Pops, South End

Pops Restaurant in the South End is on Tremont Street with several other future brunch places. When I first moved to Boston two years ago, my god-father and I got lost on Tremont Street during Pride weekend. I loved the area but never found it again. Driving around the area looking for parking was so fun. Dan thinks it is because I am a hippie, but I thought the area was very cute and now I am going to make him move there.

The night before visiting Pops we opened up our list and looked at the four or so restaurants in the South End. I told Dan he could pick and he chose a different restaurant…we ended up at my choice, Pops. After looking at the menu I thought the French toast looked good and I wanted to try something other than my standard eggs, bacon, and home fries.

There were not many people there and we were seated right away. I hate small tables, so I was not pleased with the seating options. Also, I was surprised by how small it was inside. However, they were playing R&B music and I was impressed by the vibe and the décor. It was hip but subtle. There was nothing particularly special about the service. We were served in a very timely manner and we appreciated it.

I ordered the Brioche Pecan French Toast with Nutella and Bananas. I planned on stealing some of Dan’s meal, the POPS breakfast: three eggs, bacon, roasted potato hash, and Texas toast.

The food was the best brunch food I have ever tasted. Everything was done to perfection. I ate much more of Dan’s food than I expected. It was so delicious that I could not stop. My French toast was delightful. It was sweet and required no added syrup . The bananas and pecans balanced out the sweetness of the Nutella which I’d never had before. I could rave on and on about how good the food tasted but I lack the lexicon to describe foods and flavor. Please just take my word for it. I would highly recommend people check this place out

Service: B+

Ambiance: A-

Menu Creativity (Options): B+ (Not too many options but very creative.)

Taste: A+

Overall: A

-Candice

Pops has always been a favorite of mine, and I have had dinner or lunch there about 3 times.  (For lunch the Steak Sandwich is phenomenal.)  This was my first time having breakfast/brunch there.  I had the Pops breakfast: 3 eggs, roasted hash browns, Texas toast and bacon.  This very well might be the best brunch I have ever had.  The eggs were perfectly scrambled, bacon was crispy and nowhere near over cooked.  The Texas Toast was outstanding, toasty,  garlicky, and buttery.   My OJ was freshly squeezed and served in a nice scotch glass.  What stole the show was the French toast that Candice had, it is served with no maple syrup but it is smothered with bananas, walnuts and Nutella.  This was a great mixture of textures, flavors, and deliciousness. 

The service was perfect for brunch; thr server kept an eye on the table but only came over a couple times.  There restaurant was immaculately clean and was playing remixes of 80’s and 90’s music.  Just a side note: I love the silverware.  It is perfectly weighted with a great design; the only ones I like more are at Umbria.  This is a must go, and a severely underrated brunch spot.  The only issue is the parking situation but with patience that can be overcome. 

Service: A-

Taste: A+

Ambiance: A

Menu Creativity (Options): B+

Overall Experience: A+

-Dan

Total Bill: 36

Zoe's in Harvard Square

Zoe’s is in the heart of Harvard Square, close to my beloved Berryline, but not nearly as delicious. I had been to Zoe’s once before in 2007 and I remember enjoying it much more.

Zoe’s is a fifties-themed diner. When it is done well, I really love the fifties theme. However, loud colored tables and chairs and black and white photos doesn’t cut it in my book. Our waitress was busy; the place was packed, but she was nice and worked fast. We were seated and served quickly; I always appreciate that.

I ordered the Double Play: two eggs, two slices of bacon, home fries, and two pieces of French toast. (I am going to branch out with my order in later reviews.) The food was terrible, and I was displeased with my meal. We have established, in earlier posts, that I am sucker for home fries. What we have not established is that I hate ketchup. Zoe’s cooks ketchup into the home fries. After trying one bite, I ignored them for the duration of my meal. The French toast had no flavor, the eggs were dry and stringy, and the bacon greasy. Contrary to what having a blog in which I review restaurants, may seem to mean, it really does bother me when I complain about a meal. But since I do have a blog, of which the purpose is to share and rate my experiences, Zoe’s was the worst to date.

Also, being so near Harvard was like flashing back to my days at Pomona. Lacrosse players in mismatched outfits, girls in polo shirts and pearl earrings…it was definitely Pomona-esque in terms of the clientele. I swear I almost said, “Hey Vanessa” to a couple girls.

Service: B (The place was packed; waitress was nice, but not attentive.)

Ambiance: C

Menu Creativity (Options): A-  (Zoe’s had a lot of menu options, including sweet potato pancakes, frappes, and Greek French toast. However, if the taste was anything like the meal I had, I would pass on creativity and try and work on taste

Taste: D

-Candice

Zoe’s looks like a great place from the website: really funky, peppy, def hippie-ish….It ended up being an IHOP knock-off.  I got the “My 3 Sons” which is 3 eggs, 3 pieces of breakfast meat (sausage/bacon), hash browns, and 3 pieces of French toast or pancakes.  The food was passable but nothing to write home about.  The “World Famous French Toast” looked like it was a piece of Wonder bread cut in half.  The eggs were def the powdered stuff and they did little to blend another flavor in.  Bacon was cooked but not at all crisp.

The service was friendly enough, but definitely not mid-range service level.  Chairs in the diner were extremely low and you are rubbing elbows with the person at the table next to you.  My biggest problem came when I went to the Men’s room…I felt like I was walking through the old combat zone, the area had holes in the wall, exposed pipes, mold on the walls and basically everything else that makes you skive in a restaurant. 

The overall impression I had was this was supposed to be the IHOP in Harvard Square but IHOP pulled out and the people who bought it and finished the restaurant failed miserably.

Service: c+

Taste: C+

Ambiance: C

Menu Creativity (Options): B

Overall Experience: D

-Dan

Total Bill: 30ish

The List...

Here is the list that started it all...help us add to it by emailing us at drozmccray@gmail.com

The Friendly Toast (Cambridge)
The Paramount (Beacon Hill)
Trina's Starlight Lounge (Somerville)
The Cheesecake Factory
Cafeteria Boston (Newbury Street)
Sound Bites (Somerville, MA)
Centre Street Cafe (JP)
Highland Kitchen (Somerville)
Tremont 647 (South End)
The Fireplace (Brookline)
Gargoyles on the Square (Somerville)
Grafton Street (Harvard Sq.)
POPS (South End)
South End Buttery (South End)
Cafe Luna (Cambridge)
Metropolis Cafe (South End)
The Dogwood Cafe (JP)
Ryles (Cambridge)
Stephanie's (Newbury Street)
Zoe's Kitchen (Harvard Sq.)
Aquitaine (South End)*
Johnny D's (Davis Sq.)*
Christopher's (Porter Sq.)*
Uncommon Grounds (Watertown)*
Biltmore Bar and Grille (Newton)*
*new addition

Cafeteria Boston

Cafeteria Boston (Newbury Street)

Dan got to pick the brunch place this week and I think he did a good job. He took me to Cafeteria Boston once last year and I really enjoyed it. I don’t often go to Newbury Street and I tend to stray away from the “fancy” places that Dan really enjoys. I find this place to be a happy medium between both our tastes.

The décor at Cafeteria Boston is relaxed and I was excited to be on the second floor on a sunny Sunday afternoon. All the furniture and accents are in beiges and browns; with the huge windows, it was very bright and welcoming.

Our waitress was nice but I felt like she wanted to be somewhere else (which she probably did, it was a lovely day.)

I ordered 3 eggs, bacon, home fries, and pancakes, my usual. I liked the bacon, and the pancakes were very good but the home fries did not have enough seasoning.  We ordered a jar of Sangria that was really good but next time I will just stick with the glass; we had a lot left over.

Service: B

Taste: B

Ambiance: A+

Menu Creativity (Options): B

Overall Experience: A-

Special thanks to Herrel, who took our reservation via text message on a Sunday while we were parking at the Pru.

Cafeteria is a very hip/cool/trendy spot on Newbury St.  The set-up is very open and airy.  We were seated on the second floor which has a lot of windows and tons of natural light.  Our Server Ashley was very attentive and not obtrusive at all.

I stayed with French Toast and Bacon.  The French toast was excellent.  It  came with fresh fruit and was covered with a caramel infused whipped cream on top which was flavorful, light and airy.  It was complimented by maple syrup perfectly.  The bacon was not cooked evenly with half the order chewy and the other very crispy, this was fine and gave a few different textures when I mooched off of Candice’s eggs.  I just wished they had done something to get the excess grease off of the bacon; a white side dish filled with excess bacon grease just does not fit a Newbury St. boutique restaurant. 

Instead of juice we went with a jar of Sangria.  We ordered the Rose which was raspberries, apples and white wine…absolutely delicious. 

Service: B+ there when you needed her and far enough away to relax

Taste: B+ food was very good

Ambiance: A+ the second floor is a great room and the perfect wake-up spot for Sunday brunch

Menu Creativity (Options): A- with all of the beverage options and a wide variety of breakfast and lunch

Overall Experience: B+ really fun spot, just wish there was more parking (Boston’s Back Bay)

Total Bill was $58 which for Newbury St is very moderate

3-in-1 Review

The Brunch Birds are back after a hiatus. With our return, we bring you three brunch reviews in one. J

The Paramount (Beacon Hill)

Having Mondays off is great for running errands but less than great for arranging brunch. Most places do brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, leaving Mondays for breakfast or nothing at all. Dan and I planned on going to Trina’s in Somerville since it was the only place on our list that serves brunch on Mondays but brunch was not until noon and we had made other plans.

We ended up at The Paramount in Beacon Hill. The area was very nice and I was excited to have my first ever meal in the famous Beacon Hill area of Boston. I was disappointed.

It has been some time since the actual meal at The Paramount in Beacon Hill and sadly I do not remember much about the place except the disappointment I felt after the meal.

-Candice

Overall grade: C-

I feel pretty much the same as Candice.  I’ve had industry friends talk up this spot for 5 years and I was really disappointed with the food quality, portions and taste.  The only really outstanding aspect was unobtrusive service (cafeteria style with 1 porter monitoring about 10-12 tables removing empty plates),  Freshly squeezed OJ will be my lone fond memory but after ordering eggs, bacon and their “famous” banana pancakes I just really wanted to go to Ihop…one should never leave brunch hungry and we both did.

 -Dan

Overall grade: C-….they are saved by fresh OJ

 2 people under $40

Trina’s Starlight Lounge (Somerville)

I was really excited to try Trina’s after hearing quite about it in the last couple of months. I was a little bit weirded out by the curb appeal of the place. It looked like an abandoned building and I thought maybe the restaurant had moved to a new location. Once inside, I was a little turned off by how dark the place was. All the furniture and walls were painted black and the two windows in the dining area were covered. Brunch to me feels light and airy; the décor at Trina’s definitely did not fit with what I wanted. However, I LOVED the food and our waitress ;)

I ordered the Starlite Slam and a homemade PopTart. The hashbrowns were so yummy. I also tried some of Dan’s French Toast and it was the best French Toast I have ever had in my life.

Overall Experience: A-

Trina’s is a little hole-in-the-wall in Somerville, think Mary Anne’s in Cleveland Circle but more sketchy from the outside.  I was very skeptical walking in but figured why not try it.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I ordered the French Toast with a side of Bacon and the food was excellent.  I would come back in a heartbeat.  My only knock on them is from the dining room we heard a bartender talking to another employee yell “I just wish he would f***ing stop emailing and trying to call me”…everyone needs to vent but at work during Monday brunch is not the place.  Service wise Trina’s was excellent, comfortable booth, friendly décor and great food make this a must eat at.

Overall grade: A-

Bill total was $50

Cheesecake Factory

I really really like The Cheesecake Factory, especially the nachos and the drinks. For years I have thought of it as fine dining and defaulted to it when deciding on a place for dinner with friends. I assumed that brunch there would be equally as awesome. I did not enjoy my morning meal there at all. I felt like I could have made a more delicious brunch for Dan and I at home. I ordered the basic breakfast and pancakes. I really do not remember much about the meal but our waiter was pretty hilarious. He talked too much and too fast but was very sweet.

I don’t think I would go back to Cheesecake Factory for brunch especially not now when I know a few cooler and tastier options are available.

Overall Experience: B-

We figured we couldn’t just go to random spots and this is a favorite of ours for a nice casual dinner and drinks.  Cheesecake factory is a much mellower place for brunch and we chose the Chestnut Hill Mall location since the others are just way too busy.  We had a bartender for our server and he was way too over the top, even for the cheesecake factory.  He was literally running with plates from the kitchen to his tables. 

I ordered the French Toast knowing I’d pick off Candice’s plate…Cheesecake factory’s portions are as big for brunch as they are for everything else.  They brought out the same great breads to start off with and then the food came out: Fresh OJ and a massive plate with 4 pieces of French toast, each of which was cut in half. Our server had to bring it back to the kitchen because they forgot to put powdered sugar on it…he really did not need to tell me this.  The food was awesome and almost didn’t need the syrup…almost.  The overall atmosphere of the restaurant and the overwhelming server that early in the morning was enough to knock the grade down.  Brunch should be enjoyable with invisible service and all about the food but Cheesecake Factory did not think that out.

Overall Grade: B-

Total Bill for 2 people $45

The Friendly Toast (Cambridge, MA)

Before our review of The Friendly Toast (Cambridge, MA), Dan and I thought it would be good to establish some basics for every review. We are quite different in our approach to dining out and what we enjoy, each review could be completely random not only compared to each other but from to the last restaurant. To establish some consistency, we decided that we would make sure to touch upon and give each place a grade level (A-F, a nod to my teacher status) in five different categories; Service, Ambiance, Menu Creativity (options), Taste, and Overall Experience. This way even though we are bound to have very different opinions and nitpick about different things, we can have a common thread from which to discuss our experiences…. now on to The Friendly Toast.

I made plans yesterday to visit The Friendly Toast with a good friend of mine. When we arrived we were told that the wait was one and a half hours. So we passed and went to Tommy Doyle’s, an Irish bar nearby. (The brunch there was great.) Dan and I both had the day off and assumed that on a Monday morning the wait would be much more acceptable.

We arrived and were seated immediately. I had been to The Friendly Toast once before but for a very busy Sunday Brunch. It was nice to be seated so quickly and I feel that without all the patrons, I really got to take the place in. The Friendly Toast is a fifties diner and has some really awesome décor. Usually, I think that kind of thing is cheesy and overdone, but it was so overdone that it was very cool. The menu illustrations were very fifties, blond haired kids smiling in pastel colors (apparently people of color did not exist in the fifties…snark, snark). The names of dishes on the menu also gave nod to fifties (or fifty ish) relics like Alfred Hitchcock, and classic books that were published or took place in that time, like a cocktail called Catcher in the Rye.

It took quite a long time for our server to bring us water and she had a stank attitude. I was not fond of that. I hate when servers have a nasty attitude. Why you have to ruin my experience because you are having a bad day?

My order:

1 pancake w/toffee crumbles

The Basic-Two eggs, home fries, and toast

1 side of bacon

Rasberry/Bannana Smoothie

The food came out and there was barely any room on our tiny table for the HUGE portions. My pancake took up an entire square shaped plate. My smoothie came in an old-fashioned milkshake shaker, kind of looked like a margarita shaker. There was no way I could even pretend that I thought that I could ever finish all that food; I did not finish all that food.

However, finishable or not finishable, the food was great. I loved everything. I am especially a sucker for home fries. If your home fries are good then most likely I will like the rest of the food. The bacon was also particularly good, it was a little spicy or something. My pancake with toffee crumbles was really fluffy and super sweet and my toast, which I got one bite of, was delicious. I was initially leery of oatmeal toast, (they do not have white toast) but it tasted great.

In the end, the food conquered me and I went into a food coma. Dan and I had plenty of errands to run after eating but opted to return home for a nap. You may say that food should not make you sleepy but I do love the bliss of the uncontrollable urge to and subsequent napping after a good brunch.

Service: C (too slow + nasty attitude)

Ambiance: B+ (I loved the chill vibe and the fifties décor and menu theme)

Menu Creativity (Options):  A I thought that there were so many delicious sounding choices and that it was very cool to offer pancakes with toffee crumbles. They also had a great tea selection, which I passed on trying for another trip.

Taste: A- the eggs were the weakest part of the meal but this is coming from a girl who puts anything into the eggs she makes at home.

Overall Experience: A-

-Candice :)

Adventure #1:  The Friendly Toast in Cambridge, MA.  The Friendly Toast is exactly what it sounds like: friendly.  This is a great little spot that I would classify as a Harvard-Hippie-ish-diner.  It is well set back from the street with plenty of metered parking so gives it a warm, cozy, neighborhood feel.  The restaurant has a very warm and kind of funky décor, plenty of book themed decorations and very vibrant colors decorate the walls.  The table sizes left plenty to be desired as multiple plates of food (will hit on this later) quickly filled the entire table.  The tables are basically cocktail size so when you add plates, water and juice for 2 to the regular ceramic display of condiments it fills up very quickly.

The server came across as uninterested and regretting being at work on a Monday morning; it definitely looked like this was the “B” team of servers after the Sunday Brunch rush yesterday.  She was rolling her eyes at other patrons as we were glancing around.  The servers either wore their own clothes or Old Navy was designing the uniforms.  She slowly warmed up to us as we got closer to getting the check and overall left a decent impression.

Menu wise this was a really cool, unique and fun set up.  The cocktails are all themed after books and they do their own take on different sandwiches and dishes.  A 4 page brunch menu was a bit overwhelming but not quite on the level of the one from the Cheesecake Factory.  Unfortunately finding the beginning of the menu took a minute because it had been folded so many times that the binding basically did not reveal its original set up.  Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch items were plentiful and most options could conceivably be ordered for all 3.  Plenty of juices, smoothies, cocktails and mocktails were listed.

The food portions were ginormous.  I ordered the Basic Breakfast (2 scrambled eggs, wheat toast and breakfast potatoes with caramelized onions), and a side of Bacon and a slice of French Toast.  The eggs were what I expected: most likely the powder stuff but tasty, the toast was pre-buttered and a solid ¾ inch thick.  It was perfectly toasted on the outside and nice and warm and chewy in the middle.  The Breakfast Potatoes had a great flavor but the onions were beyond caramelized and bordering well done.   The Bacon on the other hand was perfectly crunchy and cooked (too many places under cook it).  My French Toast was huge…Probably 6 inches by 6 inches and ¾ of an inch thick.  This is definitely a place you need a slight food coma afterwards.   My glass of Orange Juice was not freshly squeezed and tasted very much like Tropicana from Concentrate.

Overall I would def recommend it personally and professionally.

Service – C+

Ambiance- B+

Menu Creativity – A-

Taste – A-

Overall experience – B+

-Dan

Total bill for 2 = $43

http://www.thefriendlytoast.net/

Meet the Brunch Birds....

On a whim, my boyfriend and I decided to start a blog. Actually, on a whim, I decided to compile a list of places I wanted to go to brunch. Dan, my boyfriend, eagerly agreed to this because his whole job revolves around him knowing places to send people to in Boston and I happened to pick out some fancy places that he already knew of. After compiling our list, he, being the nerd that he is, decided to put it on the fridge and cross off places as we visited. Me, being the dweeb that I am, suggested that we get a memento from each place to keep. Somehow this all turned into creating a blog where we review places we go for brunch. Dan is all for this and generally any interest from me in anything slightly having to do with going out to eat and passing judgment on restaurants. I get from this a place to write, delicious food and time spent with my love.

Also, my awesome sister and her husband have agreed to do a review or two from my hometown of Los Angeles. Added bonus, staying connected to my family.

-Candice :)

We are excited to share the food adventures of a nerd and a dweeb.  Thanks to  my professionally trained, food snob friends and Candice’s  food loving friends and family this will be a mix of information and enjoyment...plus a whole lot of awesome food.  We have discovered many great ideas on a whim and have chosen to share our journey on this particular one with anyone who chooses to read and comment here. Feel free to suggest great places for brunch (or other meals and treats) in the Boston or Los Angeles area, as well as share your reviews of the places we go in the comment section.

-Dan

First trip is to The Friendly Toast in Cambridge, MA....stay tuned for pictures and our reviews.