This spot made me so happy. We got there a little early and we had some folks who were going to be a little late. No problem! They sat us with an incomplete party and started us with coffee and the yummy bacon sake mary's -- so good!! The bacon and sake gave it a nice savory flavor. The coffee kept coming during the entire time we were there. No prompting necessary. They also brought little plates of breakfast breads and homemade spreads out as starters. Very tasty! We split the French toast and the bacon cheddar hash. I loved the flavors in the hash, but wish it had more cheddar. It was barely noticeable in there. The bacon was delicious though! Maybe my favorite bacon in town so far. The French toast was good, but pretty straight-forward. I could make that at home. It was well-prepared though and the berries that came with it were nice and fresh. If you don't like your French toast fancy, I'd recommend it. Other folks at the table got the steak and eggs (the homemade spicy bacon marmalade was fantastic!), the cheddar chive biscuits with gravy (nice twist on a Southern favorite), the eggs benedict (another winner in town!), the smoothie of the day (smooth and fruity) and the egg scramble (lots of fresh toss-ins). Our server gave us great recommendations and warned us that substitutions are not going to happen, so we should choose what we want as it is on the menu. Fair enough. The room was nice, but a little drafty. I love old Craftsman houses though, so I didn't mind. It was a great little spot with friendly service and yummy food. I'll be back.
For December, the Chicago kids headed out to the very popular spot: the Bristol. Apparently, it lived up to the hype! The main consensus was: "TASTY!" and "YUMMY!".
One thing that came up in nearly every review was the portion size. They are smaller than portions in most of the other places we have been. That being said, it seems that they have found the right balance of big enough to be filling, but not so big that you feel over-stuffed. Good work!
The other thing that came up in nearly every review was about the candied bacon. Now, I am jealous that I missed this one!! One of our non-bacon lovers even admitted to liking it and even gave that comment an exclamation point.
The breakfast potatoes also got high marks for their crunchiness and good flavor.
Some of the specific dishes:
Braised pork chilaquiles with salsa roja, cilantro, lime and fried egg ($9):
"tasty and flavorful, but not too spicy"
Fennel sausage skillet ($9):
"Great. The blend of sweet, leafy and starchy vegetables was tasty, and they were cooked just right for my tastes."
Bacon Manhattan ($9):
The bacon-infused Dewars with maple syrup and bitters Manhattan was smokey smooth with a touch of sweet. The candied bacon on top was amazing!
The malted Waffles with maple Anglaise and candied cashews ($9) were also a happy selection.
Service and kitchen get a special nod for nicely allowing the pork (their thing!) to be taken out of one of our non-meater's meals.
The only thing that got any sort of negative comment was the sausage patty. Just eh.
4 1/2 stars!
For November, we headed up to the Wilde Roast in NE. Here's what we thought.
Mpls St Paul Magazine just chose Wilde Roast Cafe as a "top spot" for brunch/breakfast. Who were we to argue?
I absolutely adored this place! It is comfortable and lovely. I could cozy up in front of the fireplace for hours! I like that it is quick and efficient counter service. I love their Wilde Roast blend coffee. Our only beef with the place was how they serve a large coffee, it comes in a large pint glass, hard to maneuver it back to the table. We've since figured out the secret... order a medium to get the handle mug and then do the 75 cent refill) We got the creme brulee French toast with cherries and peaches. The French toast at Cafe 28 was pretty incredible, but I liked this one even a little more than that. It was sweet, but not too sweet. Fluffy, not soggy. Fresh fruit baked into the bottom. I did dip it into the whipped cream (how could I resist!?), but I didn't need a drop of the syrup. The eggs benedict was also delicious! The potatoes are wonderfully herby and cooked in marsala wine. The benedict has a fantastically flavorful hollandaise sauce (that I also dipped my potatoes in!). Jess called it "lick your plate" good! It also has ham, not Canadian bacon, which I prefer. Sometimes, the Canadian bacon is a little salty for me. My only complaint is that the eggs were just slightly overcooked. I like my poached egg yolks a little runny. These were medium -- not solid, but not runny either. I will just ask for them to be a little less done next time. The breakfast sandwich was pretty straight-forward, but good. The steel-cut oatmeal was thick, creamy and hearty, It came with roasted almonds, which was a nice touch. Overall, a lovely brunch.
4 stars.
