The Drinks Are Good, But the Brunch is Basic — Scout’s Honor

With its shareable dishes and games like ping-pong and bowling, Scout is a great place to grab a cocktail and dinner, and it just expanded its menu to include brunch. But for now, it remains a great place to grab a cocktail and dinner.

Scout is a group-friendly cocktail bar and restaurant in the renovated Statler in downtown Dallas. While it’s worth making it a spot to meet up with someone for an after-work drink, it doesn’t go beyond ordinary when it comes to breakfast foods – unlike its neighbor Overeasy, a fantastic breakfast spot just across the hotel lobby.

The brunch menu is basic with five entrees: waffles ($9), chicken and waffles ($12), eggs benedict ($12), a brunch burger ($15) and a biscuit sandwich ($12).

The chicken and waffles are good enough: A light, fried batter covers tender chicken strips. The waffle has the right amount of sweetness, too. It comes with gravy and Valentina hot sauce. There’s a lot going on when combining all of these flavors, but it works. Who knew Valentina could possibly work with syrup?

The biscuit sandwich does include a fantastic biscuit – up until recently, Graham Dodds helmed the kitchen here, and he’s known as a biscuit perfectionist. Even still, the egg and sausage lacked seasoning, but the gravy was a nice addition.

The brunch burger is made with 44 Farms beef, white cheddar, over-easy eggs and bacon, and served with fries. Sides (all $5) include house-made sausage, bacon, fruit and “hashbombs.”

There’s nothing wrong with Scout’s brunch, it’s just not all that interesting – yet. It’s fine if you’re a hotel guest in need of a quick breakfast, but otherwise, it’s not yet worth dealing with harrowing downtown parking.

Scout, 1914 Commerce St. (Downtown). Brunch served 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.