brunch

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It has already been a week since I had the great pleasure of enjoying a preview of the Langham Hotel’s Chocolate Bar and City Brunch for the fall and winter ahead. I have attended both in the past, visiting the Chocolate Bar several times with friends, and enjoyed an immense, delicious, brunch experience. As a result, you can imagine that I was excited to be able to have a sneak peek. . . and lots of bites of what you can expect if you visit the Langham anytime soon. Hint, decadence, luxury, and elegance. And deliciousness.

The Chocolate Bar and brunch preview were in an event space off of Café Fleuri, where the actual public events take place. Upon entering the room, I took in the surroundings, high ceilings, rich fabric, antique furnishings, and a long table filled with beautifully displayed food. sparkling wine

 

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Once I took everything in, the food, the jazz band, and my fellow bloggers, I headed up to the bar and ordered a glass of sparkling wine. Dessert martinis and Bloody Marys were being served, but I decided to stay with something a little simpler, given my plan of attack for the Chocolate Bar and brunch.

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Langham Jazz Brunch

Then I started in on food. I browsed the Chocolate Bar desserts before deciding to have brunch first. Brunch offerings at the Langham are greatly varied, and we got to sample some fresh sushi and shrimp cocktail/Bloody Mary shooters.

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My photos came out really dark, as you can see, but I ate much more than this! Just as it was one of my favorites back at brunch in January, roasted beets with goat cheese and a Marcona almond drew me in. Perfection in a little cup. This time around I also sampled some maple cured salmon, a bite of salty, sweet, tender salmon perfection, and my favorite, a rich New England cheese pie, accompanied by little grapes. With all of the options, I could have easily stopped at sampling brunch, but I made my way to the Chocolate Bar side, having a very hard time deciding what to start with as I headed over.

There were caramel pistachio mousse tortes, mango white chocolate chili parfaits, macarons, vegan cakes,  and much, much more.

Chocolate Bar at the Langham

But far above all of those delectable offerings stood these little bites. I didn’t write down the exact name, but they were a chocolate and pumpkin torte. The pumpkin was subtle, but present, and the bottom layer was a crunchy, chewy, chocolate-y crust that made the smoother top layers pop in contrast. It was a beautiful combination of textures and flavors, and the perfect dessert for this time of year.

pumpkin chocolate torte

 

I wish my photos had come out better; I took a ton of them, but the light was delightfully dim, nice for relaxing, not ideal for photography. This was a great event and made me excited for fun, decadent eating events this winter and fall. The Chocolate Bar is a great girls’ afternoon out, and the Langham’s brunch is great for a special occasion, staycation, or for visiting guests.

I attended this event free of charge, but my opinions are my own.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Megan at Delicious Dishings!

Tags: Boston, brunch, chocolate, chocolate bar, dessert, hotels, Langham Hotel, sparkling wine

Prior to the email regarding Sunday’s Boston Brunchers event, I had never heard of Avenue One at the Hyatt Regency Boston. I honestly didn’t know there was a hotel in its space, so I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived for brunch on Sunday and were taken to this beautiful terrace.

Avenue 1 at the Hyatt

I arrived to brunch with fellow bloggers and buddies, Alicia, Daisy, Megan, and Michelle, and after meeting a few fellow brunchers, we made a beeline to photograph the food. Always the food bloggers!

The spread was impressive! As we later learned from Chef Armetta, many of the Hyatt’s guests are international travelers accustomed to the meat and cheese available at breakfast in Europe. As a result, the brunch featured an impressive spread of cheeses including an Aged Grafton from Vermont. Chef Armetta’s emphasis on seasonal, local, and regional food was evident at every station.

cheese display

This gluten free granola not only took into account gluten free diets, but it also tasted great.

granola

An entire table of pastries, fruit, jams, and muesli drew me right in. I am a huge muesli fan. It is the original overnight oats, only way better, and I thought this one was delicious, with big chunks of fruit and creamy oats. It was a little warm, but other than that, I loved it. I also had a couple of slivers of these beautiful pastries.

brunch

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strawberries

Everything was incredibly fresh. Also available? Made to order, triple chocolate hotcakes, coddled eggs over arugula, omelets, lobster Eggs Benedict, and much more. I shared an omelet with Daisy but wasn’t feeling the best, so passed on some of the other items, all of which I want to try eventually.

Avenue 1 at the Hyatt

Chef Armetta did a great job introducing each brunch station to us, explaining his emphasis on local ingredients whenever possible. The blackberry jam even comes from blackberries he grows himself! Hearing that while kicking back in a quiet space in the middle of the city, surrounded by skyscrapers, made for a really neat experience. There is a clear connection from farm to table at Avenue One, something I wouldn’t expect from a major hotel chain, and I was thrilled not only to learn about Chefs efforts but also to taste his delicious food. If you are looking for a brunch buffet in Boston, Avenue One is right in Downtown Crossing and really worth checking out.

They also use their urban oasis for after work events with special cocktails, appetizers, and $4 Dos Equis beers. I will definitely be back this summer!

Hyatt Boston

The Hyatt’s terrace is a little bit of a hidden gem in Boston. Do you have a favorite hidden gem you would be willing to share? Winking smile

Avenue One on Urbanspoon

Tags: Boston, brunch, events, local food

Farm fresh food, sourced from small farms around the country, an open kitchen, and a sprawling, airy dining room, bathed in natural light are just a few of the things I first noticed at the Blue Duck Tavern in Washington, D.C.

Recommended to us by several different people, the Blue Duck Tavern is quite popular, so popular that we could not get a dinner reservation, so we went for brunch instead.

 

blue duck tavern

The décor of Blue Duck Tavern is elegant but comfortable, city restaurant meets farm kitchen. Little touches, like a basket of Virginia peanuts are sprinkled throughout the space, making it feel homey and giving it a little local flair.

blue duck tavern

blue duck tavern

blue duck tavern wine

The kitchen is completely open. I literally walked through it on my way back from the ladies room. It is basically takes up several islands and countertops in the restaurant.

blue duck tavern

 

blue duck tavern

While we waited we watched the busy kitchen staff cutting meats, peeling apples, and bustling around getting our meals made.

blue duck tavern open kitchen

I loved reading Blue Duck Tavern’s menu because it tells you exactly where so many of their ingredients come from.

blue duck tavern menu

With all of the items on the brunch menu, we both had a hard time deciding. But since it was past 2:00 by the time we arrived, I went for the Sunnyside Eggs with Cod Cakes and Spicy Buttermilk Sauce.

My beverage of choice was not a tough decision; Gloria Ferrer Va de Vi, one of my favorites when it comes to bubbly. I was a little disappointed that we did not go to Blue Duck for dinner because they do have quite a few Virginia wines on their wine list, and I wanted to try more of those. Next time!

va de vi gloria ferrer

As you can see, the eggs came out bright, soft, runny egg yolk perfection. Resting atop cakes made of fresh, flaky cod and toasted bread rounds, sitting in a shallow pool of creamy, spiced buttermilk sauce, this was truly a brunch like no other.

eggs and cod cakes

eggs and cod cakes

eggs and cod cakes

No words.

In addition to a sublime taste adventure, the meal was so perfectly timed, and the staff at the Blue Duck Tavern, minus the host, bent over backwards, were warm, friendly, and on top of everything. The very young host pulled the “let’s see if there is room for you” disappearance trick in a restaurant that had one table of people eating. Luckily everything else was spectacular.

Blue Duck was a fantastic recommendation; it was great that Eat, Write, Retreat gave me the opportunity to meet some locals and to find out where they would go on a date!

What is your favorite place to have brunch?Is it a restaurant, or do you whip up something incredible in your own kitchen?

Blue Duck Tavern on Urbanspoon

Tags: brunch, Food, Travel, Washington D.C., wine

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