Let's Do Brunch

By Judy Peacock

More and more restaurants in the Upper East Side of Texas are offering brunch on Sunday mornings and some on Saturdays as well. Brunch is the playful blend of breakfast and lunch and, to many, it is a favorite weekend activity rather than simply a necessary morning meal. These brunches offer a wide variety of meals not on the everyday menu such as out-of-the-ordinary egg dishes, crepes, fresh fruits, and dessert options, accompanied by delicious mimosas, bloody marys, specialty cocktails, juices, and gourmet coffees. Here are a few to consider.

THE FORGE BAR & GRILL

Historic downtown Ben Wheeler’s award-winning (County Line’s 2018 Best of the Upper East Side of Texas) brunch is served by The Forge Bar & Bistro Saturdays and Sundays. The Forge is located in a renovated blacksmith shop, and they offer Eggs Florentine, Migas, Breakfast Pizza or The Hippy, a three-egg omelet with mozzarella, cheddar, and ricotta cheese, spinach, mushrooms, sauteed onion, red bell and poblano peppers. They also serve great mimosas and coffee, and their biggest seller is by far a spicy Tito’s Bloody Mary. See www.theforgebenwheeler.com for more information.

AIN’T JUST PIE Greenville’s Ain’t Just Pie has won County Line’s Best Pie award several years, and now in addition to a great slice of pie, they offer a brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays. Items added to this new menu are Eggs Benedict, chicken and waffles, and brioche French toast. They serve coffee, tea, and soft drinks, but no alcoholic beverages. For more information, see www.justpie.net.

McGARITY’S RESTAURANT Jefferson’s McGarity’s Restaurant & Saloon has unique décor including a large moose head above the bar and offers a Saturday and Sunday brunch menu with unique dishes as well. In addition to Seafood Benedict and Strawberries Romanoff, one specialty is Elvis Pancakes, made with peanut butter, banana and bacon. See www.mcgarityssaloon61.com for more info.

COPELAND’S OF NEW ORLEANS In Longview, Cajun and Creole classics are found at Copeland’s of New Orleans, which has a Sunday brunch buffet as well as brunch menu items. They offer specialty coffees and macchiatos as well as designer cocktails, including mimosas and an applewood-smoked bacon bloody mary. See more at www.copelandsofneworleans.com/longview-menu.

THE PUB McKINNEY The Pub McKinney offers several unique menu items such as Philly Cheesesteak omelet and their Hangover Burger, as well as specialty cocktails like a Blood Orange Screwdriver and their Peachy Keen. The Pub thinks of itself as “your meeting house,” where patrons can grab a game off the shelf and play while enjoying friends and great food. See www.thepubmckinney.com for more details.

1ST CITY CAFE

City of Nacogdoches’ Marketing Director, Stephanie Fontenot, is “passionate about brunch,” and says the Fredonia’s 1st City Café’s brunch is “hands-down amazing.” She especially enjoys the “Gruene” Eggs and Chorizo, which includes a delicious tomatillo salsa over tortillas, Monterey jack cheese, and hand-made chorizo. Brunch is Saturday and Sunday with a menu featuring cocktails including specialty mimosas and even a man-mosa. See www.thefredonia.com/1st-city-cafe.html for more information.

CAFE BARRON’S

Also in Longview, Café Barron’s offers fine dining in a casual atmosphere with brunch on Saturdays, surrounded by a specialty store with body and bath products, home décor, and a women’s boutique. Their brunch menu is accompanied by delicious coffees, juices, cocktails, and wines, and more information is available at www.shopbarrons.com/ cafe_barrons.php.

ELCARAZON DE TEJAS

El Carazon de Tejas in McKinney offers vintage Tex-Mex food on their brunch menu including their twist on chicken and waffles — chicken and churros. They also offer cocktails along with coffees, teas, and juices. For more information, visit www.elcorazontexmex.com.

M.L. EDWARDS

M. L. Edwards in Mount Vernon is a historic hardware building on the town’s square that houses Watermelon Mills Coffee House and Bistro 1916, a caféstyle bistro that serves brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. The dining area is surrounded by a large general store with beautiful and unique home and kitchen decor for purchase. Along with classic brunch menu items made from locally-sourced ingredients, they offer Watermelon Mills’ signature drip coffee and M.L. Edwards Signature Iced Tea, which is a delicious hibiscus citrus blend, as well as champagne for mimosas, and sangria. Visit www.mledwardsco.com for more information.

Maklemore’s Ale House & Bistro

Brunch at Maklemore’s Ale House & Bistro in Nacogdoches is offered on Saturdays and Sundays. Guests can enjoy everything from a chicken waffle sandwich to huevos rancheros or a delicious Rueben hash. The atmosphere here is great. It has delicious food, and Fontenot says she would definitely recommend this location to friends. For more information, go to www.maklemoresnac.com.

BARKEEPS EATERY AND TAPS

The brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday at Barkeeps Eatery and Taps in Nacogdoches boasts specialty brunch cocktails, as well as food items that are delicious with an emphasis on creativity and flavor. Barkeeps is “Urban Asian Fusion,” and guests can hope to find both delicious and unique offerings. This is a good recommendation for someone who is looking for something different. For more details, visit www.barkeepsnac.com.

LANANA CREEK ICE HOUSE

Lanana Creek Ice House in Nacogdoches has a good down-home brunch on Sundays to enjoy when looking to get refueled after a busy weekend. They have a bloody mary bar and often have happy-hour specials all day on Sundays. Visit www.lananacreekicehouse.com for more info.

HILTON’S HEIRLOOM KITCHEN

Hilton’s Heirloom Kitchen offers a delicious brunch menu year ‘round and in the summer, they also present a buffet overlooking Lake Ray Hubbard. Some of their brunch items include Heirloom Benedict, shrimp omelets, and signature cocktails including the Pear Tree, Rockwall Refresher, and a customer favorite, Citrus Kiss. See https://bit. ly/2HIqVP5 for more info.

GLORIA’S RESTAURANT Also overlooking the lake at The Harbors in Rockwall is Gloria’s Restaurant. It offers brunch menu items and cocktails, including mimosas and bloody marys. This is a great place to visit with friends and enjoy the beautiful surroundings and delicious food. Get more information at www.gloriascuisine.com/locations/rockwall.

THE LONDONER

The Londoner is on the square in downtown Rockwall where dining is available inside or outdoors. It offers a delicious brunch menu with a new Benedict recipe each weekend, such as their steak-and-egg Benedict. They also serve Bananas Foster French toast and many choices of brunch cocktails. See www.thelondonerpub.com/locations/rockwall for more information.

STANDARD SERVICE

Standard Service is a casual neighborhood restaurant in Rockwall focusing on fresh Texas cuisine and genuine hospitality. A popular item on their brunch menu is their banana butter pecan waffles, and they offer $2 mimosas during brunch. Visit their website at www.thestandardservice.com for more details.

THE GROVE KITCHEN & GARDENS

The Grove’s menu boasts such items as breakfast chimichangas and beignets, and they serve delicious brunch cocktails. Weather permitting, outdoor dining is available in their gardens. For more information, visit www.thegrovetyler. com.

CORK FOOD & WINE

Like many restaurants in the area, Cork Food and Wine in Tyler strives to use clean, organic ingredients with the help of local farmers and ranchers. Their brunch menu may change seasonally with availability of fresh ingredients, but a couple of delicious standards are smoked salmon crepes and a chilaquiles breakfast burger. Cork’s wines and champagnes help create some delicious specialty cocktails to complement their brunch menu. See www.corktyler.com for more details.

BIG AL’S DOWN THE HATCH

Big Al Mack from the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning radio show has opened Big Al’s Down the Hatch in Waxahachie, a fun “watering hole,” that also offers lunch and dinner all week long. On Sundays, they have a brunch menu that adds breakfast foods like omelettes, pancakes and egg dishes, as well as a bloody mary bar including other brunch cocktails such as mimosas and bellinis. Visit www.bigalsdownthehatch.com for more info.

THE ROOSTER CAFE

Winnsboro’s The Rooster Café rounds up this list of brunch locations. Rooster Café made County Line’s Best of list for their Winnsburger, and they also offer a delicious brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays. Eggs Benedict and French toast are on the menu as well as signature items like Ode to Roscoe’s, The Rooster’s own chicken and waffles. A full cocktail bar is available with indoor or open-air dining. For more information, visit www.theroostercafe.com.