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Another Valentine’s Day post because I happen to love Valentine’s Day AND because it provides a good excuse to drink Champagne, eat chocolate, and linger over indulgent meals.

With Valentine’s Day falling on a Monday, it is the perfect time to celebrate twice, once with a leisurely Sunday brunch for your Valentine and again on Monday.

smoked salmon omelet ingredients

You know a meal is good when you think about it for years. The day after I ran the Bermuda International Marathon in January 2004, I had one of the most memorable omelets that I have ever had at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess. I loved everything about the hotel, especially its beautiful waterfront location and the fact that it is PINK, but the post-marathon omelet sealed the deal.

This omelet had flecks of salty smoked salmon peeking out behind ribbons of melted brie all whipped into fluffy, airy eggs. It was the memory of this omelet that inspired my breakfast the other morning, and it is a recipe that could easily wow your beloved this Sunday morning for brunch.

I started with a few pieces of smoked salmon, chopping it into tiny bits. To the salmon I added some grated Kerrygold cheese left over from the bread I made the other day.

smoked salmon and cheddar

For my own omelet, I used only two eggs, but the recipe is easily doubled or quadrupled for brunch for several people. You can, of course also just use the whites for a lower fat omelet. I like the nutrition that comes from the yolks, so I left them in Smile

omelet ingredients

To the eggs, which I had whipped with a ball whisk, I added the salmon and cheese, about 1/8 up of skim milk, and a small pat of butter, chopped up into pieces. I heated up a tiny bit more butter in my smallest frying pan; I find it easiest to make a pretty-looking and fully cooked omelet in a smaller pan. When the butter was melted and the pan very hot, I poured the egg mixture in, cranked the heat up as high as it would go, and waited until the top of the omelet started bubbling, then solidified.

smoked salmon omelet

To get the omelet out of the pan, I placed a plate over the top of the pan, then held on to the plate and the handle of the pan while flipping the pan over. A piece of the omelet stuck in the pan, but otherwise, it came out without breaking! And I was able to fold it over to showcase the golden brown side. Fancy, isn’t it?! Smile I was kind of excited about how nice my meal was. I added a few scoops of homemade salsa which consisted of Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes, a bit of red onion, two jalapenos, three cloves of garlic, and a little bit of olive oil.

omelet

The combination was excellent, filling, and healthy. Interested in making this for a special Sunday brunch? If I was making a Valentine’s brunch for my husband (which I won’t be doing because I am going away and he is working alllllll weekend), I would pair this with some oven roasted potatoes, maybe something sweet like mini cinnamon rolls, and of course a glass of bubbly, maybe a Billecart Salmon Brut Rose? Then, I would take my time eating, drinking, and relaxing for the rest of the day!

Do you have a really memorable meal that has been on your mind for years like the omelet I had in Bermuda?

Tags: breakfast, brunch, brunch at home, cheddar, eggs, healthy, omelet, omelets, protein, recipe, recipes, salsa, smoked salmon

It seems natural to follow up my post on the BCAE Celebrity Chef Series with Joanne Chang with a visit to Myers + Chang because that is exactly how my Saturday panned out.

As I mentioned in my last post, I started to get quite hungry during the Celebrity Chef Series, which featured desserts and dessert wines. It just so happened that as I was leaving the Fairmont Copley, my husband was in the area on his way home from grocery shopping. Yep, he went grocery shopping while I was at a baking demo, love him!

Myers + Chang dim sum

We go to Myers + Chang dim sum brunch about twice a month, but as we say every time we eat there, I could eat Myers + Chang food every single day. The best part about dim sum brunch is that the plates are very small, and you end up trying a bunch of different things.

I started with a Moo Thunder Stout. Myers + Chang has a short but fantastic list of beers, wines, and cocktails, and this beer in a can is one of my favorites.

Moo Thunder Stout

But my favorite thing at Myers + Chang, and maybe one of my favorite foods in all of Boston, are the Asian pickles, a mix of a variety of spicy pickled vegetables including hot peppers, carrots, daikon, and kimchi.

Myers + Chang Asian Pickles

If I could figure out the secret of these vegetables, I would eat several servings of them per day. They are my perfect food.

Myers + Chang Asian Pickles

We also always get the lemony shrimp dumplings. They are crispy on the outside but not greasy or fried-tasting, with a bright, lemony flavor.

lemony shrimp dumplings

Brussels sprouts and caramelized onions also always make their way to our table. These Brussels are cooked to perfection, charred on the outside, soft on the inside.

Brussels Sprouts and Caramelized Onions

New to us on Saturday were the coal black chicken wings with house made sriracha. These promised to be spicy, but they ended up being my least favorite dish of the day. They didn’t have any spice Sad smile Maybe I am just used to, and counting the days until, the sriracha corn.

coal black chicken wings with house made sriracha

I bypassed the chicken wings and went for the dan dan noodles. Peanutty and mixed in with crunchy cucumbers and cilantro, the dan dan noodles at Myers + Chang are also something I would eat every single day if I could.

dan dan noodles

The last dish we ordered were the oysters with fermented black bean sauce and pickled sprouts. Myers + Chang knows how to do oysters. They were very lightly fried so that the natural oyster flavors came through and were perfectly enhanced.

fried oysters with fermented black beans and pickled bean sprouts

Brunch at Myers + Chang is very leisurely as they bring the food as it is done so the eating occurs over a period of time. Dim sum brunch is excellent for a couple or for a big group, is reasonably priced, and provides the perfect opportunity to try lots of different menu items.

What is your favorite brunch? Does it lean more toward breakfast or lunch?

Tags: Boston brunch, brunch, dim sum brunch, Dining out, Food, Joanne Chang, Lunch, Myers +Chang, Restaurants

We brunched and brunched. And then brunched some more. Because that is precisely what Boston Brunchers do. For the January Boston Brunchers brunch, the brunchers paired up with the Langham Hotel for a contest. Each of the lucky Boston food blogger winners won a seat at the Langham Hotel’s luxurious City Brunch. A detailed menu can be found here.

Where to begin?

Cafe Fleuri at the Langham Hotel

Immediately after arriving in the beautiful lobby of the Langham Hotel in Boston’s Financial District, I heard the sounds of live jazz music making their way down the stairs from Café Fleuri. I met up with fellow brunchers Daisy, Megan, Emily, Melissa, Justin, Renee, and Lara near the bottom of the stairs. Did we know what we were in for? There was only one way to find out.

Sunday Brunch at The Langham Hotel

As we ascended the stairs, smells of roast coffee filled the air, and Langham Hotel brunch cocktail menus provided stronger options like the Hot in the City Bloody Mary.

Langham Hotel Brunch Cocktails

I went the Venetian route with a peach bellini, bubbles and sweet peach the aperitif I needed to prep me for an indulgent brunch Odyssey.

peach bellini

And so the journey began. Round and round the room we went first just snapping photos and marveling at the wonders before us.

jazz brunch at the Langham Hotel

From the fresh and healthy granola parfait

brunch granola parfaits

And around to bright, summery fruits and a world of cheese

brunch buffet fruit brunch buffet cheese

A taste of Italy in summertime with a caprese salad

caprese salad at the brunch buffet caprese salad at the brunch buffet

And an elegant beef carpaccio

beef carpaccio

Sweet visions tried to disarm us around every corner.

Boston brunch cupcakes cupcakes at the brunch buffet

And treats from the sea beckoned brunchers to sail away to Neptune’s lair.

shrimp martinis at the brunch buffet

Langham Hotel raw bar

The temptations were many.

brunch cannolis

The colors downright mesmerizing, almost hypnotizing

eggs at brunch

Though dared, I could not face my fear of the chocolate fountain (after an unfortunate incident involving a chocolate fountain and a piece of pineapple getting stuck at a conference years back).

chocolate fountain

So I made my way from the brunch wonderland to the safety of my table and my fellow brunchers.

Round 1- shrimp cocktail, crab salad, bean and tomato salad, and a tasty egg

Boston brunch

I caught Daisy as she bravely juggled multiple plates on her own return from the brunch buffet wilds.

brunch at the Langham Hotel

Round 2- roasted beets, Lake’s End goat cheese, Marcona Almond

Also known as my favorite dish of the day

beets and goat cheese

Also a favorite, Eggs Benedict with Canadian bacon and chive hollandaise

Eggs Benedict

Megan and I wondered at how, with so many eggs to make, the chef managed to cook these to sunny, runny perfection.

Eggs Benedict

Just when it seemed it couldn’t get any better, and seemingly out of nowhere, a beignet fairy visited our table, depositing warm, sweet, cinnamon-y, beignets for all.

Cinnamon Sugar Beignet

But still we weren’t done! Still lured by the East Coast Catches, I delighted in briny oysters, a bite of sushi, and perhaps the best smoked salmon in all the land, smoked and maple cured in-house.

raw bar smoked salmon, oysters, sushi
oysters oyster

There was room for just one more. . . one more plate that is. Beguiled by sweets on every table, I could not escape without a few bites, chocolate dipped strawberries and chocolate croissant bread pudding.

chocolate covered strawberries chocolate croissant bread pudding

For as much ground as I covered, I didn’t visit nearly all of the corners of the beautiful brunch universe that the Langham Hotel has put together.

Truly a paradise for all of the senses, our brunch journey brought together brunchers from Somerville to Dorchester and beyond all with one mission, to brunch until we couldn’t brunch any more. And we did.

Boston brunch Boston Brunchers

Everyone at the Langham Hotel was wonderful and welcoming, and I can’t thank them enough for so generously hosting us. My brunch was provided compliments of the Langham, but that aside, I would absolutely recommend their City Brunch, especially for a special occasion like a shower or reunion.

After looking at my Langham brunch photos, the mister and I decided that an overnight stay-cation at the hotel, followed by City Brunch, might just be the perfect late-winter pick-me-up. Stay tuned!

What is your favorite brunch item? Do you go for salty/savory or sweet?

Cafe Fleuri on Urbanspoon

Tags: best brunch, bloggers, Boston, Boston brunch, Boston Brunchers, brunch, brunch in Boston, city brunch, Dining out, events, Langham Hotel, Restaurants, Sunday brunch

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