Brunch at The Biltmore Bar & Grill in Newton

After getting up and making Susan a fresh mushroom and spinach omelet with Gruyere cheese, I headed out to Newton to have brunch with a group from Boston Brunchers. The Biltmore Bar & Grill has been located in Newton’s Upper Falls historic district since the early 1920s, and when the ten of us arrived for brunch, we were greeted with open arms and a couple of mini-cocktails.  Sunday brunch says Mimosa and Bloody Mary, and The Biltmore delivered an amped up versions of both to our table.

Both drinks were superb, the mimosa made with pomegranate and freshly squeezed orange juice (right at the bar each Saturday and Sunday) and the Bloody Mary came with a refreshing amount of heat and a whole lot of horseradish.  If you aren’t a fan of horseradish, go for the mimosa, but I love it and quickly nabbed a second cocktail that was being passed on because of the flavor.

Boston Brunchers is a group of bloggers, many who focus on food, but not all, who gather monthly at locations around Boston and the surrounding area, have brunch, whip out cameras and shoot everything that we eat and see, and then come home stuffed and write about it.   Today’s event was sponsored by The Biltmore Bar & Grill, so they picked up the tab for everyone at our table, and it was also a unique event for Boston Brunchers because it was a first time event for half of us.

Renee, who writes Eat. Live. Blog organized the event today and in an effort to introduce new people to the group each of the five “old timers” like myself were asked to find someone new to bring along.  Krista Hedderich of Monday Baker was who I invited, and she made the trip all the way up from southern Rhode Island.  She won the longest travel award. Corey, from Runners Cookie, who is training for the upcoming Boston Marathon and just ran 12 miles yesterday, also was a first timer.

The Biltmore was full of large tables packed with families when we arrived, kids running around and having a blast. There is plenty of space there for large groups, as well as an ample number of tables of two.  The bar, which is separate from the main dinning room, is dark panelled and cozy.  The whole place is full of interesting signs, some vintage and others retro-vintage, and it was great to stroll around and check them all out.

Our brunch, served up individually to each of us, was a tasty combination of items from the regular Biltmore selection, and a few things that were “off the menu”.  After our cocktails, our first course was a lobster frittata with pea tendrils.  I’m not a huge fan of lobster and eggs together, but I do love pea tendrils and it was a nice way to start.

The second course of our meal was one of my favorites of the day because it included the savory flavors of a chive scone, was smothered in a hollandaise, and topped with a perfectly poached egg.  Decadent doesn’t come close to describing this dish.  Alas, I don’t think it is on the regular menu at The Biltmore, so if you go you might have to ask for it special.

Those two courses were followed by pigs in a blanket – I ate the full portion, and fried chicken and waffles.  I’ve never had fried chicken and waffles before, but believe me this won’t be the last time. The waffle was so perfectly crunchy that it was hard to tell when you were biting into fried chicken and when it was waffle, and the addition of a house made apple cider maple syrup made it all luscious.

Our final element was a fruit parfait with house made granola, which was sweet and refreshing.  I really enjoyed the dessert and it made me think I should be eating more granola.  I had a great time and will certainly head back to the Biltmore Bar & Grill for brunch again.  I loved the atmosphere, and the food was great.  Service was very good, though I did ask to head into the kitchen for a few shots and was told that wasn’t possible (first time that has ever actually happened to me), so that was a let down, but next time I’ll just try and confirm that ahead of time.

Thanks for reading.  I encourage comments or ideas for new features.

Remember, Food is Love!

Cheers,

Justin