approaching the Do-Rite because she could smell the sweet scent of frying dough in the air.  The spot was a little small, with more space to move about and sit than Firecakes or Doughnut Valt, but without a full cafe like Glazed and Infused (there was however a nicely shaded patio area just outside).  With the more utilitarian purpose of grabbing and going rather than being a place to stay and linger for a while, there wasn't much to be said about the decor, which was really just fine by Brandy, as it brought the customer's focus to the main event, the wall of donuts.

Since this particular location featured not only an array of sweet treats but also a full menu of fried chicken sandwiches (Brandy noted there were several breakfast sandwiches available, but only before 10:30 am, and as most brunches occur well after that, she decided the lunch menu was more appropriate), Brandy's couldn't resist ordering up a few to take back to her team as well as a half dozen assorted donuts.  "Would you like to pick or have me choose for you?" asked the young sleepy eyed, yet helpful attendant.  "Why don't you decide for me dear.  Give me the best of what's on offer," Brandy replied, feeling adventurous.

First order of business upon returning to the team was to dig into the sandwiches while they were still warm and fresh.  Each sandwich featured a massive fried piece of chicken breast, which was hot, crispy, and deep brown in color.  The CBR was Do-Right's take on the classic BLT, featuring bacon and ranch dressing as well as cheddar cheese and pickles on a brioche bun.  This was most certainly a sandwich for a carnivore, as the smokey bacon and juicy chicken proved extremely satisfying, especially when paired with the tangy ranch dressing.  The Southern featured a nice and crunchy thick cut cabbage cole slaw as well as some tangy BBQ sauce and just enough spice to make things interesting.  The Sweet Heat was possibly Brandy's favorite, as it was both the simplest and most exciting.  Instead of a lot of toppings, the chicken was dressed with a spicy maple aioli and instead of a bun, the chicken was sandwiched between two halves of a vanilla bean glazed donut.  Though a little too on the sweet side, Brandy did like the bit of tang from the aioli, which cooled the kick of spice perfectly.

Moving on to the gorgeous little gems that were her half dozen, Brandy eyed up the flavors the attendant had chosen for her and the rest of the team.  First was a simple Vanilla Bean Glazed, which was nice, but wasn't quite tender enough for Brandy's liking.  "Perhaps its because these sorts of yeast donuts are usually best consumed hot and fresh," she mused.  The Valrhona Chocolate was next up, which was a dense cake donut with a thick, rich glaze of dark chocolate that wasn't nearly as sweet as Brandy expected it to be.  The Pistachio Lemon was much in the same vein as the previous one, but with a bright lemon flavored glaze that cut through the denseness of the cake and some crushed pistachios to provide both color and crunch.  The Cinnamon Crunch Old Fashioned definitely delivered on all fronts with a nicely crunchy exterior and a spicy cinnamon punch.  The Carrot Cake was surprisingly light in texture with a delectable cream cheese frosting dollop in the center.  Last but certainly not least was the special flavor of the week, the Blackberry White Chocolate Bullseye, which was one of the vanilla glazed donuts topped with a scrumptious white chocolate cream that was surprisingly light (less dense than a pudding, but heavier than whipped cream was what Brandy noted) and three sugared blackberries.  The combination of the juicy, tart berries, the rich chocolate cream, and the chewy yeast donut was utterly perfect.  "Such a shame this one's not on the regular rotation!" Brandy moaned, "But it does make me wonder what other wonders they're coming up with week to week."

Now having stuffed her team full of delicious fried chicken and delightfully original donuts, Brandy felt certain their luck was about to turn around, and that very day the Bowling Brunchers finally broke their losing streak by throwing three simultaneous perfect games.  The substantial dose of protein from the chicken sandwiches (which were priced at an unbelievably reasonable price of about $5 each) combined with the latent energy in the gourmet donuts seemed to have revitalized the team in both body and mind.  "Now, of course we can't be eating like this all the time," Brandy smiled at her team, "But if by some miracle we make the league playoffs, I don't want to hear any complaining about gaining a few extra pounds."

The Short and Sweet Review

Local Root or the Root of the Problem

The Slow and Savory Review

"I'm thinking of opening a new bakery on Navy Pier," Brandy's good friend Mama Bee (owner and operator of Honey Bee Bakery and all its subsidiaries) said one afternoon as the two were wandering about downtown.  "Navy Pier, eh?  Trying to cater to the tourist trade?" Brandy asked jokingly.  "Well... yes!  Imagine all those hungry people milling around, looking for something to nosh on while they... do whatever it is they do at Navy Pier.  It's an untapped goldmine, I tell you."  "I hardly think it's untapped," Brandy scoffed, "If anything, if might be a little over tapped.  There may not be a bakery right on the pier, but there are so many donut shops, coffee houses, and pubs up and down Streeterville, one can hardly move for some good to eat."  "Ah, yes, but what about somewhere fresh?  Somewhere that uses only local ingredients?  Somewhere that doesn't buy into the hype of the metropolis?" Mama Bee asked.  "Yeah, they've got that covered too," said Brandy, and walked Mama Bee across the street to Local Root.

The inside of Local Root was rather eclectic and homey, more of what you would expect from a neighborhood joint in Andersonville or Roscoe Village, not a piece of prime real estate minutes away from Navy Pier.  "See?  No glitz, no pomp, no overly contrived design, just a typical diner sort of place," Brandy mused, "Isn't it nice to see they aren't trying to snag the tourists with lots of flash?"  Mama Bee shrugged.  Brandy also noticed that at the very top of the menu, the restaurant had listed which farms all of their meat and produce had come from, solidifying their commitment to serving up only locally sourced ingredients.

The pair started off with a couple of hot cocktails to warm up on such a dreary, cold day: for Mama Bee the Hot Texas Toddy with tea flavored vodka, lemon, and organic honey ("This cocktail appeals to me for some reason," Mama Bee commented, to which Brandy rolled her eyes) and for Brandy, the Diving too Deep, with apple cider, cinnamon, and aged brandy ("This one appeals to me for some reason," Brandy commented sarcastically).  Both cocktails were pretty tasty and definitely nice just to hold in their cold hands as to sip.  "More places should push hot cocktails in the winter time," Brandy commented, "Now that's how you make supply match the demand!"

One of the specials of the day was fresh beignets with a rum cream sauce for dipping, so the two ladies decided to start off with that.  The large balls of fried dough were nicely crisp on the outside and wonderfully fluffy and light on the inside with a decent bit of chew.  The rum sauce actually packed more of a punch than either Brandy or Mama Bee were expecting, and they both wished they had been given much more of it, as it seemed to disappear completely halfway through the dish.

For her entree, Mama Bee ordered the Omelette of the Day, which came with broccoli, cheddar, and spinach as well as a aside of house potatoes.  The eggs were on the denser side, which Mama Bee actually enjoyed, and the vegetables were still nicely crisp and vibrant, though Mama Bee felt the seasoning was a little heavy handed and uneven.  The potatoes were nicely crispy on the outside with a soft interior, and had been seasoned with large granule salt, which provided a nice bit of added texture to them.  "They've followed your rule of adding a bit of greenery and fruit to the plate as well," Mama Bee commented to Brandy, "Though I would have liked a little pot of honey for my toast... No matter!" and she produced several small pots of her own honey from the depths of her purse.

Brandy ordered the Crab Cake Benedict ("A rather odd thing to see on a menu concentrated on being local," Brandy said, "I'm not aware of Chicago keeping crabs in Lake Michigan."), which also came with a side of the same potatoes.  The crab cakes had a nice crabby flavor, even slightly bordering on being too pungent, and boasted a decent hit of spice, just enough to warm up the inside of one's mouth.  The somewhat aggressive flavors of the crab cake were tamed by the addition of some sauted spinach, and the poach on the eggs was near to perfect.

Though the service was adequately friendly and the food reasonably good, though unexciting, the real surprise of the meal came along with the bill.  Because Brandy has a, perhaps, bad habit of ordering things based on curiosity rather than price, she was a little more than shocked that the total for a two cocktails, a shared appetizer, and two entrees came out to just over $80 after tax and tip.  "$11 for a cocktail I can sort of understand, but $9 for a few pieces of fried dough?  $15 for an omelette?  $21 for a Benedict?!?!  How can they charge prices like these for such un-gilded food?  I've had dishes topped with caviar that cost less!"  Brandy exclaimed.  "Perhaps it's the price you pay for eating locally," Mama Bee suggested.  "Nonsense," Brandy scoffed, "I've eaten at plenty of places that use local ingredients and have never seen this kind of markup.  My guess is these prices are a product of the restaurant's location."  This hypothesis seemed to ring true for Mama Bee.  "Maybe you're right," she said, "I would love open my little bakery on Navy Pier, but perhaps the tourist game is a little too rich for my blood if this is the kind of example I'm to follow."

The Short and Sweet Review

mEAT or Brunch on a Stick

The Slow and Savory Review

Usually, when someone says, "I want to make a movie about you," most people would approach the prospect with a certain amount of skepticism, but when Brandy recently heard these very words while attending a screening at the Chicago Film Festival, she was intrigued.  The person saying this to her was a woman by the name of Boxty Ban, an up and coming avant garde director who had gotten into a conversation with Brandy while they were both waiting for the movie to begin and became fascinated by Brandy's tales of her brunching adventures.  "Of course you do, dear," was Brandy's response to this impromptu confession, "Unfortunately, due to my youthful naivety, I am technically still under contract to RKO, so I cannot appear on screen for anyone else."  "My dear lady, RKO has been defunct for quite some time now," said Boxty, tilting down her dark sunglasses and flipping aside a stray lock of hair from her fashionably asymmetrical haircut, "I'm sure that contract is null and void."  "Possibly," Brandy pondered, "But I did make a promise to Howard Hughes, and by God, I don't need his ghost haunting me, so I'm afraid it's simply not possible."  "What if I don't show your face camera?" suggested Boxty.  "A movie where you don't show anyone's face?" Brandy pondered, "I suppose that would put the emphasis on the food, which I can appreciate...Alright, I'll do it!"

Before Boxty could begin filming her vision of a brunch feature film, she asked Brandy to take her out to one of her typical brunches, so Boxty could get an idea of what eating with Brandy would be like.  Brandy chose to take her to mEAT in Streeterville, thinking the fashionable neighborhood, exciting presentations of the food, and the unusual concept of the restaurant (it concentrates on communal and interactive dishes like fondue, meat skewers, and shared side dishes) would appeal to Boxty's artistic temperament.  Though a little off the beaten path, mEAT's Streeterville location was a fairly dimly lit, atmospheric tavern like space with elevated booths and high tables.  Though Brandy felt the lighting was a little on the dark side for brunch, especially as the back part of the space didn't even have any windows for natural illumination, she did like the cozy feeling it created.

The meal began with a choice of brunch cocktail classics: bloody marys and mimosas.  Both were done well, if fairly traditional, but Brandy noticed that the menu featured some more elaborate versions of the drinks and she simply couldn't help but ask about them.  One of the kindly managers obliged her curiosity by bringing over one of the Orange Sherbet Mimosas and a Peach Sherbet Bellini, both of which were rather delightful in their presentations and constructions, being prepared with melted sherbet in place of the juices and topped with fizzy citrus foams.  "I like that they're thinking about the cocktail in a different way here," said Boxty Ban, studying the glasses carefully, "I've always felt that you are what you eat, so if you're eating creatively, you're thinking creatively."  "I find I think creatively while consuming any alcohol in general," Brandy replied.

The first course was decidedly decedent, as the two brunch companions were presented with the Breakfast Fondu, which included a pot of luscious melty cheese sauce and a platter of various goodies to dip into it.  The cheese itself had a surprising sweetness to it, as it consisted of not only fontina and gruyere, but also white wine and honey, both of with made it a great match for almost all of the dippers (while Brandy loved dipping the pieces of sausage, bacon, waffle, and bagels into the mixture, wasn't entirely convinced about dipping things like pineapple and strawberry into the cheese, but Boxty very much liked dipping the green apple slices).

Next was the Bacon and Egg Salad, which consisted of a bed of frisee topped with bacon lardons, an extremely soft poached egg, and a tangy dressing of shallots, mustard, and more bacon.  Always appreciative of sweet and savory combinations in her brunch dishes, Brandy was particularly fond of the vinaigrette that dressed the salad, while Boxty marveled at the nice combination of textures from the chewy bacon, the silky egg, and the frilly greens.

One of the main features of the mEAT menu is unsurprisingly the meaty skewers, and for this particular meal, Brandy and Boxty were treated to the Cinnamon Glazed Bacon Skewer, which was hung on a special stand at their table, so as to show off all of the glossy, bacony goodness.  The large chunks of meat were easy to slide off the skewer with the use of some tongs and had nicely crisp edges to them.  They weren't overwhelmingly sweet, but the cinnamon kick was definitely there.

A second skewer they sampled was the Cinnamon Roll Skewer, which sadly could not be hung like the bacon one, as the kitchen had yet to devise a way to keep the pastries from sliding off.  The rolls had a nice sweet icing to compliment their spicy interior swirl.  "These are the perfect size," Brandy raved, "Sometimes restaurants will give you humongous cinnamon rolls, and even though they might be tasty, they're just too bloody big to finish.  These are a couple of bites a best.  Brilliant."

Three different "sides" were then brought to the table, though both Boxty and Brandy agreed that these could have easily been entrees on their own.  The first was the Salmon Hash, with was a skillet with some flaked fish, potatoes, and leeks in a creamy sauce.  While Brandy liked the flavor of this one, she found herself wishing for a bit of a crunch to break up the similar texture of the tender salmon and the potatoes.  The second side was the Almond French Toast, which was a pretty standard dish but with a nice bit of nuttiness from the sliced almonds on top.  Lastly was the Quinoa with Baked Eggs, which both Brandy and Boxty felt was one of the standouts from the morning.  "It reminds me of the polenta I used to eat every morning during my shoot in Spain," Boxty said, "Rich, but not overly aggressive."  Brandy agreed with her sentiment, but added that she felt that once the egg yolk had been broken and mixed in with the quinoa and veggies that the dish pushed into a more decedent category.

There was something for every budget at mEAT (most of the dishes, including the bigger plates, sides, and skewers came in well under $15), which Boxty very much appreciated, as she was so inspired by her brunch with Brandy that she immediately began budgeting for her brunch feature film.  "I'm going to call it, 'The Rise and Fall of Sweet and Savory,'" Boxty said, making a gesture as if to showcase the title on an invisible marquee.  "I'd go see that," Brandy smiled to herself (she'd had several mimosas at this point), "But can we get Olivier and Gielgud to play Sweet and Savory?"

The Short and Sweet Review