The Drunch report: new brunch spot leaves mixed reviews

Sara Stacy, Ghezal Barghouty, Sheridan Hendrix
Thu, 26 Oct 2017 02:49:28 +0000
Arts & Life, Buckeye Bites, Dining, News, bennie, buckeye bites, canadian bacon, dijon mustard, drunch, drunch stack, super salad

On Sunday, the self-titled Lantern Brunch Squad headed to Drunch, a newly opened eatery at 995 N. 4th St. The restaurant is based on the concept of an all-day brunch, and offers a menu that has everything from chicken and waffles to black bean burgers and fruity pebble cheesecake.

To make this fair, each of us opted for a different menu item to get some variety in our first brunch column.

The Drunch Stack is topped with powdered sugar and hibiscus butter, and comes with orange-ginger syrup on the side. | Credit: Ghezal Barghouty – Arts and Life Editor

Ghezal’s pick: Drunch Stack topped with orange-ginger syrup and hibiscus butter: $10

I hate to say it, but I’m not a breakfast person, so I was a little skeptical on whether I’d find something I’d like at Drunch. First things first, I ordered a coffee, which was rich in taste and not too strong, just how I like it. Looking at the menu, I was immediately torn between a veggie omelette and the pancakes. Eventually, I was coerced by my sweet tooth and went with the Drunch Stack, which –– to my surprise –– was topped with some unusual, yet very pleasing toppings. I immediately noticed the fluffiness of the pancakes. They were cooked to perfection. The orange-ginger syrup had a tangy-sweet taste, which was a lot better than plain ol’ maple syrup for me. And for someone who doesn’t like butter at all, the purple hibiscus butter was creamy, and refreshing –– a good twist to top the pancake. Personally, I wouldn’t change anything about my choice, except that the portion was a little too big –– #firstworldproblems. ?

Drunch’s Super Salad is served with argula, quinoa, sweet potato and pomegranate, and comes with a side of matcha vinaigrette | Credit: Sara Stacy – Assistant Arts and Life Editor

Sara’s pick: ?Super Salad, hold the feta: $11

For me, Drunch was a dud. As a vegan, it can be difficult to find tasty breakfast options in restaurants within my price range. However, since Drunch seemed like a pretty? hip place I hoped it would also have ample options that cater to dietary restrictions. Unfortunately, my options were limited to a salad or a black bean burger, and even? vegans don’t want salads at 8 a.m. Since I’m inherently wary of bean-based burgers –– they can either be pretty good or really, really bad –– I went with the Super? Salad. When it arrived, it still had feta on it, so I had to send it back and wait another five minutes for my breakfast veggies. The salad was supposed to have sweet potatoes and walnuts in it, but the only ingredients I was really able to pick out were lots of quinoa and arugula and scattered pomegranate seeds. Granted, these things did taste pretty good combined with the matcha vinaigrette. Nonetheless, if I wanted arugula and quinoa for breakfast (which I don’t, ever), I could throw that together at home for a fraction of the price. The best thing about my breakfast was the coffee, which was bottomless and very good, despite no options for a plant-based milk or creamer.

The Bennie consists of a poached egg, country ham and hollandaise. | Credit: Sheridan Hendrix – Oller Reporter

Sheridan’s pick: ?Bennie: poached egg, country ham and hollandaise: $11

First off, let me say that I am passionate about breakfast. So any restaurant that serves it up all day automatically scores brownie points with me. I opted for the Bennie?–– a provincial, overpriced version of eggs benedict –– because I’m a fan of the classics. If you put something with home fries and a fried egg in front of me, it’s a done deal, baby. I loved that the Bennie came with a thick slab of country ham, as opposed to the typical thin-sliced Canadian bacon, and the poached egg was cooked to a tee. The potatoes were plentiful and perfectly seasoned, though I would’ve liked them a little crispier. The only thing I would change about this meal was the hollandaise. I love this sauce for its rich flavor, but unfortunately, Drunch’s version tasted too much like Dijon mustard. While I like them both individually, together the two fight for your taste buds’ attention. Overall, though, I would totally eat here again –– if my wallet allows it.