Consistently Craveable Brunch @ Grand Street
Kansas City offers many delicious weekend brunch spots. Be it the upper echelon like bluestem, the franchise spreads like Granite City and Bristol, or the king of country cooking Corner Cafe, we have lots of choices on a Sunday morning.
One of my longtime favorites for quality, quantity and overall value is Grand Street Cafe just across from the Country Club Plaza. Sunday brunch at Grand Street can be just about anything you’re looking for: a quiet hour nibbling pastries and browsing the paper, a large table to feed all the family from great-grandmas to toddlers, or a plate piled high to help work through a hangover.
A few weeks ago, I indulged at Grand Street for one of my favorite occasions – meeting up with an old friend. The cozy yet chic decor flows throughout the J-shaped restaurant with traditional 4-person booths, sleek banquettes around a curving wall and a quaint little patio protected with trees and shrubs.
First things first, Grand Street has some incredible morning cocktails! My tried and true stand-by is the Eye Opener Martini. House-made pepper infused vodka shaken with a thick and vigorously seasoned tomato mix is poured into a stainless steel martini glass and finished with a single ice-cube encapsulating peppercorns and one clove of roasted garlic. I consider myself a bloody mary connoisseur and this is among my very favorite!
That morning I also had a wonderful Bellini Martini made with peach vodka, prosecco and a splash of orange juice.
For $15.95 you can choose any entrée on the menu ranging from a down home breakfast of biscuits and gravy with eggs, to tide-water eggs Benedict, pancakes, grilled salmon salad or the best pork chop in town. I’ve never had a brunch item at Grand Street that I didn’t like.
But what makes this brunch spot a cut above is the appetizer buffet you can enjoy as your meal is being prepared. This is no wimpy spread. In fact, I’ve been known to make a meal of the buffet, have a bite of my entrée and box up the rest for home. You will always find a delicious Caesar salad, humus with pita, peel & eat shrimp, pasta salad and Grand Street’s signature grilled vegetable platter. I’m not sure how they make eating healthy taste so amazing but these veggies are phenomenal!
My personal can’t miss picks on the app buffet are the balsamic marinated tomatoes and onions with basil. I eat ‘em with a bagel and smear of goat cheese. Next to the shrimp you will find a couple small bowls of the perfect salmon salad. Don’t miss it.
That morning my friend opted for the Eggs Your Way and it proved to be a solid choice. I went for something I had never tried at Grand Street, but enjoy most places I order it. The Huevos Rancheros did not disappoint. In fact, it’s probably one of the best preparations I’ve experienced. Black beans topped with warm corn tortillas, over easy eggs, cheese, chorizo, salsa and crème fraîche came together to make one incredible breakfast. It was rich and slightly spicy. The links of chorizo held intense flavor and plenty of juiciness. The slices of fresh avocado were the perfect finish to the layers of flavor.
Finally, at Grand Street’s brunch you never have to make that tough decision of which dessert to have. Just like the appetizers they are lined up on the buffet and you can try a bite of each. My pick? The warm cinnamon bread pudding with raisins and a creme anglaise for the top.
I would go every Sunday if I could.
