Seeking the elusive Boston brunch buffet
There's only one breakfast I want after a 13-mile run.
A big breakfast.
It's the one time I feel like I can eat anything and everything in sight, and somehow the calories won't count.
So after Foodie Guy and I hobbled home after running the B.A.A. Half Marathon today (I hobbled) we eagerly anticipated our pre-planned brunch buffet.
That's not such an easy find any weekend in Boston. The few good buffets only occur on Sundays (people don't eat a lot on Saturdays?), and they're typically only offered by higher end restaurants like Henrietta's Table with a $45 all-you-can-eat spread or Cafe Fleuri in the Langham Hotel at $55 a pop. The extra $10 must pay for the live jazz trio. Both have been highly acclaimed, but the thought of paying $55 for a brunch that I'd be eating in sweatpants and flip flops is not so appealing to me, or to the restaurant owners I'm sure.
So, over the past few weeks of half-marathon training, we expanded our search to just large breakfasts, buffet or no. Here's what we found... and where we ultimately ended up after the race today.
Big Breakfast #1
S&S Restaurant
Inman Square, 1334 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA
617-354-0777
www.sandsrestaurant.com
This is about as close as you get to a real diner in the Cambridge area. Lots of tables, a well-seasoned waitstaff, daily specials and plates full of food. No buffet to be found, but during brunch hours you will be offered a brunch or lunch menu, chock full of every option you can imagine and then some. The best part is everything that comes with your meal. The $10 "Brunch Eggs" included eggs any style, hash browns, your choice of breakfast meat and a fat bagel with cream cheese. Plus a side of fresh fruit. Nice to balance out that bacon. The hash browns are excellent -- a sign of an establishment that really knows what works. I would hope they do after being open since 1919! Be prepared to order fast.
Big Breakfast #2
Eagle's Deli & Restaurant
1918 Beacon Street
Brighton, MA
617-731-3232
www.eaglesdeli.com
Ever hear of the Challenge, the Paul Jones or the Reilly? You wouldn't want any of them for breakfast. These are all monster burgers, ranging from the five-pound Eagle's Challenge Burger with 20 slices of cheese, 20 pieces of bacon, five pounds of fries and a fountain drink for $50 -- no one has finished it -- down to the Reilly at three pounds with only about half the cheese and bacon for a mere $35. Voted the "2nd best place in the world to pig out" by The Travel Channel, this college 'deli' really is the place to overflow your plate, though the quality suffers. We've been a few times for the Eagle's Breakfast Platter, which includes three eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, home fries, double toast, and pancakes or french toast. After replacing the meat with egg whites, and skipping over the mushy, flavorless home fries entirely (a shame), the rest is all... fine. Not bad, but nothing you'd go out of your way to order if you weren't looking for a ton of food.
Failed Brunch Buffet
Sports Depot
353 Cambridge Street
Allston, MA
617-783-2300
www.sportsdepotboston.com
Legendary or not, Sports Depot is no place for a Sunday brunch. It's not even worth flipping open the chafing dishes. We walked in, looked and left.
Success!
Tavern in the Square
730 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA
617-868-8800
www.taverninthesquare.com
The Tavern in the Square is the place for a laid-back, well-priced, high-quality, all-you-can eat Sunday brunch buffet -- and the perfect place for a post-half-marathon breakfast. You'll always have a seat within 10 minutes, you'll get your drinks fast, and you can order an omelet and have it brought to your table while you fill up on everything else. Some of the tasty foods in their excellent spread include: scrambled eggs, eggs benedict, pancakes with or without chocolate chips, french toast, belgian waffles, two kinds of hash browns, bacon and sausage, apple crepes, baked mac and cheese, three different fresh salads, a full fresh fruit bar with yogurts and granola, bagels, breads, English muffins, a hot fudge sundae bar and an entire dessert table packed with pastries, pies, cakes, petit fours, brownies... you name it. They also have a selection of hot lunch items, which I never seem to get to because I'm still stuck on the apple crepes. And it's all $15! I have yet to try the Porter Square Tavern's buffet, but I would bet it's equally good.
Until the next big breakfast...
Happy dining!
FC
A big breakfast.
It's the one time I feel like I can eat anything and everything in sight, and somehow the calories won't count.
So after Foodie Guy and I hobbled home after running the B.A.A. Half Marathon today (I hobbled) we eagerly anticipated our pre-planned brunch buffet.
That's not such an easy find any weekend in Boston. The few good buffets only occur on Sundays (people don't eat a lot on Saturdays?), and they're typically only offered by higher end restaurants like Henrietta's Table with a $45 all-you-can-eat spread or Cafe Fleuri in the Langham Hotel at $55 a pop. The extra $10 must pay for the live jazz trio. Both have been highly acclaimed, but the thought of paying $55 for a brunch that I'd be eating in sweatpants and flip flops is not so appealing to me, or to the restaurant owners I'm sure.
So, over the past few weeks of half-marathon training, we expanded our search to just large breakfasts, buffet or no. Here's what we found... and where we ultimately ended up after the race today.
Big Breakfast #1
S&S Restaurant
Inman Square, 1334 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA
617-354-0777
www.sandsrestaurant.com
This is about as close as you get to a real diner in the Cambridge area. Lots of tables, a well-seasoned waitstaff, daily specials and plates full of food. No buffet to be found, but during brunch hours you will be offered a brunch or lunch menu, chock full of every option you can imagine and then some. The best part is everything that comes with your meal. The $10 "Brunch Eggs" included eggs any style, hash browns, your choice of breakfast meat and a fat bagel with cream cheese. Plus a side of fresh fruit. Nice to balance out that bacon. The hash browns are excellent -- a sign of an establishment that really knows what works. I would hope they do after being open since 1919! Be prepared to order fast.
Big Breakfast #2
Eagle's Deli & Restaurant
1918 Beacon Street
Brighton, MA
617-731-3232
www.eaglesdeli.com
Ever hear of the Challenge, the Paul Jones or the Reilly? You wouldn't want any of them for breakfast. These are all monster burgers, ranging from the five-pound Eagle's Challenge Burger with 20 slices of cheese, 20 pieces of bacon, five pounds of fries and a fountain drink for $50 -- no one has finished it -- down to the Reilly at three pounds with only about half the cheese and bacon for a mere $35. Voted the "2nd best place in the world to pig out" by The Travel Channel, this college 'deli' really is the place to overflow your plate, though the quality suffers. We've been a few times for the Eagle's Breakfast Platter, which includes three eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, home fries, double toast, and pancakes or french toast. After replacing the meat with egg whites, and skipping over the mushy, flavorless home fries entirely (a shame), the rest is all... fine. Not bad, but nothing you'd go out of your way to order if you weren't looking for a ton of food.
Failed Brunch Buffet
Sports Depot
353 Cambridge Street
Allston, MA
617-783-2300
www.sportsdepotboston.com
Legendary or not, Sports Depot is no place for a Sunday brunch. It's not even worth flipping open the chafing dishes. We walked in, looked and left.
Success!
Tavern in the Square
730 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA
617-868-8800
www.taverninthesquare.com
The Tavern in the Square is the place for a laid-back, well-priced, high-quality, all-you-can eat Sunday brunch buffet -- and the perfect place for a post-half-marathon breakfast. You'll always have a seat within 10 minutes, you'll get your drinks fast, and you can order an omelet and have it brought to your table while you fill up on everything else. Some of the tasty foods in their excellent spread include: scrambled eggs, eggs benedict, pancakes with or without chocolate chips, french toast, belgian waffles, two kinds of hash browns, bacon and sausage, apple crepes, baked mac and cheese, three different fresh salads, a full fresh fruit bar with yogurts and granola, bagels, breads, English muffins, a hot fudge sundae bar and an entire dessert table packed with pastries, pies, cakes, petit fours, brownies... you name it. They also have a selection of hot lunch items, which I never seem to get to because I'm still stuck on the apple crepes. And it's all $15! I have yet to try the Porter Square Tavern's buffet, but I would bet it's equally good.
Until the next big breakfast...
Happy dining!
FC
I'll also give a mention to "Johnny's Luncheonette" in Newton Centre. In the same vein as S&S (50's style Jewish deli), John (shouldn't it be Jonathan's?) puts together a fine meal.
"Foodie Chick" had the "Madeline" or an omelet with mozzarella, tomato and basil. There was a nicely sized bagel and very good home fries. “Chick” liked this dish quite a bit. “Guy” thinks it has a bit too much dinner flavor in it.
This "guy" had a "Semi." A fine meal for a fat kid like me. The “Semi” comes complete with three eggs, regular toast, French toast, home fries and breakfast meat choice. Since I don't eat "breakfast meats" they were nice enough to sub in some extra eggs.
I was a little disappointed with the "Semi" because is only comes with one slice of French Toast. I easily could have knocked down 2 or 3 slices. It's very good French Toast.
But, good thing Foodie Chick is a lightweight and I helped polish off her eggs, potatoes and bagel. She still had some left to take home.
All told, a good morning meal. But, get there early. It tends to get very crowded on weekends. I wouldn't even try it on the day of a BC football game.
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