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Cool Stuff About Business and Entertainment in the Greater Harrisburg, PA Area. |
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Cool Stuff About Business and Entertainment in the Greater Harrisburg, PA Area. |
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| Ah, the Sunday Brunch. The selections, the never-ending display of
beautifully presented food replenished incessantly. The relaxation . . . on a day meant
for leisure. When was the last time you brunched? Although we tend to think of brunch as a very American thing, the London Weekly Magazine, Punch, said in 1896 “to be fashionable nowadays, we must ‘brunch’.” Fifty years later, the brunch gained world recognition as an elegant way to spend a Sunday. In the convivial ‘70’s, brunches were still popular, but with the late night crowd who wasn’t quite ready to give up on the weekend. Brunches in the Harrisburg area today have evolved and diversified as much as they have stayed true to their origins, which is what we intend to show you. So, grab a mimosa, sit back and allow MODE to take you into the art of brunching - Harrisburg-style - with our picks for Great Sunday Brunches. A good start would be in midtown with Raspberries Bistro at the Harrisburg Hilton & Towers. For $17.95, children under four are free, purists can be made happy with full breakfast selections, roasted meats and peel-’n-eat shrimp, while the gourmand among you can enjoy pate and exquisite seafood appetizers before or along side the smoked meats and fish and a variety of pasta. As the items change from week to week, an omelet station remains a staple with the cook whipping up omelets with fillings of your choice. As with all brunch buffets covered here, there is a large variety of breads, soups, salads, and desserts. Brunching in the atmosphere of The Circular Dining Room at the Hotel Hershey ($25 per person) will make you feel like you stepped back into the bygone era of the ‘40’s, with luxurious, stained glass enhanced windows which overlook gorgeous gardens and reflecting pools. The food will bring you back to the ‘90’s when you partake in such a commodious haven of treats where you might have grilled duck and crab risotto or portabella corn cakes or carrot pasta with smoked chicken. Items change weekly. For the more timid, there are made-to-order omelets and the weekly-featured carving station. Room must be kept for an array of chocolate-lovers desserts. Luckily, in the nicer weather, you can walk off those calories by strolling through the Formal Gardens or the adjacent Rose Gardens. Try the brunch at the secluded yet elegant restaurant at Felicita ($14.95), where squash stuffed with Boursin can share your plate with pork tenderloin in rosemary cream sauce; and where linguini with scallops, shrimp and littleneck clams can swim beside blackened catfish with citrus butter. Items at the Felicita buffet change weekly, again as at many of the local brunch spots. In a similar flair as the Hotel Hershey, a must for afterwards is a walk on self-guided tour of the magnificent Italian & Alpine Gardens for a small fee. Would you like a little music with your brunch? Kosta’s Italian & Continental Cuisine has a Jazz Brunch for $15.95, or $22.50 with unlimited champagne. Eggs, omelets and home made pasta made-to-order, are featured here as well as delights such as pork tenderloin, prime rib, smoked scallops, shrimp, and cheese blintzes with raspberry sauce. Again, the items change weekly. As nightly dining with jazz is taking off in the big cities, brunching with jazz has come from New Orleans to Kosta’s. At Ashley’s in the Harrisburg Marriott, breakfast made-to-order starts the day at a cost of $13.95. This well-known restaurant offers a tasteful and soothing ambiance complete with classical music in the background. The food choices begin with the brunch staples of bacon, sausage, seasoned potatoes, French toast, eggs benedict, oatmeal, fresh fruit, cereals and is topped off with an omelet station serving light, fluffy and entirely delicious omelets. The lunch fare changes weekly, but there is always a carved meat, a chicken dish, a beef dish and two complementary side dishes, as well as a soup du jour. If that isn’t enough for you, the dessert table is laden with such culinary delights as carrot cake, cheesecake, chocolate mousse, pumpkin custard with chocolate chips, a sundae bar and absolutely scrumptious cookies, all served in a neat and attractive style. The Garden Grill at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg - Hershey has a prime rib carving station, made-to-order crepes, and boasts a sundae station ($13.95). The Second Street Cafe in the Ramada Inn on Market Square features a carving and breakfast station, two weekly-changing hot entrees, and prides itself with its shrimp and crab salad at its salad station ($12.95 adults, $9.95 seniors). Show me a brunch without an omelet station and I’ll show you restaurants that serve off-the-menu brunches. Get past the storefront facade and enjoy the minimalist decor of the Empire Global Cuisine as the brunch menu is compelling with tantalizing starters ($6-$8) of Winter Squash Soup with Sage Gnocchi and Moroccan-spiced shrimp “cigars” with apricot-Jalapeno Flan. Entrees ($8-$10) feature Corn Crusted Eggplant with Chevre and Arugula, Grilled Salmon Hash with Poached Eggs and Horseradish Creme Fraiche, and Spinach and Salmon Lasagna with Wild Mushrooms and Roasted Tomatoes. At the Empire, the brunch menu rivals the dinner menu and both change with the seasons. Bring your own champagne however, as the Empire does not have a liquor license. You can get traditional Eggs Benedict or entrees such as Orange Roughy or Rack of Lamb at Rachel’s Cafe, where they serve from their special Champagne and Roses Brunch Menu ($12.95 - $18.95). Listening to live piano music in the background, easing into the day is easy at Rachel’s with a complementary glass of champagne and rose for the ladies. A four-course gourmet brunch ($22.95) with your choice of a fish, meat or chicken entree is elegantly served to you at the Accomac Inn, with a complementary glass of champagne. Yearning for something different? For a mere $6.99, the Sunday buffet at Passage to India offers rice pancakes, chicken, tandoori, rice and vegetarian dishes which are transformed at this Indian Mecca weekly. If you are looking for breakfast-only some upcoming Sunday, breakfast buffets abound in the Harrisburg area. The Garden Cafe at the Wyndham Garden Hotel has omelets, waffles and eggs made-to-order for $7.95, and a Continental breakfast for $5.95. At Norma Jean’s Diner in the Holiday Inn Harrisburg-West, their made-to-order omelets are accompanied by their claim of the “best bacon around” ($6.95 adults, $3.50 children, four & under free). Bridges Cafe & Grille at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel & Convention Center, at $5.95, offers a full breakfast buffet and a $3.50 Continental breakfast. Now that your interest in brunching has been piqued and your choices are from the basic to elite, don’t be too indecisive about where you go because, you know, there is a Sunday in every week. A Matter of Taste Thought for the Month - |
GREAT SUNDAY BRUNCHES WHERE TO GO Accomac Inn Ashley’s Bridges Cafe & Grille The Circular Dining Room Empire Global Cuisine Felicita (After January 11) The Garden Café The Garden Grill Kosta’s Italian & Continental Cuisine Norma Jean’s Diner Passage to India Raspberries Bistro Second Street Cafe |
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