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| - First of all, this is one of the loveliest settings for a Sunday brunch you could ever hope for. Some of the tables on the patio in the early morning are shaded by well manicured acacia (?) bushes, birds twittering, the desert surroundings beautiful. What better place to sit and dine than in the Botanical Gardens.
We made reservations on Open Table, timing it for just as they opened. Seating was not a problem. The weather was finally mild not scorching.
Starting with drinks, Mr. B ordered the red Sangria. It came with foam on top, orange and apple slices floating in a wine concoction hinting of peach liquor. Good.
My coffee was not so great. I wished I had gone with iced tea like I saw at other tables. At least they kept my cup filled.
We started by sharing a beet and hazelnut salad. $12. This was the one dish I would return for. A large plateful of delicious mixed greens that was artfully decorated with three colors of beets, and copious amounts of toasted hazelnuts. Lightly dressed with a sweet dressing, it was a very nice start. My only complaint was an occasional overly salted leaf, a surprise to my tastebuds. It would have been fine with no salt whatsoever.
We chose two entrees at $12 each. The hostess had highly recommended the Hot Mess, which actually is a stack of three crispy corn tortillas, layered with a pork chile verde sauce, topped with some cotija cheese and two sunny side up eggs. While beautiful to look at, the verde sauce tasted bitter and ruined it for me. I ate the eggs (which were beautifully done) and half the tortilla stack, scraped off the meat (too spicy) and sauce, then gave up. Mr. B liked it better than me and finished most of it...because he didn't like his own dish.
The second entrée was the Arizona Benedict. This features a chorizo on English muffin, some cooked greens, cheese, and poached eggs covered in a southwestern seasoned hollandaise sauce. The two eggs were overcooked to the point of being hard boiled. The chorizo was bitter and the portion diminutive, and the greens, while tasty, could not save the dish. It was not something either of us would order again.
The fingerling potatoes that came with his benedict were prepared by frying then smashing and salting. While attractive to look at, they were lacking any flavor to write home about.
The menu is quite limited and changes with the seasons. They like to feature local foods and produce. After having read about the brussel sprout dish, and also the swine, we were both disappointed that neither were on this current summer menu. I strongly suggest you call to find out what is on their seasonal menu first, then decide to come, or not. After all is said, I think that having an American bacon and eggs meal would have suited me better.
Not impressed.
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