Sunday Brunch

Today Meggers, Rose and I had brunch in Somerville at Highland Kitchen. I have never been there before but it's been on my list of places to try. I was pleased when Meggers suggested it for our brunch date (dinner looks a bit pricey to me for their menu, to be honest) because I would finally be able to give it a whirl.

I immediately liked the restaurant. First, it was empty when we got there. Bonus for a hungry Sunday morning. The decor was nice and it just felt like a nice neighborhood spot.

I had heard that the pancakes were especially yummy. I didn't completely understand because ya know, they are just pancakes. I debated between the pancakes and the veggie omelet but decided to go with what was recommended so I ordered pancakes with a side of sausage (Rose got the bacon and I know how much she doesn't like to order the same things as others at the table). So actually in the end all three of us got the pancakes. However, Meggers did not order any kind of breakfast meat. No, I don't understand that kind of decision at all....

The pancakes arrived with a little bit of butter (maybe flavored in someway?) syrup and with some strawberries and blueberries. There were three pancakes total and they were not the usual huge diner sized pancakes. Each pancake was golder brown with those nice pancake "grill" marks. I appropriately buttered and syruped my pancakes and took my first bite. These were no regular pancakes! They were a bit toasty on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside and they didn't do that thing that pancakes can sometimes do when you eat them - lay in your tummy like a rock. I do not know what made these pancakes so special. We of course sat around and discussed our food trying to identify what made them so good - was it extra salt? ricotta? the size? How did they get them to be crisp, fluffy and light all at the same time?

We haven't figured out the mystery yet, but thank you Highland Kitchen for a delicious breakfast!

pairings, please

Am planning to make meggers' chicken pot pie this weekend for my dear little brother who is coming over for dinner. Is kind of an all day process, the pot pie, at least for those of us (i.e. me) who are slow cookers because we don't cook that much. Just don't have the knife skills. Anyways, what is a good side dish to chicken pot pie? It pretty much covers all the food groups on its own. A salad is really all it should take, right? Or perhaps a cheese/cracker orderve (yeah, i don't spell it right on principle) type situation??

And beverages? White wine? I'd go with beer, myself, but brother wants to bring wine. I suspect other relatives have gone to vineyards and purchased wine, so he's just going to grab some on his way out the door as a "hostess gift". Which I'm sure he's never heard of a hostess gift before, but am proud for his thinking of it nonetheless.

Whatever feedback, I always look for an excuse to make the chicken pot pie!!! Who else from Birch D has experienced the pot pie?