Let's face it -- brunch is the BEST meal: the sweetness of yummy breakfast foods, the savoriness of lunch foods, and the presence of "grownup drinks" that feel a little inappropriate during the usual breakfast hour. Always on the hunt for awesome brunch spots, I was thrilled to attend the recent Brunch Bites event in downtown Royal Oak with my bestie, who is also a brunch aficionado.
Below you can read about our drool-worthy journey through our fair city's downtown brunch stops. If you're wondering whether it's worth booking a brunch date at any of the locations, I will say -- yes. If you have kids coming along with you, I would go with Bigalora, Bastone, Rebel Cafe or Pronto
Intro to Brunch Bites
Brunch Bites is basically a "brunch crawl" -- you get a lanyard attached to a card listing each participating location, and a map of each spot. Arriving at a restaurant, you get the card hole-punched, and then you get a small plate of the food and a small cup of the drink. You relax, enjoy, take in the atmosphere, and then move on to the next spot.
A word about the organization of this event: and that word is -- awesome. Check-in was really simple, the map of participating restaurants was very clear, and the entrance/exit at each location was free of confusion or drama. We faced no wait times at any location, and everyone was super friendly, even when they were creating their dishes right in the moment, like the waitress at Black Finn who was assembling the Southern Skillet (a bacon and goat cheese grit topped with Southern fried chicken, scrambled eggs, tasso cream, hollandaise sauce and green onions) for each individual guest.
Main Street Stops
We started our brunch journey at the event check-in spot, Bigalora. I had never managed to venture there for a visit before, and was in love with the wood-covered atmosphere, and the warmth from the wood-fired pizza oven (it was a pretty chilly day). They served up small plates of their Bigalora Waffle topped with house made peanut butter, banana, and fresh whipped cream. The plate included a container of syrup, but we agreed the dish didn't need the extra topping -- the full flavor of the peanut butter and the sweetness of the whipped cream were plenty. We also enjoyed their adult beverage, Gordon Bombay Loves Brunch, which was made with Honey dew infused Bombay sapphire, hibiscus/rose syrup, lime, and soda. Fruity and strong.
Bastone was our next stop, where we enjoyed Tropical Mimosas - pineapple, orange juice, passion fruit and grenadine. Bastone's brunch bite was their Corned Beef Hash – Corned beef, bell peppers, skillet potatoes and Cheddar cheese. It was great to visit one of my faves before they turn into a pumpkin soon enough (kind of literally -- that corner will convert into a Jolly Pumpkin location this year).
The Morrie is another spot I have been meaning to check out and hadn't gotten to yet. So glad they were on this tour! Their Nashville hot chicken & waffle was a wonderful blend of spice and sweet. For the adult bevvie, they served the Lola : Sugar Island coconut rum, a housemade coconut milk-bourbon vanilla simple, and cold brew coffee. Since coffee = life for me as a mompreneur with two businesses and two kids, this drink was a dream!
We walked over to Black Finn for the above-mentioned Skillet and a Sea Breeze Mimosa (grapefruit, cranberry and Champagne) and then to Mesa for their Chorizo Hash Taco -chorizo Sausage, scrambled eggs, roasted potato, roasted peppers, and, according to their own writeup, "lots of mmmmmm." Can confirm the presence of mmmmm as well as the deliciousness of their drink, the aptly-named Violet Beauregarde (Reposado Tequila, fresh blueberry compote, fresh squeezed lime juice, and sparkling wine).
Andiamo was our last Main Street stop. We enjoyed their Eggs Wellington (soft scrambled eggs, prosciutto and imported cheeses in crisp phyllo pastry with creamed leeks) and their White Sangria (fresh fruit and white wine topped with prosecco) and their really friendly serving staff.
Washington Yum
Washington Ave brought a new world of brunch adventures, including:
- Lily's Seafood, which offered warm Shrimp & Grits with fried tomato, garnished with cheddar and scallion. Neither of us are beer-drinkers, but we gave the Hefemosa (Whitefish Bay wheat beer and orange juice) a try. It wasn't our thing, but I am sure there were many who felt the same way about the sweeter drinks available at the other locations.
- Cafe Muse, which had their wonderful Exotic Mushroom and Boursin Scramble and an Aperol spritz with muddled blueberries on offer. Gotta be honest-- we were full at this point, and had enjoyed the egg dish before, so we tasted the spritz and found it really refreshing.
- Gayle's Chocolates had Gayle's Homemade Haute Cocoa in nice warm cups, the perfect antidote for the increasingly chilly weather. We sampled small chocolate-covered caramels and marveled at the chocolate high heels you can purchase for mom for Mother's Day.
- We finished up at Pronto! with their stuffed French Toast (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, cream cheese filling and caramel maple sauce). Ah-mazing. The drink on offer was the Oui il (Yes Please!) - Cinnamon Spiced Khalua, Chambord, coffee and whipped cream
We had kiddos waiting, so sadly had to miss the last two spots -- Rebel Cafe (Food: Mini Cinnamon Roll Sandwiches and Rebel Café Brownie Bites; Drink: Beermosa) and Lockhart's BBQ (Food: Smoked Brisket Mess- Smoked brisket, smoked sausage, country potatoes, onions, bell peppers, smoked cheddar cheese and eggs all scrambled together. Served with fire-roasted salsa. Drink: Poor Man's Bloody Mary- Our house made bloody Mary Mix combined with craft lager beer.) I've been to Rebel Cafe before and can vouch for their eggs!
This post was sponsored by SAM Events, which provided two tickets for our use. All opinions in this review are my own and not affected by the receipt of the tickets.
