Doughnuts, chicken and waffles, French toast, mimosas, biscuits and gravy, bloody marys — if you made it to Saturday's sold-out brunch festival the Morning After, you, too, likely ate your bodyweight in breakfast foods from some of the city's best brunch institutions. Fest-goers got to vote for their favorite brunch dish of the day, and this year, Cook Hall took the prize with their juicy, indulgent shrimp and grits.
But that wasn't the only stellar dish at this year's fest. Here are a few of our favorites.
Knife's French toast and ham
Why aren't all orders of fat, sugary, delicious French toast served with a thin, savory slice of Canadian bacon on top? We may never know, but chef John Tesar of Knife is onto something with this brioche French toast topped with cured Canadian bacon, berries and Vermont maple syrup.
AllGood Cafe's sausage biscuit and gravy
A buttery fresh biscuit, a hockey puck of savory breakfast sausage and a ladle of sausage gravy have never let us down before, and that definitely was the case when we tried AllGood Cafe's riff on this brunch classic. The best part: AllGood put out bottles of honey to drizzle on top.
Asian Mint's bacon fried rice
How have we never had bacon fried rice before? Asian Mint's a.m. spin on fried rice was simple but proved to be one of our favorite dishes this year, with perfectly cooked rice and gorgeous bits of crispy bacon mixed in.
Cook Hall's shrimp and grits
There may be no brunch dish that hits the spot quite like shrimp and grits, and Cook Hall's were perfect — and attendees seemed to think so, since the dish won people's choice. Juicy shrimp, savory sausage and flavorful grits made this a memorable bite.
Eiland Coffee Roaster's coffee
You can't have a breakfast or brunch event without coffee, and Eiland Coffee Roaster delivered with a perfect cuppa and chilled almond milk and half-and-half. This was our first taste of this Richardson roaster, and we'll definitely be back for more.