Tag Archives: bellini

villa-oh my gosh, yum

This organic cafe knows how to do brunch! I’ve been known to lose track of time when at bars, but this was a brunch that lasted 3-1/2 hours. Let’s be for real, though … how could anyone turn down brunch, nay, brunch with bottomless drinks for a reasonable price? Definitely not me.

While I waited a hot 2 minutes by the front door for the host to acknowledge me, he was very friendly when he did and led me to a plush booth toward the back of the blue-and-white restaurant. This restaurant has been host to many-a work dinners and various other meals and events, and I seem to have a completely experience each time.

On a Monday they offer a free 2-course meal (full servings, no kidding) and it will only cost you the tip. Though you can get caught with this by ordering drinks and dessert, it’s still a fantastic deal. Get one sfuzzi and your night is made – it’ll get you festive.

Sundays are brilliant because you can mix-and-match. Having to choose one drink to be your bottomless choice is almost like choosing a husband … one flavor for an entire meal? No, thanks. Luckily Villa O is liberal with their choices and their portions.

The food at Villa O is very good and, as I mentioned, the portions are large so an entree can fill you up and leave you enough to take home for a midnight snack. The bread, though, is the crowning glory of this restaurant. I could be happy for the rest of my life with their bread basket and bottomless choices.

Drink strength: 3 (except for the sfuzzi which gets a 4.5!)
Overall: 4

Villa O
villaorestaurant.com
4514 Travis Street
(214) 780-1880

cuba libre

Truth be told, my group was set on Vickery Park for brunch. Since the wait was going to take quite a while, we took a walk down the street and ducked into Cuba Libre to check out their drink specials. DING DING DING, WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER … $5 bottomless mimosas and bellinis and $5 bloody marys AND their patio is dog friendly (my best friend’s dog, Leo, tagged along for brunch).

We gathered around the table and our waiter took our drink orders (though we could tell the idea of alcohol made him shudder from his activities the night before). There were so many tempting options on the menu for food we had trouble picking so we made some snap decisions, laid back, and sipped our drinks.

The bellini is frozen and very sweet, one was enough so it was great that they let us switch between the bellinis and mimosas with our bottomless deal. The first round of bloody marys were had to stomach. They weren’t very strong and they tasted quite terrible actually. When the manager came around to check on us, I let him know how I felt about the bloody mary and he apologized. Two minutes later we saw him run across the street and come back with a bottle of bloody mary mix – what a champ. Needless to say, round two was much better!

In the future, I’d say that you can’t go wrong with the steak and egg tacos and their delightful blood orange mimosa. That’s what I’ll be having on my next brunch trip!

Cuba Libre
www.cubalibredallas.com
2822 N Henderson Ave | Dallas, TX 75206
(214)827-2820

Taverna

The Lombardis know how to do brunch. $1 mimosas and bellinis can’t miss – but the food at Taverna makes the brunch that much better.

When I arrived, I was waiting on the rest of my 6-person party that was in from Pittsburgh. The waiter showed me to my table and entertained me until they showed … with one extra. “NO PROBLEM!” Another seat appeared without much drama. Five minutes later, another surprise guest. “NO PROBLEM!” Another seat appeared and all that was missing was a water.

As I mentioned, the food was great. The crab eggs benedict were (according to one of my dining companions), “The best I’ve ever had west of Pittsburgh!” There’s a compliment if I’ve ever heard one. I had the breakfast calzone and it was great, but make sure you split it because it’s HUGE.

The drinks, superb and quickly replenished … though I would say a big of creme de cassis would have made them a bit better. Pay attention to the small print; the drinks are only $1 if you get an entree.

Taverna was a great place for brunch – as all the Lombardi restaurants are!

Taverna
www.tavernabylombardi.com
3210 Armstrong Ave | Dallas, TX 75205-4131
(214) 520-9933
You can visit a Taverna in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin.

Specials:
Saturday and Sunday | 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. | $1 bellinis or mimosas with purchase of an entree