Confucius say: Brunch without booze is just sad, late breakfast.
Everyone, stop what you're doing. Pause Making a Murderer... and read our blog!
This week we checked in at The Next Chapter in Downtown Northville. And it had us wondering...
can books replace booze?
can books replace booze?
Well, we weren't ready (or willing) to answer that question.
The breakfast/brunch menu was so small. Seriously, they better beef that up! The drink specials are a great deal however. The Mimosa ($4) were pretty good! Each came with an addition of fresh fruit (they mixed it up and kept us guessing - first an orange with cherries, next strawberries). That gave us something to munch on and curbed our hunger. Also, the Bloody Mary bar ($4 per drink) looked pretty fantastic and had a decent selection. We are very likely to return soon and get us some of dat pizza to cure a Saturday morning hangover.
Now onto The Next Chapter of our dining story (puns... so many puns intended). This little eatery peaked our interest online; we felt that we might give it a shot but were hesitant because of the non-alcoholic menu. C'mon Next Chapter; even church has wine. However, the location and theme reeled us in. Northville is the most adorable little downtown spot full of Michigan's most beautiful people. And it made us feel more beautiful too. Or perhaps that was the mimosas.
Placing an order at NCB&B is similar to being at Starbucks. You stand in line, pick your items (from a handwritten chalkboard behind the counter) and are given a number. And that worked just fine for us. But what wasn't fine was the amount of time it took to get our drinks. We expected to have a short wait for our food but were left drinkless for far too long. Julie finally had to bring herself to stand in line, again, and request our drinks.
The latte (flavored with dark chocolate and sugar free caramel) and chai tea finally arrived seconds before our meal. Both were pretty high quality. But maybe we were just dying of thirst and would have appreciated sucking on a wet napkin at that point. Who can tell?
Both plates were great in their own way. The texture and consistency of the crepe was spot on. But unfortunately the Monte Cristo wasn't sweet at all. It was delectable however. The filling consisted of turkey, cheese and raspberry preserves (we opted to remove the ham); but the mustard sauce on the outside is where things got interesting. We didn't know what to expect. Mustard and Jelly... how will that work? Somehow it did! Just like that odd couple that barely spoke in school and now, later in life, are happily married. WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?! The tartness of the raspberry and mustard were surprisingly cohesive.
These ladies have to agree that the Mona Lisa was far better than the aforementioned. Feta and balsamic vinegar were prominent in the flavor profile of this crepe creation. And the cherry tomatoes were perfection.
It should also be mentioned that this bistro has very health-conscious dishes. They use organic flours and have many low card and vegetarian options.
Now, we usually end our blog with a score but it seems a bit unfair to rate this eatery on the same scale as the other places we have been. It doesn't necessarily advertise itself as a "brunch place". And honestly, we most likely will not be returning. It was a cool experience and if you are in the mood to have a quiet cup of coffee and get your reads on you should come here. Skip the chain places.
Ah, what the hell. Let's just do it.
We will rate the food highly with a 4 out of 5. It was exceptional. But the overall rating for this brunch experience is a 2.2 out of 5. : /
Sorry... not sorry.
By Julie Gage and Lynsey Sullivan
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