Let's Brunch
Best brunch in America list includes some curious DFW restaurants
Ah, brunch. That revered weekend pastime when we gather with friends to feast on French toast and eggs Benedict without a care in the world — except when our mimosas and Blood Marys will be replenished.
Every diner has an opinion about where to brunch, and reservation site OpenTable has culled through those opinions from more than 5 million verified users on nearly 19,000 restaurants across the nation. The result? The 2014 roundup of best brunch restaurants in America.
Dallas-Fort Worth has four restaurants on the list — some more predictable than others. For starters, there is Max’s Wine Dive, the mini-chain best known for its specialty, fried chicken, which makes an appearance on the brunch menu with waffles. In Dallas (the Houston location also made the cut), other brunch dishes include house-made cinnamon rolls; a “big ass” short rib burrito with eggs, black-eyed peas and jalapeños; and a hangover pot pie with collard greens, fried eggs and bacon.
Cafe Modern, at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, proves to be Cowtown’s top spot — secured, no doubt, by the picturesque environs and seasonal menu selections. (OpenTable users also lauded the appropriate portion sizes.) At brunch, served Saturday and Sunday from 10 am-3 pm, dishes may include cilbir, Turkish dish with poached eggs, garlic yogurt, chimichurri and toasted pita bread; piggie in a blanket with jalapeño-cheddar sausage tucked in a flaky pastry; or fried chicken with a poached egg and Southern creamed hominy.
A less obvious choice was Bonnie Ruth’s in Frisco, although the French-style cafe does do a fixed-price brunch buffet on both Saturday and Sunday, which has to be a popular choice among nearby families. Restaurant 506 at the Sanford House in Arlington rounds out the DFW options. It also serves brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, with a predictable menu of frittatas, pancakes and Belgium waffle.
Wait. Is there an inordinate number of OpenTable users in Arlington?
Around Texas, the aforementioned Max’s Wine Dive in Houston also made the list. Austin got two: Chez Zee, home of the crème brûlée French toast with Myers’s Rum sauce, and Olivia, which boasts sophisticated brunch dishes such as foie gras with smoked Gouda grits and duck prosciutto or beef tongue tacos with soft scrambled egg and cojita.