Demitri’s Bloody Mary Mix

Instead of reviewing a restaurant, I thought to review something that would add to your homemade brunch.

A few months ago, I won Demitri’s Bloody Mary Mix from blog, Move LifeStyle. I thought it was PERFECT since a good ol’ Bloody Mary is my drink of choice.

The set included:

• Classic Bloody Mary Seasoning
• Chipotle Bloody Mary Seasoning
• Chilies and Peppers Bloody Mary Seasoning
• Extra Horseradish Bloody Mary Seasoning
• Tin of rim shot Bloody Mary Salt for glasses
• 5 pack of Pepperoni Straws
• Printed Pint Glasses

All you need is vodka and tomato juice (or clamato)! Lime would be good too.

If you get an entire set, I definitely recommend making it a taste test party with your friends. It was so much fun to mix it all together, rate the mixes and take bites out of the pepperoni straws! I had four others with me and we felt very happy toward the end.

I wanted to like the horseradish one more than I did. Other than the classic, I would have to say my favorite was the chipotle. If I remember correctly, I think most of my friends liked the chipotle.

The pepperoni straws were so much fun, at least to me. I think some of my friends thought it was a little weird. It added a new taste to the drinks. Though fun, I don’t think it’s a necessary purchase.

Recipes can be found on the bottles or at http://www.demitris.com/drinks.

The Table – San Jose, Calif.

Tags

bay area, chilaquiles, mimosa, san jose, south bay area, the table

I really need to update this more… Okay, ONWARD…

I came to The Table for a friend’s birthday brunch in September. It was chosen because of its location and, more importantly, because it is one of the few brunch places that actually takes reservations. We still had to wait a bit, but the world would be a much happier place if more brunch places accepted reservations (okay, maybe I would just be happier).

In true celebration style, most of us got the bottomless mimosas ($10). I secretly craved my usual Bloody Mary, but I wanted to join in on the clinking.

I ordered the chilaquiles. While good, I still felt hungry after. That could just be me though.

We also ordered the beignets for the table! Delicious! No photo taken because they were eaten before I got my phone/camera out.

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Anepalco’s Cafe – Orange, Calif.

Tags

Anepalco's, chilaquiles, croque madame, french, fusion, mexican, Orange County

So Anepalco’s Cafe is LEGIT one of my favorite brunch places in Orange County. Decent prices, really good food. And have YOU ever heard of French and Mexican fusion?? I usually go to the original (and smaller) location location off Main St., but this time, I went for the newer location attached to the Ayres Hotel. 

When I take people here for the first time, I always suggest the chilaquiles. I haven’t had many chilaquiles in my lifetime, but from what I understand, theirs is different. The flavors just really burst and there is a reason why this is one of the most popular dishes (if not the most popular). I looked around and almost EVERYBODY had this at their table. The sauces, the eggs, it all just blends together so well.

I hadn’t been to Anepalco’s in awhile and I felt like this brunch menu had items I hadn’t seen before. Growing up, my parents used to make me croque madames or croque monsieurs on special weekends, so Anepalco’s version of a croque madame intrigued me. Theirs includes the usual ham, melted gruyere and eggs, but ALSO includes oaxaca cheese! It was delicious, but I must admit, I think I’ve had better dishes here. Also looks like this version of the croque madame is only available at the Chapman location (look on the lunch menu instead).

The Main St. location also has a sign saying it has the best coffee (I’ll agree, it’s pretty good). I usually go for plain coffee, but it felt like an iced latte kind of day, so I present to you my hazelnut latte!

If you ever decide to go, I HIGHLY suggest the following (in addition to the chilaquiles):

• Huevos Divorciados
• Crepe Le Mexique
• Le Petit Dejeuner Crepe

The Main St. location is actually casual and very small. Because of its size, the wait can be long, but the staff is super sweet. When I went to the Chapman location this time, however, it looked half empty, but there was still a long wait and they kept some tables empty. Apparently, they didn’t want to overwhelm the kitchen. While I was slightly annoyed at first, I do understand the situation.

Also, quick note, the Chapman location is a bit nicer because it is newer and I’m sure they are trying to appeal to tourists more as it is attached to a hotel.

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The Butler & The Chef – San Francisco, Calif.

Tags

benedict, butler and the chef, eggs, Kir, San francisco, sf, SOMA

First post outside of Southern California! After my birthday, I celebrated with some friends by brunching so hard (duh) at The Butler & The Chef. I actually had been before a few years prior (thanks Foursquare!), but I had forgotten the name.

It definitely is super cute (and be prepared to wait a bit).

I ordered the smoked salmon eggs benedict. Loved it and didn’t make me feel as heavy and gross as some other benedicts do.

Unfortunately, the place does not have my usual drink of choice (and what I really wanted for my birthday), a bloody mary. So I “settled” for Kir instead. That was probably for the best… When in Paris 😉 It was great and definitely brought me back to my time there a few months ago. For those that do not know, Kir is a French cocktail, apertif (a drink before a meal or snack) if you will, made of white wine or champagne with a blackcurrant liqueur.

HEADS UP

As in most areas of SF, parking is a b*tch! Also, you can’t bring outside drinks into the restaurant! So if you are thinking about getting coffee while waiting, be sure you down it before being seated! They are quite strict on that rule.

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Snooze – San Diego, Calif.

Tags

benedicts, hillcrest, pancakes, san diego, Snooze

I have been to Snooze before I hadn’t had a chance to feature it until now. Snooze opened in San Diego about a year or so ago, but it already had locations in Colorado. I would definitely recommend… just be ready to wait for 1-2 hours. I LOVE that this place only focuses on A.M. food. You definitely can brunch so hard here.

The decor is also quite funky and fun too.

Click here for full menu.

LOX NESS BENNY

A benny with smoked and cured salmon! Yum! It was served over a roll with poached eggs (obviously)… and cream cheese hollandaise and fried capers. Yum! I got a side of fruit instead of hash browns (an extra $2).

Snooze also wants to make sure you get to taste what you want. The previous time I dined here and ordered benedicts, I was able to mix and match items! So I was able to have two kinds of bennies.

PANCAKE FLIGHT

The pancake flight allows you to choose three different pancakes. We did this to share for our group of five (each also had their own dish). We got the (from left to right) chocolate/peanut butter, Bobbin’ for Pancakes (caramelized gala apples with brown butter, candied pecans and lemony whipped cream) and the pancake of the day, which was the red velvet with an espresso syrup.

I love chocolate/peanut butter items, but sometimes they can be too heavy. This one wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be. The favorite of our table’s seemed to be the Bobbin’ for Pancakes as it seemed to be a bit lighter and made the plate feel more “refreshing.”

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Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee – Costa Mesa, Calif.

Tags

breakfast, coffee, costa mesa, donut, doughnut, sidecar, stumptown

This post is more breakfast than brunch, but I thought to post anyway. Sidecar hasn’t opened yet, but it is going through a pretty strong launch.

Before it officially opens, this shop is slowly building a following and testing out their products on the public by giving out free doughnuts and coffee every Saturday morning, 8-10:30 a.m., in November.

I went this morning and while there was a significant number of people, it wasn’t so much that it was overwhelming and everyone could get a doughnut. I was able to snag an apple fritter, but a lot of people were waiting for the Samoa doughnut. Sorry, no pictures, one hand held the doughnut and the other held my coffee… so I couldn’t do anything else. Thus, all the photos seen in in this post are stolen from the Facebook page.

While I like fritters, they’re not my favorite, so it was kind of heavy for me. I did like that the taste of apple and cinnamon was pretty distinct. It was soft and how a fritter should be though. I definitely want to go back and try the Samoa (heard so many people talk about it in line)!

For coffee lovers, they’ll be serving Stumptown Coffee! I had Stumptown when I was in Portland and it was good!

Other flavors that will be serviced include: Huckleberry, Birthday Cake, Rosemary-Honey, Lemon Poppy, among others.

Having trouble finding a pic of the apple fritter, but here’s a pic of the sought-after Samoa (courtesy of the Sidebar Facebook page).

Thank you to my friend Kambria for the “scoop” on this place!

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Herringbone – La Jolla, Calif.

Tags

brian malarkey, herringbone, la jolla

Herringbone is another San Diego restaurant by celebrity chef Brian Malarkey. I mostly heard of it as a great dinner experience, but I found a great Bloomspot deal to try it for brunch.

A bit of a warning– it can be kind of hard to find as the sign is not very noticeable; however, once inside, you will see that the decor is simple, but cute. I’m also a sucker for restaurants where you can look inside the kitchen.

Click here for full brunch menu.

LOBSTER ROLL

This was amazing. The bread was soft, but crispy, the lobster was perfect. A lobster roll is not usually part of my brunch fare, but after this, I really think it should be.

CRUSTS – PANCETTA, EGG, STINGING NETTLE, AND FONTINA

When I heard “runny egg,” I was sold. This was good, but there wasn’t as much egg as I would like. While sounding interesting, I’m going to have to say this dish was just okay.

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Coffee Cup – La Jolla, Calif.

Tags

coffee cup, isabel cruz, la jolla, san diego

Downtown La Jolla is always a great place to walk around and experience the sun. Breakfast and lunch restaurant, Coffee Cup, has your traditional brunch items, but adds a bit of a twist. It is one of the restaurants by Isabel Cruz, who combines her Latin background and inspirations from other countries in the world, especially those in Asia,  into her menu, with dishes such as “Nuevo Roll-Ups” and “Wok Rice.” I am unsure of calorie counts (and I don’t want to be sure), but items also have ingredients that are traditionally better for your body (I am reluctant to call it “healthy” as I don’t know how the food is cooked).

Click here to view the full menu.

THE OMAR SPECIAL

I am such a sucker for any brunch meal that has eggs (obviously) AND mushrooms. This and many of the other meals actually have egg whites come standard. Most places charge extra for that. Other items on the eggs include cheese, green onions and tomatoes. Instead of the usual breakfast potatoes, Coffee Cup offers brown rice (love). This dish’s rice has a pesto and avocado sauce on top.

I’ve been to Coffee Cup a few times and the Omar Special is one of my favorites– combines a lot of my favorite ingredients. When I have no idea what to order, this tends to my go-to.

The Power Menu section of the offerings easily lets readers quickly go to protein-focused meals. While I have ordered the “Original Power Breakfast” and “Pesto Scramble,” I don’t order from this section that often because I need my cheese. For those that aren’t as addicted and absolutely need to feel extremely full, this section is for you.

Warning for meat lovers – While this restaurant has meat in some of their dishes, many of their brunch dishes do not have meat, with adding meat costing extra. I have brought friends here who did not know what to order because they wanted to eat something more meaty.

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R Gang Eatery – San Diego, Calif.

Tags

hillcrest, r gang eatery, san diego

R Gang Eatery in San Diego, Calif. is a good contender in the Hillcrest restaurant (especially brunch) scene. Came here after March for Babies and unlike so many other brunch spots, there wasn’t a long wait. Known for its various tots, the restaurant also has great scrambles and other breakfast options.

Click here to view the full menu.

R EGG SANDY

This dish usually comes with rosemary potatoes, but I’m not the biggest fan, so I substituted for cottage cheese- at no charge (score! I hate when places charge me $1-2 for substituting such a minor thing. If I don’t want it at all, and can’t substitute, I think restaurants should charge me less).

The dish also came with a chipotle ketchup, which I’m sure would be great on rosemary potatoes, but I liked them just fine with this fried egg breakfast sandwich.

The sandwich had a good egg to chicken sausage ratio, but I would have liked more cheese. The bun was also complemented the sandwich well.

WASABI BLOODY MARY

I could definitely taste the wasabi, but it wasn’t overwhelming. I would order this again. I’m sure this would be great with sushi. I also saw someone else order a bloody mary that had a stick with meat and cheese- need to go back for that one.

CHORIZO SCRAMBLE

Heavy, but delicious.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE FRENCH TOAST

Many people prefer a sweet brunch and strawberries make a nice start to the day. The restaurant also offers a “Waffle-of-the-Day.”

NOT PICTURED

Jalapeno Popper Tots – Again, I’m not the biggest fan of tots, but these jalapeno popper tots were delicious.

I would definitely go back to R Gang Eatery. There was good service and any place that offers fun bloody marys has my thumbs up! My party had seven people and they also were nice to us about the multiple credit cards, cash, etc.

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Photos courtesy of Richmond Pagaduan