There are two types of places to dine on a Sunday morning.
There's the type of joint where you can roll out of bed, show up in your pajama bottoms and dine on grease-laden bacon and eggs. None of the attendees at this type of restaurant will judge you, because they're too hungry, hungover or equally as disheveled to care.
Then there are places like the Granite Restaurant. Sure, diners at The Granite may have also had too good of a time the night before – but they're not about to let you know that.
Much like the Food Snob, brunch at the Granite is classy. And after a Saturday evening of doing classy things, I couldn't resist having a classy Sunday morning experience as well.
Sure to still get plenty of beauty sleep, I met my dining companion at 11 a.m.
There were no parties ahead of us, so we were seated right away. The hostess brought us to a small table tucked away in the restaurant's corner. Her choice was slightly questionable – I wondered why she didn't want to seat us in the middle of the restaurant considering how good we looked. I'll assume it was my companion bringing us down, not me.
While perusing the menu, we ordered some coffee and libations – a Bloody Mary for me, and a mimosa for my friend.
The menu was split up into three sections: breakfast, soup and salad, and entrees and sandwiches. Our eyes were glued to the breakfast portion, which included 10 options. It was a tough choice (all 10 looked delectable), but I narrowed it down to the smoked Scottish salmon (served with potato cake, argula, black olive caper relish, chive crème fraiche and your choice of bread , $10) or the blueberry, almond and cream cheese stuffed French toast (with spiced maple syrup, $10).
Figuring I'd get my fix of savory from the Bloody Mary, I went with the French toast. My companion opted for a half order of the steak and eggs (sirloin steak and two poached eggs with sautéed spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, grilled brioche, a béarnaise sauce, hash browns and chive crème fraiche, $12).
While waiting for our food, we were treated to a dish of freshly baked doughnuts accompanied by three dipping sauces. I don't recall the fancy terms our server used to describe the sauces, but they included a maple one, a lemony one and a strawberry one. I was partial to the lemon; its tartness went well with the doughnut's sweetness.
The doughnuts were a nice surprise especially since our meals didn't exactly come out quickly. This is not a complaint – there are few things better in life than a leisurely brunch. I would have been content sipping Bloody Marys all day thanks to the Granite's lovely, laidback and serene atmosphere. If I'd done that, though, I wouldn't have been able to drive home and, that's not something a responsible Food Snob would do.
Although I was in no rush, I was thrilled when our meals arrived. My French toast was moist and flavorful. The spiced syrup added a nice punch and I appreciated that the entire dish wasn't too sticky sweet.
The cream cheese could have been a tad thicker. I don't eat such creamy goodness often (to maintain my figure), so I prefer to go all out and really slather it on when I do treat myself to it. On the other hand, I know others who would prefer the Granite's light and whipped variety.
My companion seemed pleased with her dish, too. She described the sirloin as tender and cooked perfectly. It was her first experience with steak and eggs, and she claimed she would eat that – and only that – for breakfast there on out. (I have since seen her noshing on a bowl of Cocoa Krispies. Clearly, she is not to be trusted.)
Like my French toast, I went home stuffed. I have no shame in admitting that I promptly took a three-hour nap and slept like a baby. Because the only thing better than a leisurely brunch, is following it with a long, leisurely nap.
The Granite Restaurant
Where:96 Pleasant St.
Phone:227-9000; Web: graniterestaurant.com.
Hours:Sunday brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
