Every collegiette cherishes the weekend. Not having to set an alarm is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Rolling out of bed with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no class to rush off to feels heavenly after a week of projects, papers, and exams.
What could possibly make the weekend even better? Brunch of course! The breakfast-lunch hybrid is taking the U.S. by storm with restaurants offering deliciously hearty brunch options every Saturday and Sunday. Whether savory eggs, bacon, and hash browns are your thing or deliciously sweet pancakes and waffles are your weakness, the brunch options are endless. If you’re not in the mood for breakfast, brunch menus typically offer salads, sandwiches, burgers, and even pizzas. And let’s not forget the refreshing brunch cocktails!
In honor of the growing brunch trend, Opentable.com just released their list of the Top 100 Best Restaurants for Brunch in the U.S. and let me tell you that all 100 of the restaurants look fantastic. The 100 winners were chosen based on the combined opinions of almost 5 million reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 12,000 restaurants in all 50 States and the District of Columbia.
This year’s winners make brunch a fun experience for people of all ages. Caroline Potter, OpenTable’s Chief Dining Officer, explains, “The best brunches in the nation are being served at restaurants that have the ability to turn this meal into a celebration of the most leisurely days of the week. Offering terrific twists on the dishes diners of all ages crave, this year’s honorees have mastered the art of making brunch fun for everyone.”
In the spirit of brunch, OpenTable conducted a survey about the various breakfast-lunch trends across the nation. See how your brunch tastes align with the rest of America!
• 33% of survey respondents chose the Mimosa as their favorite brunch dining drink. The bubbly champagne cocktail beat out coffee/tea (25%), Bloody Marys (21%), Bellini’s (11%) and orange juice (10%).
• 43% of survey respondents selected bacon as their preferred side dish. Home fries came in a close second with 37%, pancakes came in third with 11% and yogurt/granola came in last with 9%.
• When it comes to brunching times, 25% of diners prefer dining at 11am. Noon was second at 22% with 1pm and 10am following at 18% and 9% respectively.
• 40% of survey respondents rely on a bacon, egg, and cheese to cure their hangover. A breakfast burrito is the next best cure with 23% and pancakes follow close behind at 18%.
• In terms of international brunching, Paris beat out New York, Buenos Aires, and Istanbul as the city where people would brunch if they could with 40% of the vote.
What is your favorite brunch dish? Do you typically go for savory or sweet, breakfast or lunch? And if you have never had brunch before, what are you waiting for? Try one of the restaurant honorees on OpenTable’s Best Brunch list and let us know what you think!
Sources:
http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?ref=7810&pid=453
http://www.healthjag.com/2010/weekend-brunch-recipe-healthy-blue-berry-p… http://madiolsoir.blogspot.com/2010/04/entertain-exchange-non-alcoholic-… http://www.rupperts.com/sundaybrunch.html