Easter Brunch

With memories of a traditional seated Easter dinner in years past, my Mother had the brilliant idea to do a brunch this year. My brother and I jumped at the idea, and I quickly called East Side Cafe to make a reservation in Austin. This is one of my favorite places for brunch in the city, with a plethora of menu items, and a fantastic old house setting. We went for a late reservation of 2:30, and it couldn't have been better. I had mimosas on the brain, and ordered one to start. The lovely little thing came with a purple pansy, which set the spring mood off just right. Eggs Benedict happens to be one of my most favorite things (yes, I say it all the time) and I was planning on ordering ESC's classic dish when the waitress informed us of their specials. A poached egg served upon a salmon and crab cake, with a chipotle hollandaise sauce. This all served with fruit, pan potatoes, and a blueberry bran muffin. SOLD!! My Mom decided on the classic eggs benedict, and my brother on chicken quesadillas. Each dish was great, I was in love with the chipotle hollandaise. It complimented the salmon and crab with gusto. Such a nice switch on the classic. We opted to look at the dessert menu, and I was struggling to resist the Chocolate Silk, but we decided to venture out for ice cream, gelato, or frozen yogurt instead. The brunch was excellent, and I will continue to sing its praises. Head over not just for holidays, and be sure to try their regular menu as well. Right before we left the hard wood floored restaurant, we walked around the gift shop (where I purchased a fantastic book called, Around the World in 80 Dinners), the amazing gardens, and chicken coops. We finished the day wandering down to the Warehouse district in search of sweetness. We finally decided on Yummy Yo, on 3rd & Nueces. It was a serve yourself frozen yogurt shop, and it hit the spot. I chose Banana yogurt, with fresh blueberries, raspberries and of course fruity pebbles. Fantastic. It was the perfect end to an Easter Weekend, with people I love the most.

East Side Cafe

Yummy Yo Frozen Yogurt

Brunch!

To start the new year off right, my Mom and I headed to the Driskill for a much needed relaxing meal. She happened to have a gift certificate to 1886 Cafe and Bakery, which made it all the more sweet of a trip. We arrived just in time to catch the tail end of brunch, and my eyes went directly to Eggs Benedict. This happens to be a favorite, so my order was placed. We chatted in the packed dining room, and were able to catch up with Tony Sansalone, the Executive Pastry Chef. Tony used to own Sansalone's Bakery on 12th street, but moved back into the Hotel business a few years ago. He is an expert cake maker, and now produces lovely desserts for the hotel. When our meals arrived (yes we both ordered Eggs Benedict) we were thrilled. I more thrilled probably b/c it was the perfect dish to work off the celebrations of New Year's Eve. The eggs were perfectly poached, the Canadian bacon salty, and the Hollandaise sauce just the amount of zing I needed. Though the potatoes were a bit mediocre, they did a great job of soaking up excess sauce. It would be fantastic if the $12 dish had a complimentary Mimosa, but for great Hollandaise sauce, it will do. Be sure to check out the beautiful hotel when you're up for a great bite.

The Drikill Hotel
Twitter: @DriskillHotel