Scape Easter Brunch – God Golly Miss Molly

Date Dined: April 20, 2014

Rating: 5 Stars!

I’ve only been to Scape once for dinner, and I found it very tasty, but nothing to draw me back there for the prices. It was almost like they were trying too hard. Everything had a weird little twist to it. For example, I think I ordered the pork and it came with a watermelon based sauce. The tastes clashed in a weird way.

But brunch there is nothing short of amazing. Of course when rating a buffet brunch, you can’t expect everything to be amazing (for example the bacon is going to be prepared in batches), but Scape tried its damndest.

Two days before Easter and we still hadn’t made reservations for our brunch with our parents. We called Scape and they were unfortunately booked, but placed us on our waiting list. With some trepidation we were headed to central table for overpriced porridge and pancakes. Luckily, Scape decided to open up their patio and we were in.

Upon parking we were promptly greeted by the hostess and she took us out to the back courtyard. On the way we passed an omelet/traditional breakfast station, a dessert station, a raw bar, and a grill. The courtyard was beautifully decorated, brick floor, arch gables, and ivy. Our table was parked in the shade. Unfortunately, later on a band set up right next to us, but luckily, we were almost done with our meal so got out of there before it got too loud to hear.

The first station I hit up was the grill sporting ham, round steak, large chicken legs, and chorizo. The steak was far and above my favorite, ranging from medium rare to rare mostly. There was a tasty crust on the outside that tasted of garlic and caramelized onions. The chicken leg had been marinated in a greek styled herb marinade and was likewise tender and savory. The chorizo was nicely charred, but a little too spicy for my taste. The only lackluster dish was the ham. I couldn’t taste any of the maple and it was ridiculously salty.

Next, I ventured to the raw bar. We are talking impressive: crab legs that had been pre-split, oysters, cocktail shrimp, grilled asparagus, an assortment of nice salads, and beef Carpaccio! Oh… my… god, the beef Carpaccio. It was sliced thinly, raw as the day it was culled, topped with slivers of parmesan and capers, and drizzled lightly with olive oil. I could have eaten two entire plates alone. The oysters were my second favorite. They were either freshwater or thoroughly rinsed, although I do wish they had been a little sweeter. Everything tasted fresh, delicious, and the station never went empty.

The omelet station was located near the entrance and also featured bacon, eggs, and sausages. The eggs and sausages were nothing special, but the bacon was delicious if you like it crispy and thick. The omelets were really above and beyond. You could tell that they didn’t dilute the egg mixture, it was just like I made it at home. A wide assortment of fillers were available including ham, bacon, green onions, red onions, two cheeses, tomatoes, peppers, and a few others. Something I truly enjoyed about this particular station was that the chef actually listened to you. I don’t like the omelets running, and he actually listened! There was just something about the egg scrambled delight that made it above average.

Lastly and definitely not least were the desserts. Oh the desserts. Jess and I sampled approximately twelve different desserts and there were at least ten more left. I’ve pictured them above, but among my favorites were the chocolate mousse tart, a lemon meringue tart, a rich chocolate cake, and a chocolate box filled with mousse, and liquor filled cherries. And no wonder! They were all prepared by an in house pastry chef. There was also a crepe station, while not serving anything special, at least they knew what a crepe was supposed to be like, light, fluffy, and slightly sweet. I could go on for pages, but I don’t want to bore you.

Mimosas made the meal perfect. The only thing you have to watch out for is the bill. A table of six, including coffee/espresso, and a few mimosas will cost you $400 after tax and tip. Definitely a special occasion sort of deal, but Jessica and my parents meeting for the first time was just the right opportunity. If you have the cash, I’d suggest checking out their mother’s day brunch. You and mom could probably get out for about $130. Not exactly an everyday bill, but affordable.