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| - Park Bruges has been on my brunch to-do list for some time. I was meeting a friend on Sunday morning hoping to bribe her into being my petsitter with a great meal on a beautiful day. Park Bruges did the trick.
I was expecting a wait of around 30 minutes minimum given our prime brunch time arrival (just before 1pm) but since this particular Sunday was the running of the Pittsburgh Marathon and Bryant Street was part of the route, we only waited minutes for the hostess to clean off one of the outside tables. It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and we enjoyed the weather and rooting on the final runners as we dined.
When I went inside to ask the hostess about sitting outside, I saw the daily beer bottle special was Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout. I ordered one as soon as we were seated and greeted by our friendly and personable waitress. Deciding on food was a bit more difficult. Everything sounded delicious and I had been looking over the menu online the day before but still couldn't make up my mind. After our waitress approached us for the third time, I went with my gut and ordered the Open Faced BLT and a side of Bruges Frites. My dining partner went with the prix fixe brunch option of Beef Brisket Potato Hash, Granola and yogurt, and Mimosa.
The beautifully structured creation of maple-bourbon house cured bacon, sunnyside up eggs, tomato, and arugula on ciabatta drizzled with smoked paprika aioli makes you remember why brunch exists. Those frites with roasted garlic dijon mayo didn't hurt, either. If I wasn't such a lady, I may have also devoured my friend's main course. That beef brisket potato hash is made with gouda and horseradish sauce topped with sunnyside up eggs. It should be no surprise that when our waitress asked if we wanted dessert and we didn't really answer yes or no, we opted for a delicious chocolate cake (I think she mentioned something about Bailey's when she explained the dessert options) to end a perfect meal.
I could not have imagined a more perfect day. The only reason I deducted one star is because I felt the brunch was a little pricey. Our two meals (with drinks and dessert) came to $65. I don't mind a splurge every once in awhile and on this particular day it felt worth it.
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