The Best Bites From the Morning After, Dallas' Annual Brunch Fest

On Saturday morning, nearly 2,500 people converged on Dallas Farmers Market for the third annual brunch fest the Morning After, bringing dozens of Dallas restaurants together to celebrate all things brunch. It was a cold, blustery day — Did we spot a little snow flurry, or had we just had one too many bloodys from the bloody mary bar? — but that didn't stop thousands of Dallasites from grubbing down on brunch dishes ranging from breakfast tacos to chicken and waffles. There was a ton of food, far more than any one person could eat in a single brunch outing, but that didn't stop us from trying.

This year's people's choice winner, Taqueria Taxco, went above and beyond by serving not just one dish, but several: chilaquiles, migas, huevos rancheros, huevos a la Mexicana and trompo and barbacoa tacos. Now that's commitment.

Despite the glut of food, a few dishes in particular stood out. We came back for seconds at AllGood Cafe's table, where owner Mike Snider was serving up beautifully fluffy, fresh-baked biscuits topped with local honey and Yims Foods' jalapeno gravy. Considering the event was hosted at the Farmers Market, serving biscuits with preserves from a Dallas company just felt right.

Meso Maya cooked up phenomenal chorizo migas, and right next to their booth, Arepa TX cooked up one of the best bites of the year: capachas, a lightly sweet corn patty stuffed with perfectly stretchy, melty cheese and topped with a dribble of syrup and a touch of crema. Doc B's Fresh Kitchen went above and beyond with acai bowls, chicken and waffles and oh-so-perfect candied bacon. Cook Hall at the W Hotel poached eggs on-site — no small feat with such big crowds — for Naughty and Nice bowls made with quinoa, smoked bacon, squash, tomatoes, kale and hollandaise.

But by far our favorite dish of the year came from the VIP section, where Mot Hai Ba chef Peja Krstic served gorgeous plates of ginger pork over lime-scented jasmine rice. Had we not already eaten our body weight in brunch foods, we would have been back for seconds.

All in all, this year's Morning After event was a hit, and the bloody mary and mimosa bars certainly helped cut through the chill. If you missed this Dallas Observer event, we've got more in the works — our annual slider festival Between the Buns takes over Dallas Farmers Market on Saturday, March 23, so grab tickets soon.