It's Sunday In My Heart and In My Stomach

Happy Monday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I swear weekends go by in the blink of an eye.  One second it is Friday afternoon and next second it is Monday morning.  Although I had a very fun weekend, I would have liked it to last LONGER!

I have a giant file of recipes I have seen online that I would like to try one day.  The file is so big I could probably make a new recipe every day for several years.  My cooking intentions are always broader than my cooking reality.  

However today, a recipe that I had printed out months ago popped up on a Facebook feed.  A breakfast tart with baked eggs, bacon and cheese on a grain-free almond crust from Danielle Walker's Against All Grain website.  (The website calls it "Breakfast Pizza with Gruyere, Baked Eggs and Bacon" but I figure anything where I use my tart pan is a tart not a pizza.  LOL!)  

I looked at the ingredient list and I was surprised that I had almost everything on the list.  This NEVER happens.  A typical day in my life is "Ooooh I could make a BLT sandwich - except I don't have bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise or bread."  

But today was not a typical day - I even had FRESH CHIVES in my refrigerator.  It is rare I have fresh anything in my fridge as I eat out a ridiculous amount.  I decided this was the universe's way of saying that even though it was Monday, I should brunch like it's still Sunday.

The recipe for the breakfast tart (a.k.a. Pizza) is here, but I wanted to discuss some modifications that I made.  The grain free crust uses blanched almond flour, salt, egg, melted butter, cold water and chopped chives.  I had almond flour but it was not blanched - so my crust was more mottled in color.  It tastes great to me either way.  I also used smoked salt, but less than the recipe called for.  Instead of melted regular butter, I used melted grass-fed garlic and herb Kerrygold butter to add additional flavor.  I also tripled the chopped chives.  I find almond flour crusts to be a little bland so adding extra herbs really brought a lot of great flavor to the crust.

The almond crust before baking 

For the tart filling, it called for 1/4 c. creme fraiche or Greek yogurt.  I used 1/3 cup - 1/2 sour cream and 1/2 Greek yogurt to add a more savory tang.  If I were living in France, I might have creme fraiche in my fridge on a regular basis.  However here in Tampa, most of my local stores do not carry it.  

I also did not have 1/4 c. shredded Gruyere cheese.  Had I had Gruyere cheese, I would have also added some nutmeg to the filling as I find that is a great Swiss flavor combination.  However, I didn't have any Gruyere cheese (did you really think I would?)  

Instead I used 1/3 c. rough chopped Kerrygold Dubliner Cheddar cheese and added both cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 garlic cloves minced and 1/4 of a small red onion, diced.  I loved the crunch of the red onion in this breakfast tart.  I like really savory flavor profiles.

The cheese filling before baking

The recipe called for 7 strips of cooked bacon to be put on top of the cheese layer.  However my tart pan could only handle 6 slices.  What a crime!

And the result?  A fabulous breakfast tart that looks impressive.  It was incredibly easy to make but looks like it was difficult.  I love recipes like that!  I will definitely make this recipe again, but next time I will rough chop the bacon instead of just laying the strips on the tart.  It was harder to cut into wedges because of it.  Also the tart is supposed to serve 6 but only 4 eggs are used.  If I was making this for a brunch, I'd crack in 2 more eggs so every serving would have a full egg on it.

I made sure to cook the tart for a few extra minutes because while I love a runny yolk, I don't like a runny egg white.  But otherwise this was SO DELICIOUS!  And grain free!  I definitely recommend checking out this recipe from Danielle Walker.  Any day can be like a Sunday brunch with this delightful dish!

The Laid Back Breakfast Sandwich - Haight Street, San Francisco, CA

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I am obsessed with good breakfast sandwiches.  I remember a million years ago, a woman who will forever be known as "Little Jen" and I worked for a financial institution in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Neither of us were enamored with the job, but their cafeteria made amazing breakfast sandwiches on Texas Toasts.  Thank goodness no Executive ever asked me what I enjoyed about working for the company, because I would have said "The breakfast sandwiches - and nothing else."

I was walking along Haight Street in San Francisco.  The Haight street area has so much history and ghosts that it reminds me a lot of Bourbon Street in New Orleans.  You can literally feel the ghosts of generations as you walk down the street.  (Check out my run in with a ghost in New Orleans in this blog post linked here.) 

For another great restaurant review in the Haight-Ashbury area, check out my blog post on The Sparrow.  As I walked along Haight Street, a small restaurant called "Kate's Kitchen" caught my eye.  It looked laid back with a large menu.  I was sold.

Unfortunately I didn't realize until after I sat down that it was "cash only."  The menu looked so good, I wanted to order EVERYTHING.  But I'm never one to carry much cash on me, so my breakfast options would be dictated by the price.  I ordered a breakfast sandwich with Kate's Kitchen's homemade sausage and hash browns with a cup of mint tea.

The service was friendly.  The atmosphere was very chill.  The decor laid back - a little grungy, but overall homey.  And the FOOD -- ohhhh the toasted bun on the breakfast sandwich was both sweet and savory.  The homemade sausage had a nice spice to it, but not overwhelming.  The fresh hash browns were crispy with a nice fresh potato flavor.  Win, win, win.

I didn't have any specific encounters with ghosts as I had breakfast at Kate's Kitchen but I had a very good breakfast sandwich, which is tops in my book!

If you're in San Francisco, check out this quaint little joint.

Will You Be My Chip Buddy? The Queens Head, St. Petersburg Florida

Happy Friday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

I am extremely happy that the weekend is here.  If you know me or are a regular reader of LilyOnTheLam.com; you may know that I love, love, love breakfast foods and brunch!  So with the weekend upon us, I thought it would be a good time to have a Sunday brunch restaurant review!

Today's post is about The Queens Head Restaurant and Euro Bar in St. Petersburg, Florida.  I have no clue what a "Euro Bar" is.  I was hoping it meant 1) Hot Europeans hitting on me at the Bar, 2) a bar full of Euros that I can spend at my will or 3) a fancy European candy bar.  

When I walked in to The Queens Head, there were only Floridian locals sitting at the bar.  There were no big bowls of free European currency.  And while I received some flirty looks, no one looked like they were going to hand me any free chocolate bars.  So still no clue what a Euro Bar is, but I was hungry and thirsty and I wanted brunch!

For this brunch at The Queens Head, I was accompanied by Miss Kentucky and her friend Sassy Ms. S.  Although The Queens Head is an Anglophile's dream (check out the Brit tabloid-wall papered bathroom!), I spotted the French "Croque Madame" on the Brunch Menu.  Unlike a traditional Croque Madame sandwich, this one was served on raisin toast.  I was intrigued.

Miss Kentucky and Sassy Ms. S ordered a breakfast sandwich with chips (French fries) in it, called a Chip Buddy.  Now I love a good breakfast sandwich, so I was hoping their Chip Buddy wasn't better than my Croque Madame.  No one likes a heaping side of BRUNCH REMORSE in the morning!

My Croque Madame arrived and I was even more intrigued.

Unlike a traditional Croque Madame where the sandwich of sliced cheese, sliced ham and béchamel sauce is in one piece and topped with a fried egg.  This raisin bread sandwich had diced ham, cheese and pickled onions.  It was cut into fourths, topped with an egg on a plate that had drizzled berry syrup on it.  

Now I love sweet and savory when it comes to breakfast.  I am the girl who wants the eggs and the pancakes.  I don't like just one or the other.  I felt the diced ham on this Croque Madame was somewhat skimpy.  Charge me an extra $1 and give me a slice of ham, please.  However other than that, I was in love with this non-traditional version of the Croque Madame.  The raisin toast with the cheese, ham, pickled onions and the sweet berry syrup with the lush richness of the fried egg ... well it was just a heavenly combination and one I ate up with vigor.

The ladies also ate their chip buddy breakfast sandwiches just as fast as I inhaled my Croque Madame.  Sunday Brunch at The Queens Head was a hit!

Also to note - the service was prompt and very friendly.  The atmosphere was relaxed.  The patrons were extremely social.  It felt warm, homey and very "neighborhood hangout."  I would definitely come back to The Queens Head, especially to check out their wonderful sounding dinner menu.        

Excuse Me, Is That A Sandwich In Your Drink or Are You Just Happy To See Me? Hash House A Go Go, Orlando Florida

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

I hope this day is finding you the best and brightest that you can possibly be!

If you are a regular reader of LilyOnTheLam, you will know that I have recently spent some time in Orlando Florida with a one Mr. Cardamom Monroe, internationally renown Hello Kitty fan, looking for homes for sale.  Mr. CM is being relocated to Florida and needs surroundings suitably lush to be called "Lily East."  As I have always been good at spending other people's money, I was more than happy to accompany Mr. CM on his house hunting expedition.

Mr. CM's Realtor had told us that the Las Vegas restaurant Hash House A Go Go had opened a location in Orlando.  The restaurant bills itself as having "Twisted Farm Food."  Now if you want to fully understand who LilyOnTheLam is as a person, you need to know the following things:

1)  LilyOnTheLam likes breakfast - and all things in hash form.

2)  LilyOnTheLam likes houses.

3)  LilyOnTheLam likes anything and everything "a go go."

4)  LilyOnTheLam is pretty twisted.

So I insisted that Mr. CM take me to Hash House A Go Go for Sunday brunch.  

The food itself was scary.  I thought the Cheesecake Factory had large portions.  This place makes Cheesecake Factory look like a starvation camp diet plate.  Mr. CM and I were served these gargantuan platters of food, covered in sauces and gravies.

I had the entree best known for its appearance on the TV show "Man Vs. Food":  The Fried Chicken Eggs Benedict.

  
It is sage fried chicken with fresh spinach, bacon, tomato, griddled mozzarella, chipotle cream and scrambled eggs on grilled mashed potatoes - all on a fresh split biscuit.  With a gigantic steak knife (a.k.a. dagger) stuck in the middle of it.  Since I'm not currently planning on engaging in a killing spree, I was a bit amiss as to what to do with this weaponry.

The fried chicken eggs benedict might as well have been a bowl of mashed potatoes drowning in very hot chipotle cream gravy because that is all I tasted.  The spicy factor seared my tastebuds and the rest just tasted like one note incredibly fatty, heavy blandness.  

If you like massive portions of overly spiced, doughy tasting food covered in gravy, you'll love this fried chicken benedict (which is not a traditional eggs benedict whatsoever).  But I was unhappy.  I ate about 1/6th of this monstrosity and felt sick to my stomach.  (And trust me, my stomach is used to eating some heavy duty fatty foods.)

This was a "Hash House A No No."

Mr. Cardamom Monroe went with some egg thing - if I remember correctly this is the Farm Scramble.  But I could be wrong, I was too busy wishing I had ordered a waffle instead.

Mr. CM was not impressed with his meal either.  We looked sadly at the table of waffles and pancakes next to us.  WHY, WHY, WHY didn't I just order a pancake as big as my head?  I had to go "all fancy" and get the "as seen on TV" entree.  

  
I would definitely go back to Hash House A Go Go to try one of their monster pancakes but I will steer clear of the eggs on potatoes on biscuit dishes - no flavor!

But there is one bright spot of my brunch at Hash House A Go Go.  I wanted to start my meal with a Bloody Mary.  The server asked "a regular Bloody Mary or a BLT Bloody Mary?" What?  I was intrigued!  What is a BLT Bloody Mary?  The server said "It's like a Bloody Mary with a BLT on the side."  Mr. Cardamom Monroe and I looked at each other, still not comprehending what this cocktail was supposed to be.  But we decided in this land of twisted farm food, it's either "Go big or go home!" so I ordered the BLT Bloody Mary.

Out comes a spicy bloody mary with a large romaine leaf submerged in the drink, a piece of beefsteak tomato and a cold piece of bacon.  At the base of the drink is a square of sandwich bread-looking melba toast and a packet of mayonnaise.  An interactive cocktail!

I slathered the melba toast with mayo and then began the assembly.  I pulled out the wet piece of romaine lettuce and placed it on the mayo-ed toast, then the tomato and then the bacon.  I really liked the flavor of the lettuce since it had a generous soaking of my spicy Bloody Mary on it.  The tomato was tasty.  

The bacon however was too cold from sitting in the icy drink.  It had a heavy congealed fat taste to it.  Perhaps they could have given me a skewer and a candle so I could have warmed up the bacon table side?  The melba toast was nice but I would have preferred a slice of lightly toasted white bread as a BLT to me both has the crunch but also the softness of the bread.  Melba toast just has the crunch.

As far as restaurant gimmicks go, this was a cute one.  But probably not one I'd try often.  Because my entree was already food for 12, to have a drink with a side sandwich was just waaaaaay overboard.  I could hear my arteries hardening and my thighs expanding as our coffee cups were refilled.

I'd like to go back to Hash House A Go Go to have a pancake as big as my head.  They have them in traditional flavors (Banana, Brown Sugar, Apple Cinnamon) and non-traditional ones like Snickers, Strawberry Frosted Flake, Mango Coconut and Blackberry Granola.  They also have bacon waffles and sausage waffles.  I definitely need to go back to try a bacon waffle.  But I'll definitely pass on their non-traditional eggs Benedict platters.  I am not a fan of those! 

Ohhhhhh America: If You Liked It, You Should Have Put A Pie Crust On It - Review of Perkins' Restaurant Luscious Lemon Cake Pie

Happy Tuesday LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

This is Day Two of my "Ohhhhhhh America" week - blog posts that will have you shaking your head in shame.  While I usually do my "new product review" (products that are new or new to me) on Wednesdays, I am extending that spirit throughout the week with things that are head shakingly American.

Growing up in Minnesota, I love Perkins' Restaurants because I love being able to get breakfast foods at any hour of the day.  (As an American, I think being able to get breakfast any time I want it should be a right not a privilege!  Ha ha ha!)  Two years of my high school youth was devoted to going to see the midnight showings of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" with friends and then heading to Perkins for some 3 a.m. pancakes.

It is a scientific fact that 3 a.m. pancakes taste better than pancakes eaten at 9 a.m.  And by scientific fact, I mean unfounded personal opinion.

Unfortunately in Tampa Bay, there are not many Perkins' Restaurants anymore.  The two closest to me, closed.  I suspect due to the local popularity of "Village Inn" (which is known as Bakers Square in the Midwest - formerly the chain known as Poppin' Fresh Pies which used to have the Pillsbury Dough Boy as its mascot.)  In Tampa, the Perkins and the Village Inn used to be located on the same street.  Evidently Village Inn won that turf battle.

I actually prefer Perkins' food to Village Inn, but for whatever reason I went to Village Inn more ... not sure why as they were once so close to each other proximity-wise from me. 

So every now and again, when I am in an area near a Perkins Restaurant I stop to have breakfast at a non-breakfast hour and give a toast to my long ago misplaced youth.

Last Saturday, I was driving back to Tampa from Orlando after real estate shopping with Mr. Cardamom Monroe.  I was tired, which is not a good thing when driving at night.  I saw a sign for the Perkins and decided I needed to get some coffee ... and pancakes.

I sat down in the booth and was amazed how many people were having dinner at Perkins at 9 p.m.-ish on a Saturday.  Evidently this Perkins in "I don't know where I am, somewhere between Orlando and Tampa, Florida" was a hopping spot.

I looked at the table tent and saw this ... a celebration of all things summery and lemony.

     
I was intrigued by the Luscious Lemon Cake Pie pictured.  It looked delicious.  But also, what the heck is this new trend about putting cake in a pie crust and calling it pie?  Is this some sort of delayed calculated revenge for Boston Cream Pie - the cake that is not a pie?  Ohhhhhh America!  Village Inn had a similar "cake in a pie crust" concoction several months ago and I was equally as confused then as I am now.

I love living in America and being born an American.  But I have to say there is something so truly American (in good ways and bad ways) in thinking about a dessert and saying "I know, let's put the CAKE in a PIE crust!"  There was an old Saturday Night Live "Taco Town" sketch that makes me think of how American we are to put one kind of food into another kind of food (see the sketch here).

But back to my mission ... caffeine and pancakes.  Perkins' has awesome pancakes.  Hands down better than Village Inn - flaky, buttermilk-y tasting ... just delicious.  

After pancakes and coffee, there was no way I had any room for pie ... much less cake in a pie crust.  But of course there are always "to go" containers!  I took a piece with me and had it the next day while watching shameful reality television on the Bravo network.   Ohhhh America.

The verdict?  The Luscious Lemon Cake Pie was indeed luscious.  Tart but intensely sweet with spongy, moist layers of cake.  However like most American desserts, it was overkill in a pie shell.  

Basically from what I can figure out is that they took a baked pie shell, lined it with super sweetened whipped cream and then plopped a frosted cake in it and then filled the edges with even more super sweetened cream.  I wanted to scoop out the cake and leave the bland pie crust and excessive amounts of sugary almost separated whipped cream behind.

When I was a kid I loved whipped cream - the more the merrier.  I am not sure when or why but sometime in the last maybe five years, I have lost my zeal for massive amounts of it.  It's sad, really!  I still appreciate a generous dollop of lightly sweetened cream, but when things are drowning in sugary cream it seems like a complete waste.  (Same can be said for drowning things in sauces or gravies.  Stay tuned to LilyOnTheLam.com's Ohhhhh America week for more posts with this theme!)

When I was growing up (and honestly still to this day), my Mother used to blather on about liking things simple and natural.  Just the way they are.  She'd rather have a bowl of strawberries than strawberry shortcake.  She'd rather have a plain baked potato than one loaded with butter, sour cream, bacon, cheese and green onions.  So I feel like an abbreviated version of my mother when I make the statement about Perkins' Luscious Lemon Cake Pie -- "Did you really need to put this nice cake in a pie crust?"  I liked the cake (although it was too sweet), but the bland pie shell and the extra whipped cream brought nothing to the party.  

If you like lemon cake, check out this "pie" but you may want to do like I did and cut off the pie shell and the extra whipped cream.  Unless of course you're a big cream and crust fan -- and if so, then you'll be in heaven.

Stay tuned all this week for my "Ohhhhh America" series of posts!    

An Open Letter to Cardamom Monroe ... A Winter Park, Florida Love Story, Part One

HAPPY FRIDAY LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

There is nothing so delightful than the appearance of the weekend.  I have a half-day today at work which is basically the adult equivalent of an elementary school snow day.  AND I AM JUST AS EXCITED!  It's important to embrace the simple things and little pleasures in this life.  My evening plans are TOP SECRET - as in it's something that could be construed as embarrassing and dorky.  

Which by the way might as well be on my business cards "LilyOnTheLam - Embarrassing and Dorky since 1437."  (I'm OLD, people - get used to it!  Get over it!  Get under it!  Fetch me some Botox and a Witch Doctor!)

But enough about my dorkiness, this post has a greater purpose.  This post is an open letter to one singular sensation, the amazing mysticalness known as Mr. Cardamom Monroe.  Not your ordinary spice or herb ... 

What is cardamom anyway?  I put it in baked goods and my 2nd place winning bourbon coconut curry braised organic grass fed beef short ribs (more about that another time!)  

OK according to Wikipedia, cardamom is the third most expensive spice by weight.  Mr. Cardamom Monroe would now interject that I should not mention his weight on my blog ... and "Third most expensive?  Try THE most expensive!"  Mr. Cardamom Monroe has an attitude!

I don't know if anyone informed the people of Orlando, Florida but Mr. Cardamom Monroe is planning an onslaught of the city.  As in, he's moving there.  I have a lot of stalkers ... because ... well, because I am me.  I don't appreciate any of their stalker-ocity, but I am flattered that Mr. Cardamom Monroe felt the need to relocate across the country to be in the same state I am in.  But he's playing somewhat hard to get - moving to Orlando versus setting up camp outside my front door.  He thinks he's being sly, but I see right through him.

Mr. Cardamom Monroe is checking out the real estate scene.  Evidently he plans on stalking me for the long haul if he's looking to actually purchase a home.  Anything that helps fund the Florida economy is good with me!

There are several places I like to visit when I am in Orlando, so I gave a horror movie gasp when Mr. Cardamom Monroe told me that he heard Winter Park was "old and staid."  He might as well have stabbed me in the HEART.  Bolt the windows and doors because I am about to have a melt down!  

I love, love, love Winter Park!  There should be a booth with my name on it at The Ravenous Pig American Gastropub for the number of times that THIS piggy was ravenously eating there!  

Seriously if you're near Winter Park and want an insanely good meal, get your piggy feet down to The Ravenous Pig.  You and your stomach will NOT regret it.

As an apology to my beloved city of Winter Park, Florida for Mr. Cardamom Monroe's scandalous commentary; Ms. Wrigleyville and I decided to spend part of July 4th weekend on a mini road trip to eat, drink and shop our way from Winter Park to Winter Garden, Florida.  Had we also stopped in Winter Haven, we would have had a Winter Trifecta!

OK to be fair, we actually already had our road trip planned but I like to be dramatic.

(Side Note:  Ms. Wrigleyville and I love, love, love The Tasting Room at The Chef's Table at the Edgewater Hotel in downtown historic Winter Garden.  This restaurant is TO DIE FOR - and I will blog about it some time down the road.  You must, must go.  Take my word for it.  I'm serious, people!)

I consider myself to be an informed foodie ... and I act like a "Know It All," a little too often for some people's tastes.  (Suck it, Haters!)  So not to sound too condescending, BUT I get a lot of joy when friends introduce me to a new favorite place because usually I am the one giving the recommendations.  

It's nice to actually be the enjoyer versus the planner all the time.  Not that I don't enjoy the experience if I plan it and not that I don't love planning it; but sadly I have found there are a lot of selfish users and takers in this world so when I find a good person I am extra extra grateful.  

As I was saying to Ms. Wisconsin the other day, I don't expect 50-50 all the time in my friendships but it can't be 100% Me and 0% the other person -- and sadly I was remarking to Ms. Wisconsin that several people in my life have no clue why I don't want to continue giving 100% while they give 0%.  (Catch the clue bus, clue train or clue airplane, people!)  

I decided some time ago to give low effort people the exact same amount of effort that they are giving me.  ZERO.  I am only putting energy into relationships with people who are also putting energy into it.  Life is too short to be a giver amongst a sea of takers.       

Ms. Wrigleyville, with her foodie encyclopedic knowledge, recommended we do breakfast at The Briarpatch in the Historic District of Winter Park.  Since I drove us from Tampa Bay to Winter Park, Ms. Wrigleyville offered to buy me breakfast.  I am pretty sure she was regretting that decision when I played "Sally" from "When Harry Met Sally" when I placed my high maintenance breakfast order.

But here's the thing ... I ordered a partially off the menu item (sorta) - a combination even the Chef himself didn't know could be great (to paraphrase the Billy Crystal line from the movie)-- and IT WAS AMAZING!  I was tickled with happiness!  Perfection on a plate, people!  

I need to buy Ms. Wrigleyville something because I am sure my high maintenance order cost a pretty penny!  (By the way, what tastes better than an amazing breakfast?  A FREE amazing breakfast!  Thank you, Ms. Wrigleyville!)

The Briarpatch restaurant is beyond awesome.  Which is what I think of Winter Park, in general.  (Are you listening, Mr. Cardamom Monroe?)  They have a glass case with multi-layer cakes bigger than elementary school children.  Check out this photographic evidence ...

Is the cake less caloric if it's dyed patriotic colors for July 4th?

The Briarpatch is very popular, so Ms. Wrigleyville and I got in line and stared at the dessert case.  I was trying to figure out how I could fit this entire case into the backseat of my convertible.  However I am not a logistical genius, so my "figurin' out" was basically me just standing there slack-jawed, whispering "caaaaaaaaake" in hushed, awed tones between drool drips.

The restaurant is lovely.  I read some online customer reviews saying that the service is bad.  I have to disagree.  Our server and the servers for all the tables around us were giving great customer service.  Maybe I'm just the type of person who gets good service wherever she goes (NOT!),  but my experience with The Briarpatch was excellent.  Our server even offered to send us out with to-go cups of iced tea!  So sorry online reviewers, I have to disagree with you - our server was top notch!

Ms. Wrigleyville and I noticed that one of the specials of the day was a nectarine waffle.  I have never had a nectarine waffle.  Both Ms. Wrigleyville and I were intrigued.  Everything on the menu sounded delectable.  

By the time we were seated, I was so hungry I could have eaten off of other people's plates.  I had not eaten all morning, then add a road trip on top of it ... I needed some sustenance STAT!

Ms. Wrigleyville ordered an omelet ... look at this delicious thing.  If I remember correctly, this is the white cheddar, bacon and mushroom omelet with breakfast potatoes and whole wheat toast.  

My order required our server to use two pieces of paper to write down all the instructions!  OK maybe not, but it sure felt like it.  The Briarpatch has a variety of eggs Benedict on their menu.  Yet the one that caught my eye was a corned beef hash eggs Benedict.  HELLO!  

I had a corned beef sandwich as big as a smart car the last time I was in Murray Hill, NYC (Sarge's Deli - one of my favorites).  I also had the most amazing corned beef reuben while watching the World Cup at local Irish Pub MacDinton's in South Tampa.  I don't even like reuben sandwiches and yet this one was so good I could scream like a soccer (ahem football) hooligan!  MacDinton's Pub is also a place where I have been known to give a fake name to overly friendly gentlemen and talk with a ridiculously exaggerated accent that I refer to as "Swiss-British."    

My step-father has informed me that while there is Swiss-German, there is no such dialect as Swiss-British.  This does not deter me one teeny bit.  Regardless of the veracity of my pub persona, the MacDinton's bouncers think I am hysterical (or crazy) because they know I am really Minnesotan.  Or Swiss-Minnesotan, as it were.  Or Minne-Swiss.  Or Swiss Miss.  Or Swiss Crazy.  Swiss Swiss.

Is it possible to have a corned beef deficiency in addition to an assumed nationality?  I have been pro, pro, pro corned beef lately and yet here I was in Winter Park, Florida contemplating MORE corned beef.  When is enough, enough?  Will there be public service announcements discussing how to properly conduct a corned beef intervention?  If there will be, I hope none of my friends and family watch!

The corned beef hash eggs Benedict at The Briarpatch restaurant is served on an English muffin with a side of regular grits.  That might be fine for the Harry's of the world (back to "When Harry Met Sally" references here), but when it comes to ordering breakfast I am Meg Ryan's Sally, all the way.  

That's the ONLY way I resemble Meg Ryan ... OK no I take that back, the personality of her character in the movie "Addicted To Love" is 100% me from age 17 to ... how old am I, now?  From age 17 to age 934.)  

If you've never seen this guilty pleasure "somewhat chick flick" called "Addicted to Love," you MUST MUST MUST see it.  NOW!  GO!  

It is a somewhat black comedy/somewhat romantic comedy.  It stars Meg Ryan, Matthew Broderick, Kelly Preston and Tcheky Karyo.  It is directed by the underrated Griffin Dunne.  It's $3.99 to rent on iTunes and $6.99 to purchase.  The movie is ridiculous and snarky.  It's lovely and it's sad and yet it's hopeful too ... and there's a Milky Way Man, a kissing monkey and a frothily light French tunes soundtrack.  So really, do I need to say more?

OK two more points about "Addicted to Love" because really I just can't stop!  The movie has a speech about what is love with an example of Meg Ryan's character's father that you will never forget.  It also has a line "How much to put lipstick on the monkey?"  Which really is a question I think most of us have been asking ourselves for most of our lives.  Or is that just me? 

Back to breakfast at The Briarpatch ...

There was a goat cheese rosemary biscuit on the specials menu at The Briarpatch that caught my eye.  Here's the thing ... I like goat cheese.  I like rosemary.  And as "The First Lady of Lynchburg" can attest when I blew out her ear drums shrieking when I saw a restaurant in Virginia called Biscuitville, I LIKE BISCUITS.  

There is definitely a trapped Southerner somewhere within my Minnesotan body.  And she's probably trapped under a pile of biscuits and pimento cheese that I have eaten.  Oh well, at least she's not starving!

I asked our very friendly server if instead of the English Muffin, could I order a goat cheese rosemary biscuit and have the Chef use that instead?  

I could tell from the server's face that I was the only Sally/Meg Ryan who had ever requested such a combination.  She looked distressed and uncertain.  I gave her a pep talk - we're in this together!  You can do it!  Now go get 'em!  

And then before she could run off, I also quickly asked if I could get cheese grits instead of regular grits.  That also cost extra (sorry Ms. Wrigleyville!), like 72 cents extra I think ... or maybe it was $1.72 or $2.72 or $272 ... I am a big spender when someone else is paying!  I am surprised I didn't ask for a 10 pound lobster as a garnish!  

My high-falootin' ways and server pep talk worked because our wonderful server was able to convince the Chef to make my "Sally High Maintenance Order" ...

The Corned Beef Hash Eggs Benedict - high maintenance order served on a
goat cheese rosemary biscuit with a side of heart-stopping cheese grits.

This was probably the best corned beef hash I have ever eaten.  It was made with big chunks of real corned beef, seasoned to a heavenly taste.  It melted in my mouth with just a hint of brine.  This was no dog food looking hash that I normally see in diners across the country.  This was gourmet and fantastic.  The potatoes were crispy, not greasy.  Everything was perfectly seasoned and in harmony.  

My high-maintenance order of placing all this wonderfulness on the goat cheese-rosemary biscuit was worth the fuss.  I don't know how a biscuit can be creamy and flaky at the same time ... but it was.  It was like buttery custard in a firm, flaky, moist biscuit.  The rosemary was strong and fresh, but not overpowering.  There was a slight hint of tangy goat cheese but again not overpowering.  A very well-balanced flavored biscuit.  

The poached eggs were perfectly cooked.  The Hollandaise sauce was rich and creamy without being overly heavy.  And the cheese grits ... smooth as silk with a rich, cheesy body.  It was like eating a cheesy creamy bowl of teenage dreams.  (Insert Katy Perry-esque knock-off song here.)

This was easily one of the best breakfasts I have had all year ... probably in several years even!  Thank you, Briarpatch!  Thank you, Winter Park!  (Are you listening, Mr. Cardamom Monroe?)

Then my breakfast went off the rails.  

You see Ms. Wrigleyville pulled out a machete ... and a gun ... and a slingshot ... and screamed "You are splitting the nectarine waffle with me, so we can try it!"  I am pretty sure she also pistol-whipped me and that her barking orders had a 1940's era German accent.  It's all a blur now, but I am pretty sure that is an accurate re-telling.  

I fell to the ground sobbing "Nooooooooooo!"  Hostage negotiators were brought in.  People fainted in the streets.  I recited a Samuel L. Jackson speech for no reason. 

And after fourteen hours of tense stand-off, I agreed to split the nectarine waffle with Ms. Wrigleyville.  I have 17 cats at home to support, I can't be killed in Winter Park.

     
Now the waffle was good ... BUT ... if The Briarpatch had named this waffle "Pecan Waffle with Nectarine garnish and syrup" I would have proclaimed this crisp, butter, malty, taste bud charmer the best waffle ever.  

However I was expecting a nectarine waffle and therefore was a tiny bit disappointed.  This waffle was chock full of pecans inside and out and topped with perfectly ripe nectarine slices with a not-too-sweet syrup.  But I had been expecting fruit inside the waffle giving me a strong nectarine punch of flavor.  Instead it was nutty, buttery, crispy with a velvet center.  An amazing waffle, just one in need of renaming.  #FoodieProblems  (The name didn't stop me from eating part of it though!  Yummy deliciousness!)

If you go to Orlando, you must do two things :

(1)  Go to Winter Park's historic district and have breakfast at The Briarpatch.

and 

(2)  Find Mr. Cardamom Monroe and tell him Winter Park rocks!

If you are nowhere near Orlando, make yourself a waffle and watch "When Harry Met Sally" and "Addicted to Love."  Either way, you'll have a great experience!

As always, thanks for reading!

(July 13, 2014) P.S.  Interested in hearing more about the movie "Addicted to Love"?  Check out this blog post from one of my readers here.

Gamble on this Amazing Breakfast! Pyramid Cafe - Luxor Las Vegas

Happy Friday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

I know this was a shorter week for many U.S.-workers with the Memorial Day holiday this past Monday, but man I felt like the work week was a week and a half long!  This is what happens to me after a nice vacation! 

I have a stack of pictures from Las Vegas, New York, Durham, Lynchburg, Lexington and Charlottesville - just waiting to be blogged about ... baby steps!  So today I am going to write about Breakfast in Las Vegas!

Call me a crass American, but I looooooove long weekends in Las Vegas!  I love the shows, the shopping, the dining ... I hate the heinous amounts of secondhand smoke but other than that I love, love, love Vegas!

Another thing I love, love, love is breakfast foods!  The sweet breakfast food items always sound so wonderful, but a sugary breakfast usually makes me insane and then makes me crash hard.  So I usually opt for an omelet or other egg-based dish.  My stomach might want a sugary entree but my brain knows it is better to stick with some protein!

But on the second to my last day in Las Vegas, my judgment was getting a little cloudy.  I decided it was time to try one of the sugary breakfast entree treats at the Pyramid Cafe at the Luxor Hotel.  

My only problem was that EVERYTHING sounded so good.  Check out this list of sweet breakfast foods:  S'mores pancakes, Red Velvet pancakes, Cinnamon Roll French Toast with caramelized apples, Peanut Butter Cream Stuffed French Toast, Orange Creamsicle French Toast, Strawberry Shortcake French Toast, Bacon Pecan Waffle and ... drum roll please ... Carrot Cake French Toast!  Have I died and gone to sugary breakfast treat heaven?

I once had Carrot Cake French Toast at the South Congress Cafe in Austin, Texas.  It was absolutely amazing.  If you are in Austin, you absolutely must check it out.

But now I was in Vegas and I was TORN!  So many choices!  I read and re-read the menu and finally narrowed it down to the Strawberry Shortcake French Toast or the Carrot Cake French Toast.  

But I could not make the final decision!  

I decided to let my waitress decide for me.  She said absolutely the Strawberry Shortcake French Toast and I said "SOLD!"

Lemon poppyseed bread dipped in vanilla custard, grilled and served with sliced strawberries, whipped cream and strawberry sauce.  CRAZY DELICIOUS!  A high roller breakfast!

Unfortunately I was headed to New York City after my Las Vegas trip to buy some new work clothes, so I could not eat this entire plate of "heaven in lemon."  But I allowed myself two of the four pieces and all the strawberries.  My tastebuds were happy and later when I tried on lots of designer clothing and everything fit perfectly and beautifully, I was glad I showed some restraint!

I find that a lot of lemon poppyseed muffins/bread have a fake chemical taste.  This French Toast was very lemony, not overly sweet but still fresh and tasty.  The bread is sliced thick and is soft and velvety with a crispy shell.  I would have preferred real whipped cream whipped by hand versus a pressurized cream, but it didn't detract from the wonderfulness.  The strawberries were sweet and ripe.  The strawberry syrup was rich without being artificially or sickly sweet.

This breakfast was soooo good.  If I had a high metabolism, I would have tried a different sweet breakfast entree from Pyramid Cafe every morning that I was in Las Vegas.  But sadly I have the metabolism of a turtle, so I only was able to savor one of their fabulous breakfast items.  It was still worth it!

If you are in Vegas and enjoy sweet breakfast entrees, make sure you check out the Pyramid Cafe!

350th Blog Post: Go Global for Your Sunday Brunch: Canadian Breakfast Poutine with Tots!

Happy Easter (or Happy Sunday) LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

This my 350th blog post!  When I started this blog on December 18, 2010, I would have bet money that 3 1/2 years later I would NOT be still writing in it.  I have been the reigning Queen of Lazy and Procrastination for 4236 years now; so to be at "Blog Post Number 350" I am just floored!  Perhaps my cats have been ghost-writing some of the entries.  

A small renegade contingent of you have been reading from the very start.  Aren't you bored, yet?  Whoops I mean- thank you so much for reading!  

One thing that hasn't changed in 350 blog posts is that my cats still give me the stink-eye when I break out into a spontaneous dance number.  When will they learn to appreciate high art?  

Between dance numbers, you would think I would have run out of subjects to write about by now … but evidently I still keep blathering on and on and on!  Thank you for coming along for the ride!  Have a chocolate bunny and some marshmallow peeps in honor of this glorious day!

Now let's get back to business ...

I wrote this blog post in advance, in case I happened to be passed out in a bag of jelly beans by Easter Sunday.  The week before Easter is always treacherous for me as stores start marking down prices on their Easter candy to get it off the shelves.  "Fifty percent off?  Well I'd be a fool not to buy 300 packs of Reese's peanut butter cup eggs and 900 bags of jelly beans … oh and don't forget the MARSHMALLOW PEEPS!"

Then later I am found in the gutter, covered in crinkly green Easter basket grass with headless chocolate bunnies all around me.  Oh the shame, the mighty shame!

I basically have to barricade myself indoors and think about celery to keep me from running off and filling my entire car with Easter-themed sugar.  

In honor of Easter and Sunday brunches in general (I love breakfast food almost as much as I love sugar), today's post is about a dish I had in Vancouver, British Columbia.  

My job is a global role, so on a daily basis I am talking to people from all over the world.  However I take particular delight in chatting with my Toronto colleagues - especially about the antics of their Mayor.  I have spent the majority of my life living in states that border Canada.  During three years living in Buffalo, New York, I basically ran to Canada any chance I could get.  

But one thing I had never eaten in Canada on my many, many, many trips there was poutine.  For those of you unfamiliar, poutine is a dish that originated in Quebec.  It is a base of French fries, covered in brown gravy and topped with cheese curds.  I'm pretty sure whomever created this dish was insane or had a major case of the munchies.  I like Fries.  I like gravy.  I like cheese curds.  But all together?  Come on Canada, sober up!

I had poutine once in the States and was like "what the heck is the appeal?  This just looks like a pile of nasty covered in gravy."  (Now let me say that there are MANY plenty of "train wreck on a plate" dishes that I do enjoy.)  So when I traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia for the first time, I decided I was going to sample some hopefully "authentic" poutine and see what all the fuss was about.

On my trip, I had regular poutine, a short rib poutine and then a "breakfast poutine."  My favorite was the breakfast poutine - which technically is not a poutine at all (and probably why I liked it so much.)

I was staying at the Vancouver Four Seasons - a lovely, centrally located hotel.  The restaurant in the hotel is Yew Seafood-  a smart, chic eatery with good customer service.  On their breakfast menu, they had the "breakfast poutine" and I knew I had to try it.

O' Canada and Your Breakfast Poutine!

     
Instead of French fries, the base of the breakfast poutine was sweet potato tater tots. (I love a good Tater Tot.  Search for "tater tot" on this blog and get ready to be frightened when you see how many of my posts are dedicated to the beloved tot!)

Hello Sweet Potato Tater Tots!

Sliced free range chicken sausage, back bacon (I'm just going to call it ham), cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce topped the "mock poutine."

This breakfast food lover declared it: "100% Amazingly Delicious!"  It had the sweetness of the sweet potato tater tots with the saltiness of the sausage, back bacon and goat cheese.  It had the richness of the Hollandaise sauce and poached eggs with the acidity of the tart cherry tomatoes.  And it was all served up in a cute little iron skillet.

The portion size was super huge.  I ate and ate and ate and only finished half.  I needed a "Poutine Buddy" to finish off this breakfast!  Is there a "Woman Seeking Poutine Buddy" section on Craigslist?  

The breakfast poutine all around was very good.  The goat cheese was nice, but this dish would have been just as good without it.  Although I suppose it would not be a "mock poutine" without some cheese on top. 

Sadly, the breakfast menu for Yew Seafood Restaurant no longer contains the breakfast poutine.  Perhaps Canadians are not as fond as I am of this "breakfast bastardization" of their national appetizer.  However this breakfast-loving American thinks it is pretty darn tasty!  U.S.A.!  U.S.A.!

One of these days I am going to recreate this dish at home for my own brunch event.  It is a relatively easy dish to throw together, but has a "slaved away in the kitchen all day" taste. Plus it would give me an excuse to buy some baby iron skillets … I LOVE BUYING KITCHEN STUFF!  

So Canadians, I'm still not 100% sold on poutine but I am 200% in love with breakfast poutine.  Baby steps to international diplomacy and peace … through breakfast foods!

P.S.  Here are some pictures of Yew Restaurant - if you're in Vancouver, check it out!

I love any place that draws in my cappuccino foam and serves a biscotti on the side

Yew Restaurant - Vancouver

Yew Restaurant

Yew Restaurant