dining - the list are you on it?

Brunch, Alfresco

By Nycci Nellis

June 2008

Photo: (L - R) Nycci Nellis - Bombay Club, Cafe Milano, Peacock Cafe,

Brunch, Anyone? – With the weather easing up, plenty of options are available for getting out to enjoy a lazy weekend brunch, from chic downtown restaurants to neighborhood oases or destination spots with picturesque gardens just outside the city:

l 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church now serves Sunday brunch. It’s an a la carte menu from Executive Chef Bertrand Chemel that is offered from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In addition to cocktails such as the Limonade Rose and the Rainforest Ice Tea, the restaurant offers French-influenced brunch specialties, including poached eggs meurette with bacon, pearl onions, wild mushrooms and red wine sauce, and the lobster club sandwich with avocado, bacon and bibb lettuce. (2941 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, VA; 703.270.1500)

l The Bombay Club delivers real punch at brunch, with live piano music and a buffet spread of regional Indian cuisine. For $20 a person, brunch includes unlimited pours of Champagne and seven Indian dishes offered as main courses. The experience is completed with traditional Indian dessert and fresh cut seasonal fruits. Brunch is available Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (815 Connecticut Avenue, NW; 202.659.3727)

l Brasserie Beck’s brunch is offered from 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sunday. In addition to Chef/Owner Robert Wiedmaier’s extensive a la carte menu and a Belgian beer list, the restaurant also serves three egg dishes and Belgian waffles that can be ordered all day. Other menu highlights include scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and scallions and a Gruyere cheese and spinach omelet, all priced at $14, plus tax and gratuity. Sports enthusiasts can keep up with network football/ basketball and various games with two televisions mounted in the bar and in the back dining rooms. (1101 K Street, NW; 202.408.1717)

l Blue Duck Tavern, with seasonal outdoor dining on the terrace, serves up an a la carte brunch experience showcasing the best of each season and region. Executive Chef Brian McBride’s brunch fare is served Saturday and Sunday, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and fresh produce, farm-raised meats and freshly caught seafood comprise the “raised in America” offering. Guests can create their own brunch menu with a myriad of choices including heirloom baby beets, Belgian endive, Bayley Hazen blue, pumpkin seeds, red wine vinaigrette; salad of seared Yellowfin tuna, chickpeas, olive, sun dried tomato and feta cheese; house-made country venison sausage with cider braised sauerkraut; Belgian waffle with honey, glazed pecans and fresh cream, as well as a lump crabmeat omelet.  Prices range from $3 to $26.  (24th and M Streets, NW; 202.419.6755)

l Not to be left off of this list is the Latino Dim Sum offered at Cafe Atlantico, served Saturday and Sunday, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The family-style menu, inspired by traditional Chinese dim sum, features a selection of 24 small dishes highlighting Chef Katsuya Fukushima’s signature cuisine that is transformed by Latin American and Caribbean ingredients. For the full dim sum experience, try one of Chef Katsuya’s two specially crafted tasting menus.  The Chef’s tasting menu, featuring 14 items served in traditional dim sum style for the table to share, is priced at $34.95 per person, tax and tip not included. A similar, 12-dish vegetarian tasting menu also is available for $24.95 per person. (Tasting menus are available until 1:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday and are for the complete table only. Guests also have the option of ordering dim sum items a la carte, priced from $2.50 to $8) (405 8th Street, NW; 202.393.0812)

l Even after a late Saturday of fun and frolicking, Sunday mornings you’ll feel in the pink at Hudson Restaurant & Lounge in DC’s West End. Whether warding off that headache from Saturday night or dreading the inevitable advent of Monday morning, after the first sip of mixologist John Hogan’s Mimosa Hudson, probably the only thing that will be crabby is Hudson’s Crabby Benedict. You also might try a stack of buttermilk pancakes or Challah French toast mixed with the musical stylings of jazz duo Marshall Keys and Harold Kaufman. The Hudson brunch is an array of culinary offerings that includes their Manhattan Morning -- Nova salmon, toasted bagel and cream cheese, served with tomato, red onion and cucumber. (2030 M Street NW; 202.872.8700)

l Ici now has a jazz brunch service which features a live jazz trio and dishes such as “Suzette” style crepes made with sugar and orange juice and a rotating selection of savory quiches. There’s also a spectacular array of French Champagne cocktails, such as the Kir Royale. Brunch is served every Sunday from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 p.m. (806 15th Street, NW; 202.730.8700)

l Las Canteras, the Adams-Morgan Peruvian restaurant we’ve been telling you about, offers a new weekend brunch featuring creative takes on traditional Peruvian dishes. The brunch, served Saturday and Sunday, also features a specially designed Pisco bar - a list of cocktails made with Pisco, the fiery, clear grape brandy from Peru. The brunch menu showcases the special culinary approach of Eddy Ancasi, Las Canteras’ executive chef. One dish bears special mention: Quinoa Pancakes. The menu consists of small plates, ranging in price from $6 to $12 and the concept is designed for a table to share several dishes. Brunch hours are 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on both weekend days. (202.265.1780) 

l Nage Restaurant now offers Sunday brunch service. Feast on dishes such as pumpkin ricotta pancakes, Tasso ham eggs benedict and chicken n’ dumplings, while sipping on an endless glass of refreshing bloody marys or mimosas. (1600 Rhode Island Avenue, NW; 202. 448.8005)

l At Vermilion, simply prepared flavors from the season’s freshest ingredients form the foundation in Chef Anthony Chittum’s kitchen. Try his cornmeal pancakes made with sweet ricotta and a dried cherry compote or the house-made, grilled duck terrine, served with toasted brioche, curly endive and two poached eggs. (1120 King Street, Alexandria, VA; 703.684.9669)

Nycci Nellis is founder and CEO of www.TheListAreYouOnIt.com that serves over 20,000 subscribers with juicy, comprehensive, up-to-the-minute, upscale food and wine news. Check it out online!