With Brunch Fondue and a Rooftop Patio, Harlowe MXM Ups the Brunch Ante in Deep Ellum

Dallas has enough brunch places that you can try them all without repeating a spot, but one spot in Deep Ellum might tempt you to go a second time. Or a third.

Harlowe MXM sits at the northwest corner of Malcolm X Boulevard and Main Street, offering a brunch menu from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

It’s worth taking a moment to soak in the aesthetics of the dining room before you look at the menu. The exposed brick, the wood ceilings and bar, and the black and brass decor make this a space worth loitering.

The menu offers a decent selection of brunch cocktails, including a strawberry sunrise ($10). It's a mix of tequila, strawberry shrub, pineapple and citrus, and you could find yourself mistaking this for juice and downing it before you order your first shareable plate.

The “it was such a long night” cocktail ($10) offers a boozier start to your day with Irish whiskey, apricot, ginger ale, citrus and bitters. Yes, please, to adding apricot to more cocktails.

With appetizers to share, tacos and tostadas, greens, toasts and entrees, the good-sized food menu has a shot to satisfy nearly any appetite or craving.

The “this + that board” ($18) is on the pricier end of the menu, but you get jalapeño-cheddar sausage, chipotle-maple chicken sausage, house-pickled eggs, cheese, biscuits, jam and whipped butter.

For starters, try the brunch fondue ($8). But be warned — you might want it all to yourself. A meaty white cheddar with a baked egg comes out in a little cast-iron skillet along with toasted hearth bread for dipping. Mixing in the harissa yogurt that tops the fondue, breaking the soft yolk to let it ooze and scooping the cheddar onto your bread may be the best part of your weekend.

Elsewhere on the menu, a fried oyster tostada ($14), topped with a poached egg and cilantro-radish salad, sounds delightful.

If you had an adventurous night or it’s not late enough in the day for oysters, the el chapo burger ($16) is good for what ails you. A brisket-short rib grind sits in a double-double with two eggs over easy served with a guacamole tostada and black beans.

At the top of the entree section (which the restaurant calls plates, because 2018) is the charred shrimp Benedict ($12). Lacking basic seasoning, the plate comes out with a jalapeño-cheddar biscuit made somewhat soggy by a topping of pepper-lobster gravy bearnaise. The shrimp give it a sea-like flavor, which might not feel like the best thing for breakfast.

On the opposite end of the spectrum comes the sourdough waffle ($9), which sounds like a safe order, perhaps because it’s an acceptable excuse for having dessert at breakfast. The sourdough offers a savory balance to the toppings of whipped ricotta, vanilla curd and blueberries. It might be best to share after a plate of the pork belly chimichanga ($15) or vaquero hash ($16) — but no one’s judging if you eat the waffle all by yourself.

You can make a reservation on Open Table or walk in if you’re part of the later crowd. It’s Deep Ellum, so expect the usual less-than-ideal parking situation, or take a bike — you can ride right up to the door, and you can work off brunch in the process.

Harlowe MXM, 2823 Main St. (Deep Ellum)