6/24/13

Benjy's - Washington Corridor - American

Menu Selections:  Mini Muffins, Lump Crab Toast (no longer available, similar to the Crab Cake),  Benjy's Famous Crunchy French Toast, Braised Brisket Stack, Crunchy Chicken and Waffles (no longer available, similar to the Crunchy Chicken), Blood Orange Mimosas, White Peach Mimosas
Salud!!



 Benjy's is definitely in my "Top 3" category as far as brunches go in Houston, but you have to know what to order before hand and be in tune with your personal preference for savory vs. sweet. 

For a rather large group of girls (6 ish), we were sat in a timely manner, especially for not having reservations at peak brunch time on a Saturday.  The large booth in the back of the room allowed for a panoramic view and for some good people watching.  There was an eclectic blend of the "after church" crowd, hipsters, girl's gatherings, and what appeared to be the Montrose crowd.  Everyone overall, however, seemed to share the same sentiment of enjoying good food and good company

We were famished so ordered some of their famous mini muffins...or if they're not famous, they should be.  These were like crack on a plate served with a side of crack sauce (butter).  You have your choice or either lemon poppy or chocolate, light vs. rich options in order to appease different tastes. 

Lump Crab Toast

The former lump crab toast had a thick slice of Texas Toast, topped with a poached egg, hollandaise sauce, spinach, diced asparagus, and lump crab meat.  I can understand why this dish is no longer on the menu...all the ingredients are some of my favorite things but just didn't meld well.  The bitterness of the spinach and asparagus along with the richness of the hollandaise and runny egg goo simply overpowered the delicate lump crab.  The focus should have been kept on the crab...and I can see they've since altered this dish to do just that.  Now, a crap cake is in lieu of the Texas toast, and the bitter asparagus is omitted.  Genius. 

The crunchy French toast dish has the thickest slices of Texas Toast I have ever seen.  Ever.  The crunchy coating made for a delightful spin on the traditional dish, and it was kept light...almost a dusting.

For those with a hinkering for heavier dishes...go big with the braised brisket stack. The meat was tender and smoky, smothered with guacamole and cojita cheese, sour cream and the ever-so-original fried egg.  Delicious but pretty heavy for a brunch in my personal opinion.

Their signature chicken dish is an extremely thick cut of chicken that, despite the size, maintains it's tenderness throughout, and it's delicately coated with a pecan crust.  It is the best. chicken. that. exists.  I dare someone to find better out there.  Annnd, as if this wasn't enough (apparently, it was too much because they have now omitted the waffles), it was served with a generous portion of waffles topped with bananas. 

For the liquid course, go for the blood orange if you like mimosas.  The white peach tasted like baby food.  As if I know/remember what that tastes like...

The service was understandably slow due to the crowd, but the waiter was otherwise knowledgeable and informative. 
Braised Brisket Stak
Overall, you can't go wrong with selecting Benjy's for brunch, as I have it praised in my top 3, butttt, you can do better. 

Check it out:  http://www.benjys.com/  

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