simply yet elegantly from seasonal ingredients,
transforms the setting from Philly to France.
Although both the 2009 Thanksgiving and
2010 Mother’s Day brunch buffet were
“wildly successful,” with about 300 guests
at each, brunch at the Bistro is typically à la
carte. “Buffets have their place, but I think
people in Philadelphia are ‘buffeted’ out,
especially with many locations charging from
$50 to $80,” general manager Mark Hoyt
contends. “Originally, this was a lunch space
in a good neighborhood for walk-in business,
and that led to our offering Sunday brunch.”
Bistro Benedictine ($10) and Pain Perdu—
challah French toast with bananas Foster,
walnut pralines, crème anglaise, whipped
cream and maple syrup drizzle ($8.50)—are
among the most popular hearty winter brunch
items. Omelette Rossini, a plate brimming with
foie gras, beef tips and truffle omelet ($18),
vies successfully with Bistro Quiche Lorraine
($8.75), Omelette Plate a l’Espagnole—
frittata with slow-cooked tomato, onion, Italian
sausage, red bell pepper, basil and smoked
paprika ($8.50)—and fluffy lemon ricotta
pancakes with honey butter, strawberry
compote and whipped cream ($7.50). The
latter, one of Hoyt’s childhood favorites while
growing up in Culpeper, Va., he describes as
tastefully decadent.
“Brunch is not typically the most healthful
meal, although we do have some healthful
options, such as the Moroccan Plate ($9),
which includes chickpea hummus, couscous
salad, roasted beets, grilled red peppers,
carrots, olives, lemon currant chutney and
grilled pita. Plus, we recently introduced
turkey sausage, because some guests
asked for it as a non-pork protein option,”
These nectarine and mozzarella with pesto
canapés come from Gale Gand.
Hoyt says. “However, you can never have
too much pork for brunch. I guess people
are looking to indulge, and there are not
many aromas equivalent to bacon frying.”
RETRO HITS
Then there’s Nutella—as in Crêpes
Nutella ($7), described on the Bistro St.
Tropez menu as sweet crêpe with Nutella,
caramelized bananas and whipped cream.
Nutella (a spread commercially produced
in Italy since 1963) is the darling of the
season’s brunch menus, according to Gand
of Tru. She notes its ever-growing popularity,
especially in a buffet setting at a granola bar,
or a crêpe bar where guests roll their own.
“I think enough people like me went to
Europe in the ’80s, had it in France and now
they want their kids to enjoy it,” she says.
“My kids eat it more than peanut butter. It’s
chocolate and hazelnut butter that’s good
on crêpes or spread on toast. It’s gianduja
[a chocolate analogue that contains about
50% almond/hazelnut paste], and that flavor
combo is popular for chocolate mousse, etc.”
According to Gand—who creates private
brunch parties—there’s no “wrong” in
brunch. “In a restaurant, I prefer doing à
la carte versus buffet, because your staff
pays attention to each element. As to
food cost, it’s a tossup. You can ‘fluff up’
a buffet with inexpensive ingredients, and
you don’t need sexy descriptions or exotic
ingredients on the menu, since there’s no
printed menu for a buffet.”
She further notes that less staffing is
required for a buffet, because there’s less
serving, so offering a buffet can be viewed
Ben Fink
as a labor-saver. However, there can still
be waste at the end.
Using leftovers right at the outset of brunch
prep is a smart plan, with the ultimate idea
being pain perdu. “It’s literally French for
‘lost bread,’ as in stale, then revived to
become French toast,” Gand says. “You
can also use stale ciabatta to do almond-crusted ciabatta bread that becomes a
great French toast, holey and sponge-like.”
To prepare, Gand soaks ciabatta slices in
a mixture of sugar, a dash of vanilla and
almond extract, a pinch of salt, milk, cream
and egg. She slaps down the soaked
bread on top of slivered almonds that have
been lightly toasting in a buttered pan.
Then, there’s Spam. “We’re seeing a lot of
pork and exotic bacon, pork belly, all kinds of
cured meats—and homemade Spam,” Gand
says. “I believe it’s going to pop up on more
and more menus, including for winter brunch.
“It’s just a matter of time before it catches
on. It’s a perfect retro winter brunch food.”
New York-based award-winning journalist
Karen Weisberg has covered the issues and
luminaries of the food-and-beverage world—
both commercial and noncommercial—for
more than 25 years.
