Brunch at Watts Grocery

Marginally recovered from my cold, I headed to Watts Grocery for brunch today with a friend.

I have a few minor bones to pick before I get to the food:

1. They don't open for weekend brunch until 11am. ELEVEN AM?? They need to open earlier. Seriously that's too late to open for brunch.

2. When I order coffee, bring me a spoon. Ok, fine, for the sake of good manners, don't wrap a spoon up the cloth napkin with the knife and fork (a coffee or tea spoon should never be put on the table w/ a place setting, bring it with the cup and saucer...or mug), but bring me a spoon so I can properly give my coffee a swirl, pour in some cream and watch it magically spin into the coffee. A spoon, please. A lady never wants to use a fork to stir coffee!

3. Don't make me beg for more cream. Two cream drinkers are going to polish off that dinky little pitcher after a two cups.

4. Serve water without having to be asked.

Minor details, I admit. Now, regarding the food. I have to confess that my taste buds are not quite up to par at the moment because my nose and head are stuffy. This is a problem for someone who likes to TASTE food and who can usually taste individual ingredients in a dish. My remedy was to order spicy and hope I could taste it.

My friend and I had churros for a starter. These are fried strips of dough coated in sugar and cinnamon and served with a dark chocolate dipping sauce. The churros were light and crisp, almost like cookies, not like donuts as the menu may suggest. I could taste the cinnamon and that was about it. The chocolate sauce had a good texture but the taste was too subtle for my defective sense of smell/taste.

My main course was rather astonishing in its complexity: a grilled biscuit split in half and covered with a sauce of andouille sausage with tomato topped with a poached egg and a hollandaise w/ cajun spices and crawfish tails. It was good except for the crawfish which was too fishy, probably from being frozen. Crawfish should taste sweet and lobstery not strong and fishy. Like lobster, don't bother if it isn't fresh because frozen doesn't do it justice. I moved the crawfish to the side and at the rest. It was good, but next time I'll order something else like the shrimp and grits.

My friend had French toast. It looked amazing when the waitress brought it to the table. The slices were huge. It was served with delicious cooked fruit in a tasty caramel sauce with whipped cream on the side. I tend to like egg dishes for brunch but I will certainly order French toast at some point too!

Aside from the minor problems w/ the spoon and cream, the coffee was delicious. It was rich, dark, bold and served in large mugs. I'd say their coffee is nearly as good as Alivia's, which is the best coffee in town.

So, let me know when you head to Watts Grocery for brunch what you think of the other menu items. I might have to go back tomorrow to try the shrimp and grits!

Watts Grocery: Dessert

I fixed dinner for a friend tonight: pasta w/ broccoli rabe and Italian sausage and a tomato salad (sliced heirlooms drizzled w/ olive oil and balsamic, salt and pepper). Then for dessert we decided to try the newly opened Watts Grocery on Broad Street.

The place is adorable. The colors are invitingly soft blues and greens with some beige, but my fav are the light fixtures -- I love the red hanging lamps! It is modern without being sterile or cold. You can go casual or you can dress up. I tend to dress up because where else am I going to wear silk Prada heels that I got on sale if not out to dinner? Tonight I was wearing jeans however.

The bar is atop a display case of family photos and memorabilia from an old Durham family. While sipping your drink, you can look at an invitation to the January 1941, Inaugural of FDR. My grandfather liked to say that was the last time he voted Democrat. Fortunately the rest of the family didn't follow his lead! Anyway, it is a bit of local flavor, so to speak, without being tacky or kitsch.

I had a chocolate pudding layer cake which was basically chocolate cake with a wonderful, homemade chocolate pudding oozing from between the layers. It was dark, rich chocolate that emphasized the chocolatey flavor by not being overly sweet. A dollop of fresh whipped cream was on the side.

My friend had the apple and blackberry crostata. The tart apples and sweet berries nicely complemented one another. The crust was flaky, buttery, and not at all heavy. It was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I perused the other menus while I was there. They serve brunch on Saturday and Sunday. The prices are in the $8 range. Lunch is served during the week and the prices are also in the $8 range. Dinner is a bit pricier. The entrees looked very tasty. They are in the $16 range. The steak was $19. My favorite description on the menu was for a salad of butternut squash, spiced pecans, and Stilton in a balsamic vinaigrette. That sounds good to me!

Winter squash and balsamic are a wonderful marriage. One time I made a roasted acorn squash salad with toasted hazelnuts and a balsamic reduction only to find out later that my hapless date loathed squash. He ate every bite that night though. Hahaha!

I cannot wait to try Watts Grocery again.