A DOZEN MUST-TRY BRUNCHES P. 12

VOL. 6 NO. 3 • MARCH 2020 • BRUNCH FREE COPY

the Brunch issue

BEYOND THE MIMOSA, P. 34

3 / 22 11am

Hop on the

bus

p. 38

Easy Like Sunday Morning Four ways to feed a ‘Ben’ addiction

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MIKA LEE & CAIT LEE

Campos’ Sourdough Benedict

Wake up, little sleepyhead. It’s Sunday, and a luscious mid-morning meal awaits. Nothing helps get the day started better than a pair of eggs cooked just so, smothered in tart creamy sauce that also happens to drench your toast.

Umm, that sounds like eggs Benedict, does it not? And if they’re on order, you pretty much have to go out because homemade hollandaise is not exactly “easy like Sunday morning.” Either the sauce is ready, and the eggs aren’t, or the eggs are overcooking while you’re finishing the sauce. Making your own eggs Benedict is laudable, but it denies you the chance to experience the lavish iterations of eggs and hollandaise that abound in Salt Lake’s ever-expanding brunch scene. So, get out there and broaden your horizons, knowing that Pope Benedict XIII (who led the Catholic Church from 1724 to 1730), would probably roll over in his grave knowing his simple meal has become the decadent hangover cure that it is today.

Yes, we’ve heard tell of those Johnnycome-lately claims of Gilded Age New Yorkers by the last name of Benedict who are credited with requesting the dish at famous brunch spots like Delmonico’s and the Waldorf Astoria in the late 1800s. But Pietro Orsini is most likely the namesake. Elected pope at 76 years old, he reportedly lived on a diet of poached eggs and dry toast to cope with digestive issues. The cooks livened up the dish with a lemon sauce and voila! eggs Benedict were born.

In 1862, Delmonico’s chef de cuisine, Charles Ranhofer, is said to have fortified the pope’s dish by adding ham and substituting an English muffin for toast, creating the brunch staple we know today. Eggs Benedict have come a long way since, and local creative geniuses continue to showcase their culinary skills in the dishes that follow.

Sweet Lake’s Cubano Meat Biscuit Benedict

EGGS BENEDICT ON SOURDOUGH BREAD At Campos, the eggs Benedict and coffee are as aesthetically pleasing and delicious as the surroundings. Chef Amanda Huse uses local and made-fromscratch items as much as possible to create this delectable spin on their eggs Benedict. Standing in for the English muffin is a slice of sourdough bread baked from scratch in-house, topped with a choice of prosciutto or local trout (that can vary depending on the season). Micro greens top the freshly made hollandaise sauce. Brunch is never complete without a good cup of joe, and it’s saying something that the Salt Lake City Campos location roasts coffee beans for all of North America.

In need of vitamin D? As spring arrives, the patio seating is a wonderful space to enjoy the sunshine, a Benedict, cuppa Joe and/or maybe even a blood orange mimosa. The Park City location is more of a grab ’n’ go style, where you may order from a more limited menu of brunch foods (some served as an Australian “jaffle,” or toasted-sandwich). “We want people to come to Campos and say that they want to come here for our Benedict,” Huse says. That’s just what the soul needs when it’s Sunday morning coming down. Campos Roastery & Kitchen, 228 Edison St., SLC, 801-953-1512; Campos Coffee, 1385 Lowell Ave., Ste. AC-106, Park City, 435-731-8377; US.CamposCoffee.com Breakfast served Monday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

CUBANO MEAT BISCUIT BENEDICT Hasen “Hoss” Cone and Teri Rosquist started Sweet Lake Biscuits & Limeade in 2016 after having spent more than a decade cultivating a limeade following at the Downtown Farmers Market. In November 2019, they launched a new spacious Draper location, serving the same delicious breakfast food, including the unique Cubano meat biscuit Benedict. “You can only come to Sweet Lake to get this food,” Cone says. They top their freshly baked biscuits with slow-roasted chuck that’s marinated in housemade habanero sauce. The ham, tomato and poached cage-free egg are added and garnished with the house hollandaise sauce and green onions. Add on a side of red quinoa potato hash browns, and Sundays will never be the same. Sweet Lake Biscuits & Limeade 54 W. 1700 South, SLC, 801-953-1978; 519 E. 12300 South, Draper, 801-998-8155 SweetLakeFresh.com Breakfast served Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.; SaturdaySunday, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.

Avenues Proper Beer Benedict

Bourbon House Meat ball Benedict

PROPER BEER BENEDICT Avenues Proper’s made-from scratch eggs Benny is all about originality and execution. “Everything on a plate should have a purpose,” says Jeff Springer, longtime executive chef for Proper Brewing. “We focus on what’s going to make your mouth happy.” Springer and his team of chefs create rotating menus to showcase their culinary inspirations. Avenues Proper chef de cuisine Landon Eastabrook’s Proper Beer Benedict is lately gaining traction with an English muffin elevated with a secret ingredient: You guessed it—Proper beer. Atop the muffin, you’ll find sliced avocado under a gooey poached egg dressed with a smoked, sundried tomato hollandaise and garnished with house-pickled jalapenos. Eastabrook recommends adding their Traeger-smoked brisket for a heartier brunch. Pairing it with Proper English Golden Ale will make it another pleasant valley Sunday. Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publick House, 376 E. Eighth Ave., SLC, 385-227-8628, AvenuesProper.com Brunch served Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

MEATBALL EGGS BENEDICT Some may consider Bourbon House a quintessential college bar—known for serving up classic cocktails and signature shots late into the night. But not everyone is aware of its weekend boozy brunch menu. Native Utahn and executive chef Matt Crandall credits Bourbon House with helping to innovate bar cuisine in Salt Lake City, not only by improving the bar scene, but by establishing “a place where people can regularly come, rather than for a special occasion,” Crandall says.

Brunchers can anticipate a solid list of mouthwatering items, with unique interpretations of traditional dishes. The meatball Benedict is a blend of juicy veal, pork and beef, slow cooked in a fresh herb and tomato niçoise, then topped with delicately poached eggs and choron bearnaise sauce. Prices are reasonable and sure to attract a regular crowd as nothing on the brunch menu is over $10. With offerings like Guinness stout whiskey syrup pancakes and a roasted vegetable Benedict, it won’t be long until your brunch bunch is livin’ for the weekend. ❖ Bourbon House, 19 E. 200 South, SLC, 801- 746-1005, BourbonHouseSLC.com Brunch served Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.