Bacchus - Boerum Hill

This one is absent from the brunch blog list but I figured you might be interested nonetheless.

Alright, so we've walked past this place about 4 times before and always opted to move on. Today, though, we decided to try it. The place itself is a nondescript French bistro with a nice shady outdoor garden. We sat in a wooden booth inside near the front with lots of natural sunlight. If you are super light sensitive or have one functioning eye, this booth may be your worst nightmare. They have a well stocked bar and the waitresses were actually speaking in French in a French restaurant (tres super), so I was eager to give the menu try.

I got a crab and avocado sandwich that came with a small mixed green salad. The crab and avocado combination was great yet the bread was a major snoozefest. We're in a French restaurant so I was expecting baguette or even sourdough. Nope - classic American white bread though, thankfully, this bread was toasted. The salad was fine but it was literally salad and vignette dressing. Would it have hurt to throw in an onion or pepper or two?

Justin got a croque monsieur. I’m not a huge fan of mixing meat and egg but he is. The sandwich seemed to be your average croque monsieur but using extra crusty French bread, which gives it additional points in my book.

This place will let you relax over a cup of coffee even when you’ve been done with your food for a half hour, so a big plus. Bacchus is a good French brunch but I could write the same for dozens of other places. If you live in the neighborhood, check it out, it could become a local fave. Otherwise, keep checking back for a local favorite in your neck of the woods.

Maggie Brown - Clinton Hill

Weekend Brunch in Brooklyn returns with the eclectic spot, Maggie Brown at 455 Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill.

Maggie Brown has a funky decor with 30's style art deco wallpaper, comfy patent leather booths, and lots of light streaming in. Like other area brunch spots, they have a lot of outdoor seating in a covered patio in the back. The music was a combination of every popular indie pop group of the moment. They only offer a brunch menu on the weekends until 4:30 but it has a good assortment of both brunch and non-brunch things, so you have plenty to choose from. Yet you might feel restricted since they only give you the brunch menu.

Onto the food. I got the Grandma Harriet, scrambled egg with fresh dill, tomato, and onion. The dill made this dish go from standard scrambled egg faire to utterly delicious. When I make eggs on my own, I will certainly be adding in dill! The standard sides weren't anything special. It came with a small mixed green salad, home fries, and toast. The home fries weren't really home fries but small pieces of a hard baked potato with some herb added in. A bit of false advertising if you will. The potatoes were fine but I was looking forward to home fries. I substituted the plain toast for biscuit with raspberry jam for $2 more and it was completely worth it. The biscuit was soft, flaky, and certainly not out of a Pillsbury can. The raspberry jam was super tasty and I ended up putting it on the eggs too.

Justin got a salmon bagel platter aka bagel with lox and cream cheese. It also came with a side mixed green salad, lettuce/tomato/onion adds, and capers. While the lox was perfectly done - just the right amount of salty - the bagel was a big disappointment. It was just a plain untoasted boring bagel. Even a quick trip through the toaster would have improved this bagel. It also had some strange ridges - questioning where they even got this bagel. They had some different and interesting combination mixed cocktails but I made it a sober brunch. Next time, I will be trying one of those drinks.

It's a hit or miss place - with the dill scrambled eggs and biscuit being a bit hit though lots of other things being a big miss.