Whiskey Cake - Brunch Up North

When Whiskey Cake opened up in Plano there were mixed reviews. Some people said it felt chainy, some people said it was over-priced, some people thought the food was bad, and some people really liked or even loved it. We thought we’d give it a whirl. As brunch-loving foodies, we opted the check out the yummy-looking brunch menu and skip the hubbub of a typical weekend dinner evening (the bar scene gets pretty crowded here).

After a pretty big Saturday, we were definitely in need of a little hair of the dog this particular Sunday morning. Haley ordered the typical mimosa, I ordered a version of a salty dog with gin, cucumber, grapefruit juice and club soda, and Haley’s boyfriend ordered a Bloody Mary. Mimosa was good, my gin drink was really refreshing and tasty, but Haley and Michael weren’t in love with the Bloody Mary.  I am not a fan of Bloody Mary’s typically, but wanted to try this one. I actually liked it better than any other one I’d tried! Maybe this goes back to everyone having their own preference for a Bloody Mary. Anyway, take it for what it’s worth.

For our meals, we definitely took advantage of the special Brunch menu. Haley ordered a Fried Green Tomato & Egg B.L.T. with Remoulade on toasted challah bread and kettle chips. The sandwich looked amazing and Haley said it was amazing. Although, what’s really not to like here?

Michael ordered the Chicken and Waffles – are you noticing a trend here? J It consisted of “bacon laced” Belgium waffles, fried chicken breast, scrambled eggs, and smoked chili hollandaise sauce. This was not our favorite interpretation of the dish, sadly. It was decent.

I ordered the Steak and Egg Burger, which consisted of a brisket burger, sunny side up egg, Muenster cheese, apple wood bacon, red chili aioli and hollandaise sauce. I am now avoiding gluten in my diet (as much as possible – so hard when you’re a foodie!) and so I ordered the burger without a bun.  It was delicious! So juicy and flavorful. All the elements worked so well together and I didn’t even miss the bun!

Lastly, although we did not order the signature Whiskey Cake at this particular brunch, we do recommend it. It is yummy!

Whiskey Cake was really good. It may be a little pricier than some expect, but didn’t feel annoyingly chainy. We really enjoyed it and will certainly go back.

http://www.whiskey-cake.com/

Jonathon's Oak Cliff - Best Brunch Candidate

Jonathon’s Oak Cliff was recommended to me by a coworker. It is a small, quaint restaurant in Oak Cliff that focuses on local, made-from-scratch cuisine. Some of the menu could be considered “comfort food” and some of the menu items look interesting, unique and just plain awesome. I have been a number of times for lunch (working downtown) and sampled the delicious-looking brunch menu once, but knew we had to try more! Enter our next foodie adventure.

Haley and I trekked down from our abodes north of “the loop” on a Sunday morning and were immediately greeted with a create-your-own Bloody Mary bar. I, myself, am not a huge fan of the Bloody Mary, but I do know that everyone has their own specific way they like it.  They are served in a mason jar with a handle, which gives it a fun, southern feel. Maybe not the best Bloody Mary mix ever – but the CYO (create your own) factor is always nice.

The muffin of the day was a banana, cream cheese, bacon muffin.  Anyone who follows the Taste Buds knows Haley has an extreme affinity for bacon in all applications. Obviously, we got the muffin. It sounded awesome, but honestly didn’t live up to expectation. It was kinda weird. Oh well!

Now on to the entrees! Haley ordered the highly coveted chicken and waffle. The chicken is a huge boneless, skinless fried chicken breast which was cooked to perfection. The waffle was large and everything you’d want a waffle to be. The peppered gravy is probably the best white gravy we have ever tried. It had more flavor than we’d ever expected. All these combined made the perfect brunch bite! Now, don’t forget to ask for some maple syrup on the side (who doesn’t love sweet mixed with salty in the morning??).

I ordered “Breakfast”. Sounds straight forward, right? 2 eggs, 2 sides, toast. Well, I ordered my eggs poached, had black beans and fresh fruit for my sides, wheat toast and I requested some jam for dipping. Word to the wise, their jam is made from scratch every day. I had strawberry and it tastes like no other jam I’ve tried – amazing. In case you are wondering about my side dish choices, during a trip to Montreal I was faced with a large amount of English breakfast options and now really like beans as part of my breakfast. The eggs were poached very well, the black beans had a Southwestern kick and were very flavorful, the fruit was very ripe, and I already told you how good the jam was (sometimes toast is just toast – no need to comment there).

Brunch was delicious and is now a Taste Bud favorite – wish it were closer. Hey, Jonathon’s – when is your north Dallas location opening up??

Since I have also been several additional times beyond our foodie adventure, I would like to share my and my companion’s favorites from the rest of the menu. The migas are great and huevos juanitos is fantastic. Huevos juanitos is only on the brunch menu so take advantage. The fowl burger is awesome, as are the cheese grits. The club sandwich is the best I have EVER eaten (but it’s enormous). But perhaps the best thing on the menu is the loaded chips. They made their own potato chips and load them up with toppings that are fresh and change daily, like green chiles, roasted chicken, feta cheese, roasted tomato and red onion, or kalamata olives. It’s like the best, most unexpected plate of nachos you will ever try. It’s pretty much the appetizer Holy Grail.

http://www.jonathonsoakcliff.com/

1111 N Beckley Ave, Dallas, TX