Saute (Canton)

The super short version? 3 (crispy) strips of bacon out of 5.  Their brunch is on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-2pm, and includes Mimosas, Bloody Mary's, White Sangria and Red Sangria.  While their brunch is available from 10-2, they have a two hour limit on the tables.  Either we had an awesome server, or they don't enforce it too much if there isn't a wait, because we stayed for almost three.      

Want more details?

Color of Mimosa: 2
Flavor of Bloody Mary: 3.5
Server Recommended Entree: Breakfast Burger-4 (x2), Crab Benedict-2.5, 
Build-your-own Omelet-3.5, Breakfast Pizza-4 
Crispness of Bacon: 4.5
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 3.5 

It was definitely a "Girls' Brunch" this weekend and we had some of our favorite people in the world with us, lending their superior taste buds and alcohol tolerance to our mission.  When we arrived at the front, we had a period of awkwardness because there isn't a hostess stand and no one immediately greeted us at the door.  After a few minutes, we were seated in a super comfy corner booth with plenty of space for the five of us.  However, it was also right under their speakers, so while the music was mostly good, it was difficult to have a normal conversation.  Never fear though, we are not a quiet bunch!  During our time there, it looked to be mostly 20s and 30s crowd with nary a child in sight.


We immediately ordered the mimosas, and to our delight, they always bring you out a pitcher that was kept full throughout our brunch.  I'm hoping that they use fresh-squeezed orange juice because that mimosa was pulpy!  Unfortunately, it was also very orange-y.  As my sister perfectly put it, "Where's the champagne?"    


Normally, we would put how many mimosas we had before we got our food, averaging one to one and a half.  This was closer to three.  Don't judge, remember that they were mostly juice.  The menu does warn that it could take 30 minutes for your meal to come out, but our server also didn't take our orders for awhile after we were seated, so the combination made us a bit hangry*.

Breakfast Burger

Build-You-Own Omelet

The Breakfast Burger got rave reviews!  Unfortunately for Shannon, they don't carry Ranch (we know, what kind of weirdos don't carry ranch) but she still loved the fries.  The omelet was good, except that it was a little too done on one side.  

Crab Benedict

Where's the crab?

We finally had a crab eater with us, so she got the Crab Benedict.  It looked pretty coming out, but was a bit salty and light on the crab especially when the Crab Benedict costs an extra $5 to the all-inclusive price.  The Breakfast Pizza was awesome!  And huge!  I only could finish a third of it.  

Breakfast Pizza... yes, it was huge.

 As always, we got our side of bacon and it was just as magical as we had hoped.  Nice and crispy.



In addition to the mimosas, we sampled the rest of their breakfast drink wares.  The Bloody Mary had mixed reviews.  Shannon was eloquent with a "Blaugh!"  Leah exclaimed, "Holy Horseradish!"  I was more observational with, "There are chunks in my drink.  I shouldn't have to chew my drink."  It did have good flavor, just needed to be smoother.  We also tried the White and Red Sangria.  They were alright, nothing super special.    

Overall, it's a pretty good place.  We didn't like that their website prices do not match the actual price (it was a dollar more), but it is still a good bang for your buck.

Till next time,

Your H&H Girls




*The official definition for hangry is hungry + angry.  Not my word, but love its usefulness.    

   

Johansson's Dining House- Johansson's Classic Sunday Brunch Buffet (Westminster, Maryland)

H&H was on the road this past weekend, all the way to Westminster, Maryland, home of the PEEP Show (which was amazing and peep-alicious).  Fortunately, we are able to brunch anywhere we go!  And we had another special guest with us. Shout out to Mama Tricia! 


The super short version? 2 (crispy) strips of bacon out of 5.  Their brunch buffet is on Sundays from 10:00am - 3:00pm. Last seating is at 2:00pm, and alcohol service doesn't start until 11:00am.  Brunch buffet and bottomless drinks are included in the one price.  Reservations are strongly recommended and this is where they lose their first point- they kick you out after an hour and a half.  We don't like the idea of being rushed.

Want more details?

Color of Mimosa: 2.5 
Flavor of Bloody Mary: 4.5
Server Recommended Entree: 2 (Buffet)
Crispness of Bacon: 4.5
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 1.5

Poinsettia, Mimosa, and Bellini

If you click on the picture of the menu, you will see why we were so excited at first.  Mimosas?  Yes.  Bloody Mary's? Yes. Various things being mixed with Champagne?  Hell yes.  All single liquor rail drinks are also included in their buffet price.  This should have been the paradise of all bottomless brunching.

  

Tequila Sunrise

Bloody Mary

         

The Mimosa was a great shade, but it had a watered down taste.  The Poinsettia and Bellini both got good reviews.  The Screwdriver and Tequila Sunrise were also tested.  Analysis?  If you're suffering from scurvy, this is the best place to go!  (i.e. too much juice, not enough booze) The one shining star during brunch was the Bloody Mary.  In short, Bloody Mary= bloody perfect!  It had just the right amount of spice that snuck up on you.   

Mediocre Mac and Cheese :(

Shannon summarized the food the best when she said, "It tastes like food from a catering place.  Not bad, but not worth a special trip."  They have an omlete station, which is always fun.  And we were surprisingly pleased about how crispy the bacon was! Sometimes it gets limp in those warming trays.

The worst part of our whole meal was our server.  How bad could it be when its a buffet you wonder? Especially since he didn't have anything to do except for provide us with our drinks.  While he was pretty to look at, it would take 20 minutes to get a drink.  We started ordering our next round as soon as he brought out the previous one since there was such a lapse.  At first we thought maybe it was restaurant policy or something.  However, when observing other tables, they had multiple drinks that were being refilled often. I would rather discuss the perfect ratio of orange juice to champagne with a troll than have bad service from a Greek god.  

Overall, it's a place to get brunch.  It looked to be geared more towards families and not professional brunchers.  Is this what you get when you venture out of the city?  If so, long live Baltimore!

Till next time,

Your H&H Girls    

No Idea Tavern- Blackout Brunch (SBIC)

The super short version? 4 (crispy) strips of bacon out of 5.  Their "Blackout Brunch" is on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-1pm, and includes Mimosas, Bloody Mary's, Natty Bohs, Hawaiian Punch Slush and Orange Slush.  They definitely put the blackout in that brunch!  

Want more details?

Color of Mimosa: 3.5 
Flavor of Bloody Mary: 4
Yumminess of Screwdriver: n/a
Server Recommended Entree: 3.5 (Breakfast Burrito-3, Breakfast Sandwich-3.5, French Toast-4)
Crispness of Bacon: 2.5
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5 

The name Hungry and Hungover has never been more apropos than it was this weekend.  We were definitely feeling the effects of the previous night (who can resist a karaoke competition at The Hippo?!?), and were STARVING for something greasy and carby.  Fortunately, we wound up at the perfect place to take care of all our needs.  If we were living the ritzy life last week, No Idea Tavern would be on the other end of the spectrum.  And it was amazing in all its diveiness!  The menu is limited, but definitely served its need.

Let's start with our beloved Mimosas and talk about the magic of our server, Jeremy.  As soon as we sat down, Jeremy brought over waters.  He might have gotten the hint that we needed hydration from the fact that we were still wearing our sunglasses inside.  We ordered our first round of mimosas, and they were brought over just as quickly. The mimosas were a little more orangey than is preferable, but still delicious.  

 And yes, even though she never reads this, we had a special guest this weekend, which means we got to try three of their entrees.  We ordered the Breakfast Burrito, the Breakfast Sandwich, the French Toast, and a side of bacon.  The special of the day was homemade corned beef hash, but they were out of it by the time we got there.  I'm assuming it's as amazing as it sounds!

Yes, those are tator tots!  Our love of tots is infinite.  Shannon's opinion of the Breakfast Sandwich was, and I quote, "This saved my life!"  The Breakfast Burrito was good in a "oh god, I need food" kind of way.  We both put Sriacha on everything, but we do that regardless of how much we like the food.  The French Toast was yummy too.  The bacon left a lot to be desired in terms of crispiness, but it's still bacon, and bacon is inherently good.  It took about a mimosa for us to get our food.  

Back to the magic of Jeremy, my mimosa was empty at 11:06am and full by 11:07am.  I love that kind of service!  We did a few rounds of mimosas, then ordered the Bloody Mary's like the good brunchers we are.  They were good, and thankfully we didn't detect any fish guts ;)  After that came one of the things I have learned to love about Baltimore- Natty Boh's.  This is the first place I've heard of that offers beer as part of their bottomless option.  While chatting with one of the best bartenders we've met, George, we learned that they also offer Slushes, and he was more than happy to give us a bit of everything.  

Did not end that way.

Started innocently...

Overall, we had an amazing time at brunch this week, and definitely recommend this place!  This is the type of place you can drag yourself and friends into being only semi-conscious and having difficulty with the sun.

Till next time, 

Your H&H Girls