Read Drink & Be Merry

My mother was in town for the weekend, so, like any other good Richmonder, we took her to Millie’s. Year after year, list after list, you see this place at or near the top – mentioned as much for the food as the lines to get in. It had been nearly ten years since I had been and, at least back then, if it was Sunday brunch I was either hung over or still buzzed. Not the best way to judge food. Perfect time for a fresh look.

We arrived in the area just as they were opening at 9 and started looking for a parking spot. All these high rent lofts built in the old tobacco warehouses didn’t feel the need to provide adequate parking and as they have filled up so to have the streets around them. Fifteen minutes later we found a spot several blocks away. The window for immediate seating had closed at Millie’s and we had to wait for a table. The bright side to this is they have waiting down to a science at Millie’s and we quickly had drinks in hand.

I took this time to peruse the surroundings. A couple of interesting signs caught my attention. On the brunch menu on the wall it stated – No Substitutions. I am a constant offender of making changes to dishes but am also cognizant of the busyness of the restaurant. If it’s too busy I refrain. A small change may sound simple to you but while many chefs strive to be artiste’s, when they are one ’sauce on the side’ away from disaster they are more like machines. Small changes can completely destroy their concentration and flow. Don’t do it. If your allergic, don’t order it – it’s just as likely to be put on and then brushed off the plate by the equally hurried server.

Another sign of note was to inform that incomplete parties will not be seated. More places need to do this as well as enforcing it. You may see the restaurant as half empty and can’t understand why they want you to wait at the bar. The staff sees the restaurant as half full and know how many tables are coming in. A large party that trickles in will order one or two drinks at a time. What could have taken the server one order and one trip to the bar has now just consumed an exponentially huge amount of time. Will you remember this when it comes time to tip or will you only remember that you had to wait a long time for your drinks because the waiter had to take care of his other tables before they felt forgotten? Even an incomplete smaller party can disrupt the flow. When everyone finally arrives you may be ready to start but the server has just been seated a new table and, while he may have been standing around for the last ten minutes, now has to decide who gets priority on his time – the table that’s been sitting for half and hour waiting for a late arrival or the people who were on time? At this point don’t forget to listen for the chef to start screaming why the waiters are all ordering at once rather than spacing things out… Off my soapbox, time to be seated.

Into a booth with drinks in hand. Coffee refilled and the drinking water is cold (I know this because Finn dumped his in my lap). In a flash orders are taken and a short time later the food is on the table – Millie’s would never be able to cope with their volume if they weren’t fast and efficient. What can I say about the food? A little more creative than your usual brunch spot, but not by much. Eggs Benedict on a bagel with grav lox instead of the ubiquitous Smithfield Ham, eggs scrambled with lobster and mushrooms, and finally the Devil’s Mess (eggs with spicy sausage, veg and curry topped with cheese and avocado). All good combinations expertly done. My only concerns would be that it was all a tad over spiced and that the puff pastry on my lobster and eggs was cold – also the tug of war between the staff on the volume of the stereo was really annoying.

Does it deserve the hype? Everyone goes, there’s always a wait, it must be good, right? Both Karsen’s and Bacchus are equally, if not more, creative. Can-Can is nearly as busy yet manages (usually) a higher service level. Even off-spring LuLu’s looks a bit more creative and may be a more relaxing choice (haven’t been yet for brunch so am really just guessing). I think it’s the inertia of the crowd that puts Millie’s at the top year after year. Sure the spice levels will cut through that fuzz left over on your tongue from last nights drinks but it can also cover up any errors on ingredients or preparation. Let’s see how much of that $4 gas we can waste looking for parking. The servers are friendly and efficient but overworked and coffees and drinks don’t get refilled. Are you waiting for brunch or waiting to be seen?

Bottom line is I think Millie’s is good but not worth the wait or the aggravation of getting a table. I think going once a decade with out of town guests is about the right frequency.

NOTE~
We had actually planned on going to Cirrus originally. Strangely they don’t open till 11, is it just me or is that a little late to start? I checked their brunch menu that morning and nearly fell asleep reading it. Their dinner menu is very intriguing but the brunch menu could have been copied from Brunches-R-Us…..

This last Sunday morning was gray and rainy. It had been a busy weekend and while we were up early to run a time specific errand we were exhausted and were considering a very quiet day at home. The problem was that we couldn’t even be bothered to make a decent breakfast and knew Finn would soon start agitating for something to munch on. I was wrapped up in a comforter multi-tasking – watching TV and randomly surfing the web – when my laptop informed me I had a new piece of mail. Seems the Foodies had gotten a late start to the day and were lamenting that it was probably too late to get together for brunch. Not so, I replied, we’re moving in slow motion as well. Foodies suggested Bacchus after they went to a craft show. We replied, cool. This conversation actually took place over short emails and took nearly 2 hours, the rain had turned us all to slugs.

So, pushing the edge of Bacchus’ closing time we arrive around 2. At first I felt bad for the staff but they seated two tables after us so we weren’t going to be the lone table holding up the staff. We arrived a bit before the Foodies and ordered some coffee. Coffee and water arrived. M sent hers back as, once again, the lipstick on the rim did not match hers. This has been happening a lot lately. Someone really needs to invent a lipstick that sticks to the lady and not everything else and servers really need to look before they bring you a glass.

The Foodies arrived with little Jasper in tow. We greeted and settled in for some food.

Foodie and I tried to be on our best behavior under the watchful eyes of our wives but it was not to be. We must be reading each others blogs as Foodie noted the lack of butter arriving with the bread and commented on the service being slow, normally areas where I am most vocal. I took up his mantra of affordable noting a clam entree for $10 but add pasta and it goes up to $16. A while later our food arrived….

M had a Mushroom Fritatta. It was large and a bit heavy. Light on mushrooms and eggs but heavy with potatoes. Personally, I didn’t think the description matched the dish. M said it was good but would have liked more mushrooms. I tasted it, not too bad, but more fungus would have made it much better. If you wander into Bacchus hungover this may be the dish for you.

Mrs Foodie had the Shrimp Scampi. She was happy with the garlic levels and Mr Foodie said he never complained when she had garlic breath. Sounded like a winner to me.

I threw Foodie for a loop and ordered the Seared Scallops with Spinach & Bacon. He was thinking I would go for the Saffron Eggs, a dish that had caused some discussion a while back. My dish ended up being a mixed bag. The scallops, 6 or 7 medium sea scallops, were seared and seasoned perfectly, a very nice treat. The spinach could not have been sauteed any better. Just a hint a vinegar to flavour but not enough to pollute the scallops sitting on the spinach. The bacon made no sense. I assumed it would have been minced and in the spinach. Instead it was two slices laid over the dish. It looked and tasted a bit like the bacon you get at Denny’s. Added nothing to the dish.

Since I went for the seafood Foodie went for the Saffron Eggs. I tasted them and they weren’t bad. I am guessing the saffron wasn’t blended with the eggs correctly as Mr Foodie gave Mrs Foodie a taste and asked if she could detect the saffron. The eggs were good, and Foodie liked the price ($5), but they fall under my category of ‘items that you can make at home and shouldn’t order out’. For those of you wanting to make this at home here’s how as this would be a great dish if you have guests for brunch:

Eggs (get local fresh organic at Belmont Butchery)
Saffron
Kosher Salt
White Pepper
Half & Half
A few drops white wine vinegar

Beat it all together and let ’steep’ in the fridge while you entertain you guests. This will allow the saffron to infuse a little better through the eggs. Cook until think they are congealed but not quite, remove from the heat and put in a warm serving bowl. The residual heat of the eggs will finish the cooking. If you scramble until fully cooked they will keep cooking after you remove them (that pesky residual heat) and they will release all the captured moisture into your serving bowl or on your plate leaving you with dry eggs and wet toast. I haven’t listed actual portions as that is dependent on how many people you are feeding. Try it on yourself at home first and figure it out.

Both Foodies dish and mine contained potatoes. They were OK but Foodie needed to add hot sauce and I needed to add pepper but the mill on the table wasn’t functional. Not very well seasoned. A couple of bites in and, well, if you were polite you would call the potato ‘firm’. I called it undercooked. I asked Foodie if he had the same problem. He replied no and then a couple of bites later changed his answer. The consensus at the table was that, in future, order the polenta as a side instead.

Restaurants typically break even or even lose money on brunches or lunch. The dining window is too short and people don’t order many of the high profit items like cocktails and wine. It is, however, a way to showcase their strengths by getting people to come in at lower price points and lure them back for the real show, dinner. Bacchus did well enough for me to consider them for another try at brunch but I’m not quite ready to make that dinner investment.

Jasper was a perfect gentleman through the meal. OK, he was asleep. As we wrapped up he made it known that he was ready for his brunch. Finn had hit his expiration as well and was dancing through the restaurant. As a note to that I can say that I have been happy with Richmond restauranteurs treatment of us with Finn with only a couple of exceptions. He is typically well-behaved, less so when we go out with friends, but they have made him feel welcome and indulged him. That’s a good way to get parents back.