Shades of Pink Walk at the Zoo

On a more serious note…

We were touched and inspired by the women who organized, spoke and walked with us at the Detroit Zoo this last Saturday.  And we greatly admire the strength of all women fighting “that bitch”, breast cancer. 

To those we know personally, whether you are survivor or still struggling through this long, hard battle, we want to say thank you.

Thank you for showing the rest of us what strength is.  Thank you for being role models.  Thank you for giving hope to others.  And most of all, thank you for still being here.

We are fortunate that no one we have known, that has been touched by cancer, has left us.  But not all are quite as lucky.  For those lost, and their loved ones left behind, we are so, very truly, sorry.

This organization helps breast cancer patients by assisting in paying many bills for them during this difficult time.  Please read the following link to learn more: http://www.shadesofpinkfoundation.org/aboutus/ and DONATE if you can!!!

This walk will most definitely be added to the Girls Just Wanna Have Brunch annual agenda! 

Worldly Women Tasting Wine (NBD)

Question:  Is wine a brunch? 

Answer:  Yes… always yes.

Hey brunchers!  This week we found ourselves on a little wine tasting adventure.  Yes, yes; we know.  Where’s the brunch?  Well, we skipped breakfast and lunch as punishment for our betrayal… so there.  What else do you want from us!?  When 18 bottles of wine come a knockin’ you don’t say no, you go. 

CJ Mahoney’s in Rochester Hills hosted this event.  Man, the last time we were there we were wearing t-shirts as dresses (don’t judge us… we had the bodies for it back then).  You could say it’s been a while.  The atmosphere was laid back and décor and patronage was pretty typical of any sports bar.  However, it was well lit and comfortable.  The 2 levels of the bar made it feel separated, which was nice in this case because we were absolutely uninterested in watching any sporting event known to man. 

We were, and this is unusual, almost the first winos to arrive.  We collected our wristbands, tasting tickets and gift bag (with a bottle of free wine!) as the area designated for the tasting event quickly filled up with fancy people ready to get their fermented grape on! 

We were ready to take our mouths on a trip around the world! 

First stop, A 2013 Good Harbor Pinot Grigio (Leelanau Peninsula).  Thoughts:  This wine is saltier than an ex-boyfriend who didn’t get his favorite sweater back.  We love making men cry… so we loved this wine! 

Next we went on to a 2015 Charles & Charles Rose’ (Columbia Valley).  Thought:  These girls have never really been Rose’ fans (it just isn’t bold or sexy enough for us), and this wine did not change that fact.  But, since she broke onto the scene in Orange is the New Black, we have been BIG fans of Ruby Rose (she’s bold and sexy enough for us).  We found ourselves thinking about how this wine should really change its name, because it can’t hold a candle to her.  Pathetic. 

Out of the other 16 samples we had had, there were a few more noteworthy wines.  A Benvolio Prosecco, that Julie insisted on calling “BonJovi Bruschetta”, a Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon and also the Boneshaker Zinfandel.  All very different, with outstanding flavors, and all worth a try! 

But the winner of the tasting was a smooth little red by the name of Save Me San Francisco Wine Co. “Hella Fine” Merlot.  This wine straight up “turnt” Lynsey, who is generally quite opposed to any wine darker than a blush.  And it was so delicious we had to go back for a second glass!  Those boys from the band Train sure know how pick a damn good grape.

Andrea, the host, was fabulous!  She did an amazing job and was very attentive and appreciative of all who joined in the fun.  And the waitresses working our table were friendly and fun.  From what we could tell, CJ Mahoney’s has a great staff!

There was one disappointment however, they ran out of wine!  And nearing the end the event the choices were very limited. 

Overall, we had a lot of fun and plan on attending the next one!  And we urge all of our readers to do the same.  We just wanna hang out with you. 

C’mon… get out and taste the world.

By Julie Gage and Lynsey Sullivan

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No Brunch? Why Don't You Wine About It...

Have you ever desired to put on a fancy dress and unreasonably large hat, just to fly around the world with your bestie and drink wine? 

Us too!!

Unfortunately, for many boring reasons we are sure you don't want to hear about, we cannot do that this weekend.  But we can do the next best thing.

CJ Mahoney’s in Rochester Hills is hosting its 3^rd annual “Tastes of Wine from Around the World” this Sunday, April 24^th from 2-5pm.  Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door.

Red or white?  Who cares!  The wine will be flowing and we want it all. 

Sadly, there will be no brunch for us this Sunday... but we will be dressed to impress (or will think we look great after sampling all of that wine) and classing it up at CJ Mahoney's. 

Join us! 

And look for our blog post next week to find out which country's wine we think is the best... and who’s needs to be sent back to the vineyard.

Until we speak again, please follow the instructions below:

By Julie Gage and Lynsey Sullivan

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Questions?  Comments?  Recommendations?

Please email us!  betterbrunchincorporated@gmail.com

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A Very Merry Unbirthday to Us... Cheers!

We’re all mad here…mad about the food that is. 

Warning!  Do not visit this establishment unless you are willing to return time and time again. 

It has now been exactly 9 days and 10 hours since we were at Mad Hatter in Birmingham and we cannot stop salivating over the food.  This is a problem people!  We had been pleased with our earlier brunch spots, but this one takes the crumpet (and all of the tea). 

When we first entertained the thought of brunching here we had some reservations, the largest of which was going to Downtown Birmingham (or as some like to call it Benjamin-Ham because it’s all about the benjamins).  We didn’t want to raid our closets for prom dresses to wear; we like to dine casually.  But Julie got over that real quick and just decided we should go for it… judgers be damned!  And Lynsey showed up in a dress (traitor).  Off we went – two girls looking to get lost in Wonderland. 

Inside we had the eerie feeling that we had just taken the wrong pill and slipped down the rabbit hole – and we had never felt so at home.  The theme of the Mad Hatter is obvious and very well executed.  Talk about décor; they really went above and beyond.  These owners took Alice in Wonderland and made her their bitch, but still kept it classy. 

The outside is inviting and intriguing.  If we would have been just passing by we would have to stop in and see what it’s all about.  

But try not to drop in unless it looks dead through the window.  The seating is ample for a smaller space, but it is, apparently, a very popular place.  Upon checking in with the hostess we found that if you do not have a reservation for brunch (and we did not, of course) it is a 2 hour wait.  Nooooooo!  Thank heavens some folks at the bar looked like they were leaving soon.  We took it upon ourselves to stand behind them and eyeball the entire group until they felt uncomfortable and left.  #peopleskills

The fare was to die for - off with our heads!

If you will recall, Julie is all about chicken and waffles and has an endless thirst that cannot be quenched.  Here at the MADHAT they not only delivered the goods, they blew our damn minds!

This was no ordinary chicken&waffle plate ($9.5).  It was on the “Small Plates” menu, which is just fancy talk for appetizers, and was presented in a fashion we had never seen; mini waffles topped with boneless wings, which were covered in an amazing spicy sauce that had us feeling the *Bern* (we love you Bernie).  And it had a side of classic maple syrup.  The combo was incredible and we felt refined eating a classically “unrefined” meal.       

Seriously, it was exceptionally delicious and a MUST HAVE if you are dining here.

Our next item was from the SP menu as well, the Risotto Bites ($10).  These were Lynsey’s favorite, by a hare (get it).  This interesting item was simple and yummy; a ball of risotto with a glob of ooey gooey mozzarella in the middle, lightly breaded and deep fried.  And the side of marinara was clearly house made.  All in all they were pretty much perfection, and we know perfection.

The Benny Goodman ($13) was the only item we sampled from the regular Brunch menu.  Although it wasn’t the highest point of our afternoon delight it was nothing to scoff at.  The competition was just too strong... poor little Benny.  He never had a chance. (sigh)

This dish was similar to eggs benedict, which we are both big fans of, but strait from the water’s edge.  With the substitution of toast and addition of fish, the Benny Goodman had Lynsey as happy as a clam, but Julie was on the fence.  The bite of salt from the Lox and capers made this set up a bit different and Julie found it a bit too salty; almost as salty as Trump when it comes to people talking about his failed business ventures.  But the eggs were cooked perfectly.  The chefs at MADHAT know their stuff. 

Many of the meals offered come with Home Fries, but if you happen to choose one that doesn’t… GET A SIDE ORDER!  We aren’t really positive what they were seasoned with (and can only assume it was laced with heroine), but yum.

And now we are getting hungry again… great.

The alcoholic beverage selection was average for brunch, but the prices were a bit high.  We chose to venture from our regular drink, you know what it is, and went for the Bloody Mary this time around.  Boy, are we glad we did because she was high quality.  But the glasses were small therefore the alcohol serving was smaller and at $10 a pop we weren’t having it.  Again, we went bottomless ($34 for the table).

Our one regret was that we did not have time, or reservations, to go downstairs to the tea room.  It looked like such fun!  We watched many ladies descend the clock-cluttered stairwell in fancy dresses and sunhats as we sat in the shadow of the dim bar lights… wishing we were them, because we are creepy like that.     

The food was great, the drinks were wonderful, the staff was awesome and we both had smiles on our faces as we walked out the door.  The Mad Hatter is quite maddening; all the best places are - 4.8 out of 5!!!

Check out the menu and more at the website below:

http://www.madhatterbistro.com/

You better brunch, biatch.
By Julie Gage and Lynsey Sullivan

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Books and Crepes and Books and Crepes

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?

Well, we weren't ready (or willing) to answer that question.

So we made a quick stop at Wintergarden Tavern in Livonia (which ended up lasting about an hour and a half) on our way.  And we were joined by some friends.  Yay!  Why here you ask?  We go way back with the Garden.  We're like high school buddies with this place.  It's Lynsey's local "dive bar" and they recently added some brunch specials to the menu on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  Although we did not eat, because our hearts had been promised to crepes, our companions did and we were assured that the breakfast pizza is a must have. 
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.    

We knew that it was a bistro and bookstore but didn't expect it to be like a quaint Barnes & Noble.  Really, it was pretty cute and cool, and became even more so when we walked in the door.  Oooooohh snap. 



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?

WE LOVE CREPES.  Both of us, equally.  So, of course, we each had to order a crepe meal.  We had no option.  That is just how it had to be.  We did attempt to mix it up; Julie ordered off of the sweet menu (the Monte Cristo - $8) and Lynsey off of the savory (the Mona Lisa - $8.50). 





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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My Anaconda Don't

Attention:  We would like to send a shout-out to Sir Mix-A-Lot who is not only an inspiration in the following blog post, but also in our daily lives.




We don't want none unless you got buns hun.  And The Bosco Café and Dessert Lounge in Ferndale has got the buns.

  And though the interior be but small, the food is mighty good.

With more of a standard Ferndale bar setup, Bosco is not really built for brunch.  We, the brunchers, like to sit and stay a while.  This is our time to catch up on the hot gossip.  When else are we going to talk about Sarah's weird haircut or Mandy's vague Facebook post?  Sarah and Mandy are train wrecks!  We need to talk about them.  And we have to admit that from the time we were settled we felt a little rushed.  That feeling is most likely due to the lack of seating, and we understand, but it would have been nice to feel more welcome.


The decoration was a bit on the bland side.  Not much to look at but the artsy birch tree wall in the back.  There is a patio at the rear entrance but it sadly wasn't open (boooooo).






Our most beloved item was on the menu again; bottomless mimosas ($16)... with a twist!  They offered flavor syrups to add to your glass and of course we had to try that (we chose blackberry and red passion fruit).  What a great idea!  Make sure to stir though.  That syrup sank to the bottom of the glass faster than a club rat droppin it like it's hot.  One suggestion however (because we are full of them) is if you are going to leave a mimosa pitcher on the table please leave it in a bucket of ice.  By the time we finished it off our drinks were about room temp.  No bueno.     



Bosco's refreshment menu almost swayed us away from our standing favorite.  They provide an appealing selection of drinks that sounded magnificent.  We'd like to return and have a few (dozen) more.

Hey Bosco, no appetizer menu for Brunch?  What up with that!?  These ladies love apps.  But hey, we'll keep our money if you don't want it. 





Most of the menu was breakfast focused so, because we weren't interested in salads or burgers, we both ordered morning meals.  We started with the Breakfast Sammy ($10) which was delightfully messy.  Yolk everywhere.  But the bun this Sammy was served on was perfectly soft and a great vessel to soak it all up.  They had an option of turkey sausage as the meat and we elected to add that, to keep it healthy.  Because you know how we do.  Then we covered that biatch in country style sausage gravy!  It was thick, creamy, fatty deliciousness.  Oops, sorry diet.  Served with a side of beautifully crispy redskin potatoes, this plate as a whole really hit the spot.
 


Oh my God, Julie.  Look at that bread...


Our next item up was the Stuffed French Toast ($11) and when they described this brioche as "thick sliced" they weren't kidding.  It was real thick and juicy (and super tasty).  The sweet, salty cream stuffed between was simply delicious.  And we had a surprise addition of banana slices, inside and out.  What a great idea!  They should add that to the menu permanently.  We love us some big bananas. 





Though we felt as if the meal was quick our waitress was friendly and good at her job.  The food just came too quickly, which we believe is a bad thing when  you are servicing our crowd.  But ultimately the cuisine was well worth the visit.
 
Bosco doesn't seem to be able to accommodate more than 50 people at a time, and that is including the bar seating.  But the tables are all larger, so if you are brunching with a bigger group you would feel comfortably seated here.  Just hope there is room when you arrive.

They boast "the best Happy Hour in Ferndale" with half off starters and $2 off glasses of wine and select Michigan beers.  HH here is each Tuesday from 5:00 pm to 12:00 am (which is a great length of time) and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

And here is something fun; Tuesdays are board game nights.  The Bosco provides games to play and outside games are welcome.

Vegetarians and Vegans can choose from the A La Carte menu or substitute meat patties with a black bean and lentil patty on select items. 

Lynsey scored the brunch experience at Bosco Ferndale an overall 3.25 out of 5, and this is largely thanks to the scrumptious meal.  Julie's score was was a solid 3 (just to be clear it would have been a 4.5 if the drinks would have been stronger).  

Keep on brunchin.

By Julie Gage and Lynsey Sullivan

Please “LIKE” us on Facebook!   www.facebook.com/girlsjustwannahavebrunch

Questions?  Comments?  Recommendations?

Please email us!  betterbrunchincorporated@gmail.com

And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram!