bloody mary

Enjoying Brunch at Beats Brasserie with Boston Brunchers

February 13, 2015

Getting to share four great brunch entrees with 3 other wonderful Boston based bloggers is such a fantastic way to spend a Sunday afternoon. And I had the pleasure of doing just that a few weeks ago.

I attended a recent Boston Brunchers‘ event held at Beats Brasserie in Harvard Square in Cambridge. I was so excited to have the opportunity to enjoy brunch with a great group of local food loving bloggers.

Plus, I had heard great things about Beats Brasserie, from their food to the live music. And there are just somethings that shouldn’t be missed.

They have a really cool, creative brunch menu. Dare I say that their space is just as cool too. The menus and decor are the perfect sort of mish mash that makes it all work together. Take an egg dish and kick it up a notch. Tile a wall but paint poetry all over it. Things like that make Beats Brasserie special.

What better to kick off the brunch than a great Bloody Mary?!?

The Bloody Mary’s a classic brunch staple and they nailed it. It’s hard to resist getting excited when a big tall glass of boozy tomato goodness is set down in front of you. Ask for it spicy.

There are really times when I don’t want to share meals with people but there are times when it is the best thing ever as you get the opportunity to try new things.

This brunch is the exact reason why sharing is awesome.

I had never heard of Eggs Shakshuka ($14.5) but it sounded good and I was up to try things new with my table mates suggested it. Jackie, Dan, and Jessica are all big local foodies so when they suggest something you listen. Like they suggested to add the Merguez Sausage (+$3) to the dish of Poached Eggs, North African Tomato Sauce, Peppers, Polenta, and Pitas. I actually didn’t have any sausage but the rest of the dish that I did try was incredible as it was a great mix of silky textures from the tomato sauce to the polenta. Plus you can’t be virbrant spices that perfume the table.

I think that the Bowl Azteca has to be the most interesting dish on the menu. A beautifully thrown pottery bowl is filled with Spiced Quinoa, Tomatillo Salsa, Fresh Corn, Squash, Green Beans, Avocado, Baby Spinach. All of that is then topped off with a variety of offerings such as Poached Free Range Eggs ($17), All Natural Chicken ($17), and Skirt Steak ($19). We opted for the Blackened Shrimp ($18), which was a great choice as they were seasoned and cooked very well. Overall the bowl is a a complex collection of flavors, smells, and textures that work really well together.

When I first read over the menu I was pretty sure I would order the Braised Short Rib Eggs Benedict ($15.50) as eggs benedict is the way to my heart. If you nail it, I will be your friend for life. And it ultimately came as no surprise to me that Beats Brasserie nailed it with a perfectly toasted english muffin that was generously topped off with shredded braised short ribs, nicely cooked poached eggs, and a buttery Hollandaise.

And for our dessert we shared the Wild Flower Honey & Lemon Pancakes ($14). My heart belongs to waffles but these pancakes were awesome. They were light in texture and very flavorful. I honestly would order them again, which is saying a lot about these pancakes. It’s just that it’s hard to resist them, especially with the mixed berry compote and compound butter that tops them.

Everything that we enjoyed for brunch was fantastic. If you want to enjoy it for yourself then head over to Beats Brasserie between Saturday & Sunday: 10:00am – 3:00pm. And don’t forget that the Live Music starts at 10am. Go hungry!

Beats Brasserie

13 Brattle St

Cambridge, MA 02138

(617) 499-0001

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While I received this complimentary brunch in exchange for a review, all opinions expressed are my own.

Crab Cake Eggs Benedict @ The Cottage- Chestnut Hill, MA

June 5, 2014

Life with a baby certainly changes things. Obvious statement right there! I’m not complaining about it one bit since having Autumn has been that best thing ever but that meant that we missed going out for one of our best friend’s birthday festivities. We wanted to see him and celebrate so we figured out getting together for a brunch would work well.

Neither of us had been to The Cottage in Chestnut Hill, which is actually part of Boston, Newton, and Brookline. Weird little factoid there! It’s a cute village that has some great stores, some of which are in a newly redeveloped shopping center along Route 9.

The Cottage serves lunch and dinner and have a great selection of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and entrees. They even have a wonderful gluten free menu that is more than just ‘can you please hold the bun on my burger’. As well, their brunch menu is a nice mix of breakfast and lunch options. Price had The Garden Fresh Vegtables Omelet ($13) and our friend had the Fish Tacos ($15). They both enjoyed each of them. But let’s focus on the best brunch entree ever (besides waffles)… Eggs Benedict!

Aside from my typical Eggs Benedict, I always like to get Bloody Mary’s. I like the savoriness of it and how it has a kick from the spice and the vodka. Mimosas are fun but I like how Bloody Mary’s come with accessories. Hello celery. Hello lemon. Good Bye Olives. Okay, so I don’t like olives but Bloody Mary’s are still so cool in my book.

This Bloody Mary has a nice crispy flavor from the house-made mix. I really enjoyed how much horseradish they used as well.

I loved the look and feel of The Cottage. I would love to come back in the winter to sit by the fireplace.

There are 2 Eggs Benedict options on the brunch menu. There is the standard Eggs Benedict, which is served with a Wolferman’s english muffin, canadian bacon, poached eggs that are topped off with a house-made hollandaise ($14). And then there is a Crabcakes Benedict, which has crispy crabcakes instead of the english muffin and canadian bacon for $15. Both come with homefries. I chose the later Eggs Benedict option since I enjoy crabcakes so much.

Man the thing I love about Eggs Benedict is that runny egg and that buttery hollandaise sauce that just soaks into the Eggs Benny base and the homefries side. This Eggs Benedict was perfection in that regard.

The crabcakes that the Eggs Benedict were built upon provided a great foundation for dish. The crabcakes were made with large pieces of crab and little filler allowing the shellfish to star at center stage. My only critique of the crabcakes is that they were not very crisp. I would have preferred for them to be crisper as the crunch was needed to balance out the interior crabcake texture as well as the runny egg yolk and the Hollandaise sauce.

The egg was the perfect kind of sunshine yellow that eggs should be. It was only slightly, every so slightly, undercooked (to my preference) where there was some clear albumin not fully cooked. It was slight but something that I had to pick out. Again it might not bother some but I’m a bit picky about the albumin not being fully cooked. Regarding the actual flavor of the egg, it was super fresh and the texture of the egg was lovely as well.

The homefries acted like a perfect little sponge to soak up any yolk that made for a quick escape. They were seasoned well, as nicely cooked with a tender center and crispy exterior.

I would order this again but might specify that I’d want the crabcakes to be very crispy. Kind of like when ordering hash and getting it extra crispy. uummm hash… Oh man, don’t even get me started on that.

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Rating

Crab cake– 32 pts

Poached Egg– 23 pts

Hollandaise Sauce– 25 pts

Hash-brown and Greens– 8 points

Total: 88/100

The Cottage- Chestnut Hill

Boylston Street

Chestnut Hill, MA

Tip Tap Benedict @ The Tip Tap Room, Boston MA

October 1, 2013

For one of our monthly date days I took Pricer out to brunch at The Tip Tap Room here in Boston for their Tipsy Brunch. We have loved Chef/owner Brian Poe since we met him years ago when he became the head chef of The Rattlesnake Bar and Grill. I knew that brunch would be a hit here because of how awesome everything from the The Rattlesnake, and here at the Tip Tap Room, has been over the past few years.

Tip Tap Bloody Mary

our spicy homemade Bloody Mary with a candied bacon rim. $10.00

Obviously, brunch = Bloody Mary’s. While I love a mimosa, I can thow together some oj and champange/ perseco myself so I go I will order a Bloody Mary 9x out of 10. I’m always just so interested in how everyone makes their Bloody Mary base mix and how they finish off the glass with garnish. And this candied bacon rim was a winner. Sometimes I struggle with a bacon rim because it will be super smoked and I think that can just be too intense for the spicy sharp flavors of the Bloody Mary. So this slightly sweet bacon rim was really enjoyable.

Muffins and Stuff

Chef Poe’s blend of fresh breads with breakfast caramel butter $6.00

We started with the Muffins and Stuff to see what kind of fresh breads they offered. The chocolate bread was to die for. To-die-for. everything was incredible really with the moist breast, toasted English Muffins, and crunchy pastries. Plus, there was a caramel infused butter served along side of the bread basket. I wanted to sneak this ramekin into my purse. It was heavenly with its soft consistency and a sweet flavor that had toasty notes that went really well with the sweeter breads.

Corned Beef Hash

Topped with a poached egg $11.00

Price ordered the Corned Beef Hash entrée. It honestly surprised me because 1) he doesn’t covet Hollandaise like I do and 2) he doesn’t love runny eggs. So I had guessed he would pick something like the Belgian Beer Waffles or the Steak & Egg entrees.

So when he picked the Corned Beef, and loved it, I was really shocked. But he really enjoyed combining the in homemade shaved corned beef with the home fries and scooping up a bite of the Hollandaise sauce covered egg. It was that really balanced bite that he really enjoyed. The runny egg yolk was not too intense for him because it was mixed together with the Hollandaise sauce, and ultimately mixed together with the salty meat and crisp potatoes. A real play on texture and flavors.

Tip Tap Room_Corned Beef Hash_02

I think that I have to give this a try next time.

serious noms.

Tip Tap Benedict

Butter Fried Smashed Potato Cake dusted with English Muffin Crumbs, Cured Ham, Poached Eggs, Beer Cheese Hollandaise $12.50

Of course I ordered the Eggs Benedict dish. duh.

I did consider some of the other entrée offerings, but only for a split second since I can’t resist Eggs Benedict and this once just sounded so incredible.

I was really intregeted by the Fried Smashed Potato Cake because I was wondering how it would taste and if it would have a chunky texture. I was thinking of the post- Thanksgiving leftover creations I make up. But I discovered this was not at all like my leftover mashups. (Thankfully!) This potato cake was soo light, fluffy, and very smooth. The English Muffin crumbs on the outside were super fine and a lovely golden brown color. Oh yeah, there might have been some butter going on.

On top of the potato cake was the cured ham, which was just like Canadian Bacon, and then the egg and the dreamy Beer Cheese Hollandaise sauce. I repeat… Beer Cheese Hollandaise. Yep, can’t have a tipsy brunch without some beer in your Hollandaise sauce. Plus it was cheesy too! So it was not like any other Hollandaise I had before since I’m sured to the more traditional sauce that is pretty lemony. The play on the sauce was really interesting. It was really think, creamy and all around amazing.

Under all that Beer Cheese Hollandaise sauce were the loveliest poached eggs. I love when they don’t look that uniform, like someone cut off the edges with a scissor. Besides that they were cooked well. The yolk was super runny and there was not too much (gross) runny white surrounding it.

I wanted to lick this plate clean to get every bit of the egg yolk, Hollandaise sauce and infused oil off the plate and into my stomach. But I had some self control and managed to resist myself.

Rating

Potato cake– 20/20 pts

Cured Ham– 18/20 pts

Poached Egg– 23/25 pts

Hollandaise Sauce– 25/25 pts

No side*– 0/10 pts

Total: 86*/100 pts

*There was no side, like home fries or a side salad, which I rate because its pairing is just as important. Also, I can’t just ignore a bad side when looking at a whole entrée. So while there was no side (knocking it 10 points from my rating) it was a hearty enough Eggs Benedict that I didn’t feel like it was lacking, especially with the big potato cakes.

The Tip Tap Room

138 Cambridge Street

Boston, MA 02114

(857) 350-3344

Tipsy Brunch: Sunday 10:30am—3pm

Industry Brunch Review- Bokx 109, Newton MA

March 9, 2013

I really truly think Brunch is my favorite meal of the day. Anything goes then. Savory, Sweet. Coffee. Booze. Emphasis on that last one.

So when I was invited to check out Bokx 109‘s new brunch I did a little dance in my chair when I checked my email. I seriously love Bokx 109 (see this post and this post!) because everything there is incredible. I’m not just saying that because I got a free brunch. No, I’m completely serious. Incredible.

We headed over to the Hotel Indigo in Newton, MA, where Bokx 109 is located to enjoy our brunch. It was a nice snowy day but this place is beautiful in the summer. I would love to sit by the pool and enjoy a cocktail. Is it summer yet?

Shortly after we were seated a plate of Coffee and Doughnuts were brought over. These were homemade beignet doughnuts served with coffee pot de creme. The 6 doughnuts were served warm with the freshly sprinkled powdered sugar melting over the top of them. The coffee pot de creme was the prefect sauce to serve for the doughnuts to be dipped into. I would have liked for a spoon to have been paired with this dish to be able to eat all of the pot de creme as well as easily eat the chocolate garnish in there.

And then the best thing ever happened… the Bloody Mary cart arrived to our table.

They bring the cart over to bring the This week the Bloody Mary’s were paired with pepperoncinis, olives, pickles, celery, string cheese sticks, and mini Slim Jim’s. Slim Jim’s! I told out waiter that I didn’t like olives so he omitted that from my Bloody Mary.

I could have had 3 of these. I behaved though and only had 1 Bloody Mary.

I was like a giddy school girl telling our waiter how much I love the brunch already and how I love going to Bokx 109. I was also telling him that The Smoke Show special, that I had with dinner previously, was one of was most memorable things I’ve had in very long time. And ta-da! The General Manager brought out an order of the Pear and Mascarpone Sacchetti ($12) for each of us. Price finally got to see what I have been talking about with it’s handmade delicate, sweet sacchettis served with a chive fondue.

Not to already be out done, our entrees then arrived. Price ordered The Royalty ($12).The Belgian Waffle with Crown Royal Maple infused syrup dish was also served with a caramelized banana. The Belgian Waffle was a sweet, airy waffle which was then topped with whipped cream and chocolate balls. The chocolate balls would melt in your mouth as you ate your waffle. Price lamented that while a half of a banana was the perfect amount h wished he had a whole one because it was so good. The banana was caramelized and had a crunchy sugary layer, similar to a creme brule. All of that was topped with the strawberry compound and the boozy maple syrup that really had a kick!

You can get a basic waffle for $10 at the local dinner or you can get a The Royalty for $12. It’s an obvious choice for me with its layers of flavor and boozy maple syrup.

I debated ordered which Eggs Benny dish to order and ‘settled’ on the Green Eggs and Ham Eggs Benedict Entree ($10). Oh dear lord. This was served with local Prosciutto, grilled slices of Ciabatta, basil oil, sous vide eggs, and a bearnaise sauce. Between the 2 eggs were thick cut sliced potatoes that, like the ciabatta, served as a great vehicle to scoop up the runny egg yolk and bearnaise sauce. Don’t even get me started on those eggs. I had never had sous vide eggs before so this was a fun change-up from the typical poached eggs. There was a moment of silence after I broke open each egg as I watched the bright yellow yolk come running out. True Bliss.

On our way out we talked with Chef Stephen Coe and thanked him for the incredible brunch we had. We told him how all of the food was amazing and how we, as usual, had fantastic service as well. I told him that the only thing I would change to make brunch better was to serve a stronger serrated knife to make cutting the grilled ciabatta easy. You know, to be able to get the food into your mouth faster…

Price and I are constantly talking about the next time we are going back to brunch. The service and quality of food is always topnotch. Plus the prices for the entrees are very reasonable for the care put involved in each dish.

I’ll be back for their Bellini Cart next!

**While I received this complimentary brunch from Bokx 109, these options are entirely all my own. Plus I did tip well, I’m not an animal!**

Filet Mignon Eggs Benedict @ Cafe Mirage, Port Chester NY

June 20, 2012

In the past my mom has ventured up to Boston to spend mother’s day up here but for the most recent one Price and I went back to G-town to spend the weekend there. It was a whirlwind weekend, as per usual, because my nephews were also performing in a local performance of Beauty in the Beast. So Saturday quickly became Sunday and we found ourselves at Cafe Mirage in Port Chester, NY.

I had called all around for Mother’s Day brunch reservations and thankfully we got one at Cafe Mirage. They don’t normally do brunch so I don’t think a lot of people thought of them for the typical M.D. brunch. We were able to get a table for right when they opened. Score! I was so glad that I thought about Cafe Mirage because it is one of my favorite places in the area. We’ve gone there to celebrate my birthday in the past as well as just go out for a great meal.

My mom and I both ordered the Filet Mignon Eggs Benedict that Chef Dave Haggerty created for the brunch. As soon as I saw that as an option I knew I would have to have it!!! (Price had the Chicken and Waffles and loved it.) And I was so happy that I made that decision when it was brought out to us. The pieces of filet mignon sat on toasted cutouts of hearty multi-grain toast and on that set two perfectly poached eggs and a spicy hollandaise sauce. The eggs has to have been so fresh since the yolks were so bright. The hollandaise was also very bright, but it was studded with fresh peppers and tiny piece of vibrant green chives.

Hello lover…

Each steak medallion was rather large and carefully seasoned. But in general the steak really spoke for itself, which I really appreciated. I had ordered it medium-rare and it came out medium but it was still so very good. I guess it was good that it came out medium anyway as the foundation of the eggs benedict was a piece of toasted multi-grain bread. It was nicely toasted and tasted really good. I would have enjoyed it more on a sandwich (oh my gawd thinking about a chicken salad on that… drool!) more than the eggs benedict. I just think that it did not stand up to the steak juices and hollandaise very well, but that is just me.

The eggs benedict did not come with a side but the meal itself was more than enough. Hello!?! Steak!!! But that made me even more glad that I did order a bloody mary. Our waitress told us that co-owner Katy is a pro at making bloody mary’s and that were in luck that she was there to make it for us. Thankfully it did live up to the hype! Plenty of horseradish and lemon, and just a tiny bit of pepper.

Rating

Multi Grain Toast– 12 pts

Filet Mignon– 18 pts

Poached Egg– 25 pts

Hollandaise Sauce– 25 pts

Bloody Mary– 9 points

Total: 89/100

While Cafe Mirage does not always serve brunch you should still give them a try for lunch and dinner. Some of my favorite dishes are the Bangkok Mussels, Old School Chopped Salad, and Coconut Curry Shrimp. They have a great selection of dishes you can try out. Give them a call when the next holiday approaches and see what they have up their sleeve for brunch.

Cafe Mirage

531 North Main St

Port Chester, New York 10573

914.937.3497

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