Chi’s NC Faves: Brunch

Happy Monday Guys!

How was your weekend? Mine was nice and relaxing. A good friend and fellow graduate from my program invited me to a birthday brunch on Saturday. When I asked her what I could bring she said whatever I liked. After unnecessarily agonizing over it (yes, I have issues) I decided to try my hand at some healthier lemon blueberry donuts. They were a hit (*breathes sigh of relief* since I didn’t get to taste them beforehand – big no no!). I still have a little experimenting/tweaking to do before they make an appearance on the blog but it will be worth the wait. Promise:)

And speaking of brunch, I’ve got the next installment of “Chi’s NC Faves.” It’s brunchtime!

Any objections??

I didn’t think so.

Buffet

Now if you’re like me and you have trouble deciding what to order for brunch, then buffets are perfect. You can sample a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and before you know it have a plate packed with (hopefully) yummy food.

BukuThe brunch at Buku is a little more expensive than other places ($25 for adults) but that’s because it’s also more expansive. They call it a global brunch buffet so in addition to things like french toast, cheesy eggs, biscuits, hash, and muffins, you can also find empanadas, dumplings, and Carribean sweet potato salad. I had some creamy truffle kale that was amazing, the waffles were nice and fluffy, and the cheesy eggs were really good too. Get a little bit of everything and then make a game plan for round two!

DriftwoodThe buffet at Driftwood is a little cheaper than Buku at around $17 but it’s just as delicious. You can get waffles, bacon, biscuits, macaroni and cheese, muffins, and lots of other goodies. The food is all incredible. While still very busy, I found Driftwood to be less hectic than Buku because of the way the restaurant is set up. If you’re on the fence as far as food goes but you want someplace a little less noisy (not to be mistaken with quiet) then I’d suggest Driftwood. The interior of the restaurant is charming and a bit rustic. Great for those Instagram Sunday brunch pics. It’s also in a cute little shopping center. They have a spice shop in the center that I’ve gotten some great spices from.

Specialty Pancakes, French Toast, and Waffles

Brigs

When it comes to brunch, there HAVE to be sweet options on the menu (e.g. pancakes, french toast, or waffles) or I’m not interested. If you’re looking for some good pancakes or french toast, head to Brigs. In addition to their classic flavors, each month they feature a new pancake and/or french toast flavor. My personal favorites have been:

• Red Velvet french toast (February)
• Lemon Ricotta pancakes (May)
• Gingerbread pancakes (December)
• Eggnog french toast (December – and I’m not even an eggnog person)

But, wait! You can’t leave NC without heading to Dame’s Chicken and Waffles. It’s a must. If you go to their flagship location in downtown Durham when they’re busy (which is basically all the time), you can kill some time by walking just a couple doors down and visiting the bookshop “Letters.”But back to the food. I don’t know of any place where you can get a gingerbread waffle anytime you want. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy they also have sweet potato, blueberry, classic, and vegan waffles. The waffles come with different schmears like chocolate hazelnut, vanilla almond, and maple pecan to name a few. You can get the waffles on their own or with their chicken (do it!). I get their “Dueling Roosters” combo which is a waffle of your choice, two schmears, and four fried chicken wings served with calypso BBQ sauce. This sauce is amazing you all. Seriously.

Biscuits

Biscuits for brunch? That’s not even a question. I love biscuits. They’re amazing. So biscuits are always an option for brunch. If you’re a biscuit lover like me then there are a few places you should definitely check out:

Jubala – Their bacon and pimiento cheese biscuit is incredible.Rise – They feature classic and rotating biscuit sandwiches. I’d honestly recommend one of their classics in particular – the fried chicken biscuit with honey and a cheese of your choice. They also serve a mix of what they call “old school” (classic flavors: e.g. creme brulee) and “new school” (rotating: e.g. lavender pear) donuts so if you’re craving something sweet you can get that here too.    Relish

They too have a pimiento cheese and bacon biscuit, but they use a sweet potato biscuit. What?! They also have a ‘Mater’ biscuit sandwich which has a fried egg, fried green tomatoes, bacon, and creamed gravy which is also served on a sweet potato biscuit. Side note: Get their pimiento cheese fritters with the red pepper jelly dip and thank me later. Yes, they are expensive for the amount you get but you have to try them at least once because they’re really good. They also have amazing homemade crackers that are like a cross between a cracker and a chip. These are great on their own (trust me) but if you’re so inclined to get something to have them with you can’t go wrong with their jalapeno ranch. 

True Flavors

This is a cute little diner. They serve complimentary biscuits and many of their breakfast and brunch menus come with a biscuit. Be grateful for this. I am because the biscuits are delicious and they serve them with various seasonal marmalades and jellies.

Next up, sweets.