Brunch

Every time someone visited Charlotte and wanted a brunch recommendation, I always suggested they go to Pewter Rose…and that they get the bananas foster french toast. It was my recommendation for visitors, out-of-town guests, and locals. Sadly, it looks like I’m going to have to find a new brunch recommendation because Pewter Rose is closing after Sunday night. As in tonight-Sunday-night. I couldn’t believe it when I read the article about Pewter Rose closing on charlotteobserver.com, which was only published on Friday. I knew what I had to do.

I immediately decided to use my Eat in Month cheat pass to enjoy one last, delicious brunch at Pewter Rose.

My friend Sarah and I headed over to Pewter Rose after Saturday morning Zumba. We were greeted by Susie, the owner, who was working as the hostess and greeter. I told her how much I’d enjoyed my visits to Pewter Rose over the years and that I’d miss them. Pewter Rose was one of the first fancy restaurants I went to after graduating college when I could finally afford more than Ramen. It was a place I visited with hubby when we were dating. We even had our first Valentine’s date at Pewter Rose.

Though I’ve been to Pewter Rose many times before, the thought of everything going away soon inspired me to try to capture photos of little details throughout the restaurant – things I never noticed before.

Many people brought flowers, which were displayed near the front door. The entry way was packed with patrons, and there was a steady stream of people coming through the door. I was happy to see so much support for the beloved restaurant.

Loved this pair of Asian-inspired lamps.

And the colorful, star lanterns were always fun to see.

I loved the atmosphere inside – open, airy, cheerful. At night, it was romantic.

We ordered mimosas to drink.

And we were especially looking forward to a visit from the famous butterscotch scone basket.

I definitely ordered more of these to go. That’s right! I’m freezing some for later.

Sarah and I shared a couple dishes – the bananas foster french toast (my personal favorite)…

…the mashed potato omelet…

…and bacon.

Yum…

…and yum!

Everything was as delicious as always. The french toast was tall, fluffy, and filled with a lightly-sweet, banana cream. As always, I didn’t even need the maple syrup. It was good enough straight up. The mashed potato omelet was wonderful, too. I loved the play on potato ingredients in the dish – bacon, cheese, chives, and sour cream. Sarah and I savored each bite, knowing it was the last time we’d be able to enjoy it. It was definitely the best possible use of my cheat pass just to enjoy the experience.

I even managed to have some leftovers to share with hubby.

On the way out, I noticed this large piece of art on the wall. We had to take a closer look. It looked almost like carved wood that had also been painted. I’m still not sure what it was made of, but it was quite intricate and had many levels of texture.

The up-close photo yielded a different view that I didn’t even see with my eyes. It was pretty cool to see the difference between my viewfinder and what was right in front of my face. The camera seemed to make the art come to life.

And before leaving, Susie was nice enough to take a moment for a quick photo.

If you’re reading this on the date of publication, you can still get one more brunch or dinner until tonight. If you’re reading this after, there will be a farewell party on February 20th, 2013. Check out the Pewter Rose Facebook page for details.

To Susie and the fabulous Pewter Rose staff, thank you for the delicious eats and the many wonderful memories. Best of luck to all of you!

{ 4 comments }

I enjoyed an epic brunch at 5Church this past Sunday with some of my girlfriends.

We met at 5th and Church (across from Basil) before noon. I’ve been wanting to try this restaurant for far too long, so I was really excited for my brunch date with some girlfriends to finally check it out.

Part of the reason I really wanted to try this place is because I know Jamie, the executive chef. I met Jamie at the 2 Poplar Ridge Farm-to-Table Dinners (click here for #1 and here for #2) where I was the photographer, and Jamie was the chef. Having seen and tasted Jamie’s creations from those events, I knew brunch would be fantastic. He whipped up some really interesting eats for those farm-to-table events, like spicy gazpacho gelée, beet emulsion, sour cream ice cream, and lamb cheeks with pickled eggplant (yes, I ate that, and yes, it was good). Basically, I would eat anything Jamie put on a plate and served, because I think he’s that talented.

They treated us to a round of drinks, so I had a mimosa, which is my favorite brunch drink of choice (when I’m not having coffee). 5 Church had a great brunch cocktail list with more options, like the sangria and mojito.

We asked our waitress what Chef Jamie would recommend (because we forgot to when he came out to say hi), and she quickly said the lamb burger…for sure. And with that recommendation, three of us ordered it.

I don’t know where it came from, but someone called the lamb burger epic. And then “epic” became the word of our brunch as we dug into our food. I’m not much of a lamb person, but do you see this burger? I feel compelled to come back and try it.

I also want to try the shrimp over polenta, which is what I almost ordered.

I got the Grilled Bistro Steak & Eggs, which was great. I loved the presentation of the food, especially the way the steak was served (sliced thin). I also really loved the red wine reduction, which went well with everything, not just the steak. I’d never had such a sauce with eggs and french fries, but it totally worked.

I normally have a weird thing where I don’t like it when things that are supposed to be crispy get into sauces that tend to make them soggy. But, somehow, this reduction stayed on the two thirds of the plate containing the eggs and steak. And for the few french fries that did get into the reduction, they stayed crunchy. It was like magic. And like I said, they went well together, too. Everyone at the table went gaga for the fries. If you come here, be sure to order something that comes with fries…or just order a bowl on the side.

{left to right: Erin, Kseniya, Jen, Dion, me}

And here are the Epic Eaters! These girls were so fun. Can’t wait to hang out with them again!

And I can’t wait to come back to 5Church. I really want to come back for dinner sometime…and I think I already picked out what I want to order!

Thanks for reading!

Reader question: Have you been to 5 Church? What did you order and what do you recommend?

{ 3 comments }