It started out just me and my fellow early riser whipping up chocolate chip pancakes on a weekend morning, eating them as fast as we made them, and gossiping about what happened the night before. Then one of the boys turned out to be not only an early riser, but a momma's boy who puppy-faced his way into his own stack of pancakes. Eventually we found ourselves making pancakes and setting places for eight to 10. We've even branched out into Challah bread French toast, which is the new house favorite.
The boys are trying to lull me into waking up earlier to have breakfast on the table (keep dreaming), and the demands are getting more intense, with sausage, bacon, and fresh-squeezed juice. But complimenting my domesticity only takes them so far, and I'm looking into alternatives. While Boston is notorious for its lack of brunches, a handful of restaurants are starting to wake up and smell the coffee.
Close and standard:
How obvious does it now seem for the Cheesecake Factory (300 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, served until 2 p.m., Sunday) to be the ideal brunch spot?
It has massive servings of generally excellent food, it's in your price range, and it's right down the street. In addition to their Harry-Potter-novel-sized menu, you can indulge in the french toast napoleon, probably 2,000 calories of brioche French toast, sautéed apples, bananas, pecans, and Chantilly Cream.
On my list of things of which I was unaware, Tonic (1316 Commonwealth Ave., served 10 a.m.to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday) serving food, let alone Sunday brunch, is pretty high. More astonishing, it's all you can eat for $14.95. Let's be honest: just go for the make-your-own Bloody Mary bar.
And although I've only been on a dinner date, I'm told that The Fireplace (1634 Beacon St., served 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday) has a classic New England brunch menu, with Vermont maple syrup and Applewood smoke bacon. And though it's surely no match for mine, they also cook up Challah French toast.
Far but worth it:
Sonsie (327 Newbury St., served 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday) was the first restaurant I tried in Boston and for that reason it's still a favorite. The restaurant's new brunch is a bit more lunch than breakfast (you don't often see three pasta dishes offered) but that's why it's brunching with the hip crowd. The crab cake wrap and Waldorf salad are my usual order.
If you're going to trek somewhere on a weekend morning, you might as well make it an event. Seeing as your student ID is a free ticket and you always wish you made time for a little culture, T it over to Bravo at the Museum of Fine Arts (465 Huntington Ave., 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday) for an a la carte version. I make no guarantees about the food, but surrounded by modern and contemporary masterpieces, who cares?
Far, expensive, and worth every penny:
A good friend of mine went with his parents to the Four Seasons (200 Boylston St., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday) for brunch and at almost $50 a head, he's probably still kicking himself for being too hungover to eat more than a piece of bacon. I'd probably starve myself the night before to save room for the crepes, but to each his own.
The most "famous" brunch in the area is held at Henrietta's Table (The Charles Hotel, One Bennett St., Cambridge, noon to 3 p.m., Sunday) if only because it's the swankiest rotating brunch menu in the city. It's worth trying once, but make reservations.
For a special occasion though, you can't beat Top of the Hub (800 Boylston St., Prudential Center, 52nd floor, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sunday).
My roommate swears it's the best brunch she's ever tried, and if it's anything like their dinner, I'd probably agree. And if any of my housemates are reading this, I wouldn't mind if you treated me next week.
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