Sunday Brunch is an institution. It is that relaxed, late-morning time to contemplate Eggs Benedict or chicken salad, breakfast or lunch, while waking up with a cup of coffee and enjoying a glass of Champagne or a Champagne cocktail. These five restaurants do brunch particularly well and offer great — even “bottomless” — Champagne cocktails: Beatrice & Woodsley, Charcoal Restaurant, Rioja, Root Down, and Ya Ya’s:
Beatrice & Woodsley – Escape to the woods for a brunch fit for foodies among the birch trees and hanging lanterns. Part magical forest, part urban whirl, Sunday Brunch at Beatrice & Woodsley is a great way to start the day. Begin “Beatrice’s Scrumptilitious Brunch” with one of several Champagnes by the glass, a Blood Orange Mimosa, or Garden of Jewels, a Champagne cocktail made with pear vodka, St Germain, and bubbles. Try the Monkey Brains twist on a cinnamon roll, Ugly Yogurt Crepes made with Ugly Goat Cheese, or the Barkin’ Dogs Breakfast of tiny spinach omelet with hushpuppies, chow-chow sausage, and a crawfish pimento cheese fondue. Chase it with a rasher of bacon! Brunch begins at 10am on Saturday and Sunday. Beatrice & Woodsley is located near Downtown Denver at 38 South Broadway, between West Bayaud and West Ellsworth avenues.
Charcoal Restaurant – This newcomer opened in September 2011. The casual, sophisticated restaurant offers an exquisite Swedish brunch, complete with Honey Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict, Swedish Pancakes, Semla Swedish Pastry, and Smörgåsbord Platter. Begin with a Bottomless Mimosa for $10. Chef Patrik Landberg and his team have created a brunch menu that is as inventive and tasty as Charcoal’s Modern American dinner menu, offering fantastic food at affordable prices. In addition to Swedish specialties, the brunch menu offers traditional favorites as well as a tasting menu that includes Swedish and traditional brunch fare. Come for both dinner and brunch, which have decidedly different feels. Brunch begins at 10am on Saturday and Sunday. Charcoal is located in Denver on 9th Avenue between Broadway and Acoma.
Rioja – A walk through Larimer Square on a Sunday has a relaxed feel coupled with the languid buzz of those lining up for brunch at its top eateries. Rioja brings its Mediterranean menu to weekend daytime hours with savory and sweet specialties, including lemon curd mascarpone-filled house made donuts with blueberry compote. Three “Eye Openers” made with bubbles include the Grapefruit Granita, made with sparkling Cava; the Mimosa, made with sparkling wine; and the Lemon Quencher, made with house made limoncello, gin, ginger ale, lime, and Cava sparkling wine. The bread basket soon arrives, filled with house made rosemary goat cheese biscuits, lavender sourdough bread, and orange fennel rolls. Try all three! The Rioja “Picnic” is a charcuterie plate that arrives in style, with a “tent” of flatbread that sits above a bowl of radicchio filled with olives, surrounded by cured meats, toasted nuts, cheese, and truffle fennel salad, and house made orange marmalade. Entrées include Duck Confit “Hash” and raspberry brioche French toast. Brunch begins at 10am on Saturday and Sunday. Rioja is located on Larimer Square in Denver at 1431 Larimer Street.
Root Down – This inventive eatery in the Highlands has become so popular for brunch that without reservations you may face a two-hour wait for a table. The attractions include Bottomless Blood Orange or Classic Fresh Squeezed Mimosas, or the St. Germain Cocktail with St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, sparkling water, and Cava Brut. Brunch options include Root Down Benedict with sun-dried tomato Hollandaise and a quinoa “English muffin,” a Mushroom Duxelle Omelette with goat cheese and caramelized onions, Lemon-Ricotta and Poppyseed Pancakes, Breakfast Burrito with dark mole and sour cream, and Banana Bread French Toast. Brunch begins at 10am on Saturday and Sunday. Root Down is located in the Highlands neighborhood of Denver at 1600 West 33rd Avenue at Osage Street.
Ya Ya’s Euro Bistro – Arm yourself with a Bottomless Mimosa and prepare to browse the impressive Denver Tech Center brunch buffet. The classic brunch tempts with an omelet station, carving station, fresh seafood, an array of salads, sausage and bacon, three kinds of Eggs Benedict, a heap of desserts, and a Bloody Mary Bar. Add Bottomless Mimosas to the all-you-can-eat brunch and you have the makings of a Sunday to remember! Sunday Brunch begins at 10am. Ya Ya’s is located at 8310 East Belleview between South Ulster Street and DTC Boulevard in Greenwood Village.
Click here to see pictures of Sunday Brunch: http://modenook.com/wine-in-denver/sunday-brunch-the-denver-area-fiv…
Sláinte!
