Saturday Brunch at 101 Beer Kitchen

{alexis}

After shopping our little hearts out at the Made Local Market on Saturday morning, we dragged ourselves through the rain and into Dublin’s 101 Beer Kitchen for a brunch extravaganza. I really like this place. The cocktail and food menus are local, seasonal, and interesting, and you get the sense that they are really trying new things. And, refreshingly, the place is spacious!

These little gems usually have lines around the corner. As someone who hates queuing, I appreciate the space and the light spilling in from the picture windows.

They’re also pretty good at details.

What an adorable water jug! I also appreciate a good typeface, and this menu was a feast for the eyes. But the real feast was yet to come.

Thanks to our honorary blogger, Megan, we got to order more food than normal. We had heard a lot of buzz about the breakfast twinkie (NOT A TYPO), but, though we all wanted to try it, no one wanted to commit their entire meal to it (we take food decisions seriously around here). So, we did the next best thing: We ordered the twinkie as an appetizer and split it three ways. I mean, why not. So what if this quantity of food was intended for a meal? SO WHAT if we started with dessert? We are bloggers and we choose our own destiny.

That wasn’t even our only appetizer. We also plumped for pigs in a blanket. So, after much rationalization and self-conscious giggling, our twinkie arrived, in all its berried splendor.

Yes, that is a giant, sweet bacon accent. Yes, that’s cream spilling from the center and generously dolloped on top. This is a brunch TRIUMPH.

It was also easily split three ways. The challah bread was substantial enough to carry all the sweetness, and, even as a general fruit naysayer, I have to admit the berries were a lovely balance to the cream and bread. After eating our shares, we decided that, while a worthy brunch dish, we were glad we split it and still had our entrees to look forward to. Guess which one of us had the winner?

Me, it was me! I chose the Southern Benedict, and was rewarded with the masterpiece you see above. They had me at “fried green tomatoes,” and the poached egg, collard greens, cheddar grits, and country ham sealed the deal. Grits are usually hit or miss for me, but I kept at my plate the longest, scraping up every delicious bit.

Mine wasn’t the only success, however.

Alicia went with the fried chicken and biscuits. She was kind enough to offer me a sliver of chicken, and it was also delicious. The breading was just right, and the side watermelon salad balanced the heaviness of the biscuit and chicken together.

Megan went the lighter, pretzel chicken salad, which didn’t look too light after all.

I’ve had the pretzel chicken sandwich and know first hand how lovely it is. I know it’s simple, but I also love blue cheese in salads: it packs so much flavor punch, and a little goes a long way.

Happily stuffed, we slowly wrapped up the meal. I want to note how lovely the staff was. The hostess answered our questions with a smile, and even when we requested an entree as an appetizer, our waitress was game. She didn’t even scoff in horror or make us feel like we were ridiculous. Everyone we talked to was lovely, which made the food even more enjoyable.

But I think I’m on to something with this entree appetizer thing. The possibilities are endless…

101 Beer Kitchen is located at 7509 Sawmill Road. M-Th 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat 11am-11pm; Sun 11am-9pm.