I’m not sure how I’ve missed out on the Patachou phenomenon until now.  Captioned as “A Student Union for Adults,” this Indianapolis-based mini chain features seven different dining locations, each with a slightly different focus.  We headed to the Pennsylvania Street location to check out some fancy French and American brunch offerings.

We were concerned about parking in this area as well as having a long wait at about 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning.  In the end, we lucked out on both fronts, and only had a few minutes delay before being seated.  The space at Cafe Patachou is pretty sterile and almost warehouse-like, as I suppose befits a “student union.”  The tasty and healthy food offerings, however, make the experience worth the trip.

Each of my dining companions ordered a three-egg omelet with some combination of “stuff” inside.  Options include cheddar, bacon, salsa, tomatoes, herbes de provence, cream cheese, feta, avocado, etc.  One thing I did find a little chintzy was that every filling after the first costs $1.60 extra, while most brunch joints throw in two or three.  The final verdict?  These $10.00+ omelets were good but, in the words of my husband, “a little too healthy-tasting.” 

In contrast, the sourdough toast served with the eggs was a unanimous hit, as such toast tends to be.  Something actually worth paying extra for is the “all berries” fruit cup filled with fresh raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and the like.  Delicious, and nice to have an option besides bland melon and overpowering pineapple.

After much debating, I passed up the croissant french toast in favor of a “loaded bagel” with herbed cream cheese, arugula, red onions, cucumbers, and very fresh tomatoes.  Patachou really got this one right.  The bagel was huge and crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside.  The veggies blended awesomely with the soft cheese.  Plus, I felt virtuous with every bite because I basically had a salad for breakfast.

At about $45 before tip for three people without mimosas, Petit chou is too expensive to be a daily breakfast stop, but is perfect for a leisurely, indulgent weekend brunch with friends and family.  Next time, though, I’m going to have to get some of that french toast!

You can see all of Patachou’s locations here.

We read mixed reviews of Cafe Zola online before visiting, but the online menu was so appealing that in the end I had to try the place out for myself.  I’m glad I did, because I didn’t find this downtown Ann Arbor eatery to be the overpriced, pretentious affair that many other patrons seem to have visited.  Sure, the food isn’t cheap, but the selection is quite unique and everything we tried was so darn good that I can forgive the overcrowded dining room and long wait to be seated.

Zola has a vibe that is a mix of neighborhood cafe and big city breakfast joint.  It is located within walking distance of many downtown shops and attractions, so you can sweat off the calories from your meal when you’re done eating.  We wandered into art galleries, a cool tea store, and past the Hands On Children’s Museum, all within a mile of the restaurant.

I started my meal with a half-pot of green tea.  I can’t remember the type, but I liked this silver press pot because it kept the water nice and warm throughout my meal.

For my entree, I ordered a dish that combined two of my favorite things – caprese salad and crepes.  Yes, a caprese crepe, stuffed with tomatoes and mozarella, and it was as yummy as it sounds.  This was called the Crepe Zola and I can see why it would be considered a signature disk.  The hubby ordered brioche French toast, which is a pretty standard brunch choice for him, with a side order of kielbasa, which was somewhat of a novelty.  The sausage was delicious, with just the right amount of firmness to the skin and plenty of flavor.

Overall, we enjoyed our brunch, and no one bothered us about lingering a bit over our last cups of tea despite the queue outside.  With food this tasty we didn’t even mind the $30.00 bill that came with it.

My little sis recently moved to Louisville for work and school.  While I miss her, I appreciate that the move adds this fun, funky city to our weekend road trip rotation because it rocks!  Louisville is chock full of great food and interesting attractions, so you can expect more than a few blog entries about our past and future journeys there.  I’ll kick things off with a quality breakfast joint – a must-do in any city. 

Toast on Market is located in Louisville’s trendy downtown area, just blocks from numerous art galleries and museums.  The clientele when we were there included couples, families with children, and groups of friends.  Most diners seemed to be locals.  Like many other shops and eateries in this area, Toast on Market has a “warehouse” feel with exposed brick walls and high ceilings.  The decor is relatively low-frills with just a few pop art paintings for color. 

We arrived at Toast on Market at around 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning and were seated immediately.  However, the restaurant really filled up shortly after this, and folks were standing, sitting, and wandering around in the available waiting room.  No one seemed to mind, probably because these seemed like regulars and free coffee was available. 

Toast on Market has all the breakfast stand-bys at reasonable prices.  I ordered two scrambled eggs with cheese, white toast, and hashed brown casserole ($4.75).  This was just about the best breakfast ever.  The hashed brown casserole had a delicious crumbly coating and the bread tasted homemade.  I was definitely a member of the clean plate club!

As usual, my mom wanted something relatively healthy so she ended up with a modified version of my entree – two eggs over hard, a fruit cup, and toast (also $4.75).  She, like me, was pleased with her order her order.

  The hubby cares little about healthy when we’re on the road.  He ordered this gorgeous brioche French toast dish with strawberries and whipped cream ($7.50) and a scrambled egg on the side ($1.50).  I’m not a big fan of brioche myself, but he loved this super-sweet dish. 

Service was speedy and we completed our meal in about forty-five minutes.  Overall, we left Toast on Market happy and our total bill for three, including tip, was right around $25.00.  This is not bad at all for brunch in a big city.  I would return to this restaurant in a heartbeat for its amazing hash brown casserole, reasonable prices, and friendly neighborhood vibe.

I’m feeling a wee bit “tapas’d out” at the moment, having had quite a few meals of the small plate variety in recent history.  For this reason, we opted to visit the highly rated San Chez Tapas Bistro for its larger-portioned breakfast menu instead. 

San Chez is just a five minute walk from most downtown hotels, including the JW Marriott, Amway Grand Plaza, and Courtyard.  The restaurant and surrounding neighborhood were pretty sleepy at 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning although with all the bars nearby I imagine the scene would be very different on a Saturday night.

As you can see, we did not require reservations.  The restaurant wasn’t totally empty though – there were four or five full tables clustered against the windows behind where I stood to take this photo.  This relative emptiness worked to our advantage as we received prompt and friendly service throughout our time at San Chez.

At the suggestion of our server, we started with a “breakfast appetizer” of a cinnamon pecan roll with orange cream cheese glaze.  It was great, if a wee bit heavy on the icing, and a good way to keep hunger pangs at bay while we waited for the main event.  Other pastry options I would have liked to try included Morroccan m’hancha and an almond croissant stuffed with marzipan. 

The menu contains a wide variety of American and Mediterranean-inspired dishes.  I picked the “traditional breakfast” but spiced up the eggs with cheddar and manchego.  They were perfectly cooked – fluffy and smothered in cheese!  The bacon was good too and the sourdough toast was probably the highlight of the meal.  The only disappointment?  The home fries, which were overcooked and fairly bland.  I had been seriously considering a dish centered around these potatoes and I’m glad I changed my mind.

The hubby picked the cinnamon French toast, which as you can see came in a skillet.  It was basically still cooking when we got it and was really, really hot initially.  Once the toast cooled, he liked it a lot.  It was definitely much more moist than regular French toast.

Our meal for two cost around $20.00 before tip.  We were in and out in an hour and could have been through sooner.  Overall, I would say San Chez Bistro is both a safe bet and something a little different for brunch in Grand Rapids.