Sweet, sweet brunch

Now that the weather is nicer, I do my best to hit up at least one brunch spot every weekend.  It doesn't always work out that way, but I do try.  I have yet to do it alone, so lately I've been bugging Mel to go with me now that she has Saturday's off.  Horray!

Lately Cafe Colette has been my go-to brunch spot near my hood.  So far, its been fantastic and I look forward to going back over and over again.  I've been here a total of 4 times, once for dinner and three times for brunch.  I know I've already mentioned them before, but I just want to reiterate my love of this place based on the fact that its A.) adorable, B.) the food is fresh and tasty, C.) its really affordable, and D.) their staff is helpful, attentive and super cute!

Of course I usually get their poached egg dishes, but I can't help it.  My new found love of poached eggs is more than I can bare!

Anyhoo, they offer two versions, both of which are super tasty.  The last time I highlighted Cafe Colette, I had ordered the Chick Pea Puree with Kale on Toast variation.  This time I went for the Squash Croquette with Mustard Sauce version.


The croquettes were crispy on the outside and oh-so-good on the inside.  Squash is so versatile! 

The mustard sauce was light and worked well with the oozy goodness of the runny eggs.  The salad was light and fresh with a tart vinaigrette dressing.

This is not the most filling meal, but definitely satisfying.  I ordered the sage sausage on the side, which is truly delicious and turns this fairly healthy brunch option into something I need to walk off.



My fab out-of-town friend Teresa ordered the bread pudding french toast (I think that's what its called), which cooked in a lovely cast iron dish.

She said that although it was dessert-like, it wasn't overly sweet, which was a good thing in order to get through it.

It smelled delicious and she did manage to get most of the way through this hearty entree.






My awesome friends Tubby and Zac (Teresa's brother) ordered the egg sandwiches which come with a choice of cheese and breakfast meat on a roll.  Tubby went for American cheese with sausage while Zac went for the bacon and no cheese (he's a lactard like me!)

Tubby got a side of fries, which were delicious!  You can just eat these guys up without ketchup, they're that good and fresh.



Zac opted for a side of home fries which was a HUGE portion and they looked really good.  One of these days I'm going to have to try some myself.  I love me some good ol' home fries with eggs.  Is there anything more comforting?

I know this is a crappy pic, but I blame Zac who was all the way across the table and took the photo for me.

Zac - you need to steady your hands next time! :)

The next brunch place I tried out recently was Dumont, which I've enjoyed for dinner but never their brunch.  I took my mommie here for Mother's Day, which I know was a long time ago... so sue me if I take forever to write about it!

Honestly, the reason we picked Dumont was because they had a reservation for brunch at a good time through OpenTable.  I didn't want to risk waiting a year and day to take Mama Maria to brunch.  We ended up waiting about 30 minutes anyway due to a "communication" issue with staff since we wanted to sit outside.  Whatever, it was nice outside and we got a chance to look at the menu.

My mom is a particularly picky eater since she has an allergy to cheese and butter.  No dairy for her either, but she's far more allergic than I am and can end up in the hospital with just a sprinkle of cheese.  She really wanted to get the ham omelet but she couldn't due to the fact that they use cream.  I had NO idea that dairy was ever used for scrambled eggs or omelets.  That is truly unfortunate but makes sense as to why I've felt sick afterwards at certain restaurants.

The safest bet for her was the Eggs Benedict without the hollandaise sauce.

It wasn't the most exciting dish, but it was safe for her to eat and she seemed to enjoy it.  The ham was nicely done and the salad was fresh and tasty.  She was a little worried about the bread being buttered, but she took her chances and won!







I ordered the eggs benedict myself, naturally, and enjoyed it a great deal.  The dish came with these spicy home fries that really gave a kick to the mouth.  I like spicy, but I have a feeling a lot of people are overwhelmed by them. 

The eggs were cooked perfectly, the ham was tasty and the sauce was thick and luxurious.  Doesn't it look incredible here.  My only complaint would be the bread, which was REALLY difficult to cut through.  It proved messy to eat since you needed a hacksaw just to get through the bread. 

The backyard area of Dumont is really lovely, so I recommend waiting the extra time to sit outside.  The staff was also really helpful and accommodating to my mother's allergies.  Our server checked on us several times throughout our meal to ensure everything was okay.  I definitely like Dumont, but their selection for brunch can be a little limiting to those who can't have dairy.  I guess the worst case scenario would be to get the burger - which is AWESOME, so there is no downfall to coming here any time of day.