24. Brunch at Gargoyles

So, I learned today that this restaurant is closing after being in business for 15 years, which lit a fire in me to get these brunch blogs posted!  The head chef of Gargoyles is/was Jason Santos, who was the runner up on the TV show 'Hell's Kitchen'.  He actually just recently left Gargoyles to open Blue Inc., which is named after his infamous blue hair.  I guess Gargoyles had been planning on closing for a while, but the publicity from the show made them hold out for a little while longer.  Once Santos left, they decided it was time, apparently.


Ratty and I headed to Disco Brunch at Gargoyles on the Square in Davis to check off a new brunch place off my list but more importantly to sample their Red Velvet Pancakes.  I guess typically they serve gingerbread pancakes in the fall, but decided to switch it up for a two week stint that was featured in Daily Candy and various other Boston emails.  We got to the restaurant with about an hour left in their brunch and made a bee line for their coffee station.  We were [thankfully] seated in the front portion of the restaurant, somewhat cut off from the glowing disco ball and thumping music.  While I love a good theme, I was coffee starved and not up for a pulse pounding brunch.  The coffee station was covered with a glittery table cloth, feather boas and various other twinkly things that screamed 70s.

Ratty ordered the most ridiculous thing ever, which looked like a heart attack on a plate but tasted so so good.  It was a cast iron skillet full of eggs, waffle potatoes, cheese, bacon, more cheese, and lots of other things that are cardiac arrest inducing.  The moment is showed up to our table all the other guests around us started pointing and staring, even causing another diner to pull the waitress aside, ask what it was and request that he have that instead of his original order.  It was seriously a show stopper.

Now, onto the Red Velvet Pancakes.  They were super chocolatey, almost too chocolatey, covered in a cream cheese/sugar drizzle with chopped pecans.  I thought that they were good, but definitely WAY too sweet.  I personally liked just the pancake with the nuts and could have gone without the super sweet glaze all over them.  I kept having to steal a few waffle fries from Ratty's plate to try and break up the sweetness.  All in all, I am really glad I tried them, and I think that I'd really like to try and make them for myself.  I like playing around with ingredients and would like to try and figure out a way to make them yummy without sending people into diabetic shock.

Oh yea, and a side of bacon.  Always a side of bacon!

24. Try Brunch at 25 New Places - Stephi's on Tremont.

Remember my pumpkin?  My awesome little pumpkin that I was borderline obsessed with all fall/winter?  I bought it at the SoWa Farmers Market and carried it around with me all afternoon – it was just so darn cute!  Well, I think I have waited a sufficient amount of time to recap out actual brunch that took place on that very same day, what do you think? 

Since the South End is filled with lots of amazing restaurants, practically one on every corner, it’s no surprise that this neighborhood is a destination for Sunday Brunch.  Each restaurant was filled to the brim, with people packed in at the bar, enjoying mimosas and bloody mary’s on the beautiful fall day.  We decided to try out Stephi’s on Tremont street, mostly because it has a phenom reputation and was offering brunch later than a few other places we’d popped into.  Stephi is the same Stephanie who runs Stephanie’s on Newbury Street, and is the wife of TV advertising lawyer Jim Sokoloff.  Fun Fact!   Totally random right?  They're totally poor, but I digress.  

Since we’d spent the morning shopping at the open market, we had missed the majority of the brunch rush and some brunch options all together!  That’s what we get for wanted to eat at 2:45pm.  I think there should be a law that makes restaurants serve brunch until at least 3pm on Sundays, what say you all?  It totally worked in our favor though as the place was  relatively busy, but we only had to wait a few minutes before our table was ready.  Thankfully, we had mimosas in hand, which made the 5 minute waiting period so much less painful.  Mimosas are known to make almost anything less painful, I mean, think about it.

Stephi’s is an adorable little spot with lots of windows, natural light, and comfy booths all around the dining room.  The molding is white, accented with dark wood floors and leather studded booths, which makes the place modern, classic and utterly perfect.  It is what I imagine a millionaire’s kitchen to look like – amazing upholstered chairs outfitted in traditional yet funky prints, white marble bartops, white pendant lamps and a private dining room with French doors and beautiful textured wallpaper.  Seriously, I want to know their designer, whom I obviously would never be able to afford but I could at least stalk their website and steal decorating ideas.

{The true star of the day!}

I was having a definite craving for huevos rancheros, which is quickly becoming my new favorite brunch food, I still love you Eggs Benedict, but I’m just taking a little break, hope that’s okay!  While Stephi’s didn’t have huevos on their menu, they did have this amazing Mexican dish which absolutely hit the spot.  It was called Arepa con Chorizo, which was a corncake topped with grilled chorizo salad, 2 eggs sunny side up covered in pico de gallo.  It was spicy, yummy and all around delicious.  I even joked that I could have eaten another order, but I refrained. 

{Doesn't it look amazing?!  Minus the cilantro, I hate cilantro, but it was easily removable and in no way hurt the deliciousness of my meal.}

The service was great, with our waiter bringing coffee and mimosa refills exactly when we needed them.  I definitely rank Stephi's high up on my brunch list!  Two down, 23 to go!

{You get the idea.}

24. Try Brunch at 25 New Places.

I have tried brunch at two brand new places, and I have to say, they were both awesome.  Both happened to be in the South End, which is quickly becoming my new favorite neighborhood in Boston.  It is filled with coffee shops, sweet little stores and the most amazing restaurants in the city.  The streets are lined with stunning brownstones laden wrought iron fences, and grassy parks placed smack in the middle.   Just walking down the street with a coffee makes me feel amazing.  I think everyone has little snapshots of their life, or what they want their life to be.  I am always walking down a fab street, carrying a latte in a great coat with fab hair and the perfect bag.  I am starting to think that snapshot takes place in the South End.

Now, on to brunch!  Ratty and I made plans one Saturday to grab brunch, then stop off at the SoWa Open Market to do some shopping.  I already blogged about this day, when it turned out that the Open Market wasn't opened on Saturdays and I spent most of the day melting on the side of the street because it was 95 degrees out.  Well, before I almost passed out from heat exhaustion, I was extremely well fed.

We went to Aquitaine, which is famous for an amazing brunch.  I'd been there for dinner before, but had never had breakfast, so it was the perfect spot to start number 24!  I met Ratty there, and he was already at the bar with a beer, reading the paper.  There was a little wait for a table, so I sipped some water, since the walk from my car almost caused heat stroke.  After a few minutes wait, we were seated at a little table, and immediately ordered coffee.  After perusing the menu, we both decided on Eggs Benedict, which seems to always be my brunch go to, because it's AWESOME!  I don't care for canadian bacon, so I sub it out for regular bacon, which adds a little crunch to the eggs and makes it that much better, in my opinion at least.

{This was before my new camera, so please pardon the blurriness.  If taken right now, it would be perfect.  Alas, I didn't have the camera then, so this will have to do!}

When our plates came, we were blown away.  The food was amazing.  This was hands down the best Eggs Benedict I've ever had, and trust me, I've had a lot.  The english muffin was cooked on the griddle so it was nice and crispy and the hollandaise was to die for.  Simply perfect.  

Just looking at this picture makes me want to go back, right now.  My stomach is growling.  I would eat there every weekend if I could, but I need to try 23 more brunch places.  So until I complete number 24, I'm going to have to refrain from repeats, if I can help it.