by Steven Doyle
This past weekend was full of much needed rest and relaxation. I personally spent a large chunk of Saturday with my dear mother. You may ask where a good son that daily waxes lovelies about the local restaurant scene might take his mother for luncheon on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. With much trepidation I scanned a mental list of restaurants, each more fantastic than the next, and we happily chose to get our beef on at Maple & Motor Burger. She had never been and was excited at the prospects of noshing on one of my favorite burgers.
Mom loves a great burger, and unlike David Donalson who spent Sunday at Nana our lunch was leisurely but allowed for some much needed shopping time. After another visit with mom I left my brother to do the heavy lifting Sunday afternoon and vamoosed off to Smoke to enjoy brunch with a friend.
BBQ Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict
If you haven’t been to brunch at Smoke you are missing one of the top additions to my personal Dallas dining bucket list. Where as my beautiful dining partner enjoyed her blueberry and ricotta cheese pancakes that are loaded with vanilla poached apricots, I ordered the pulled whole hog BBQ eggs Benedict with goat cheese potato cakes. The two dishes complement each other so wonderfully that it is difficult to see why any two people would not order these dishes upon your first visit for brunch at Smoke.
It was good to see chef Tim Byres racing about the kitchen, but a true treat to visit with Susan and Brandon Pollard of the Texas Honeybee Guild who happened in as we were making an exit. They both mentioned how busy they were this time of year, so brunch was like Christmas for the duo. Tending bees is not unlike any other agricultural venture that takes an immense commitment nearly around the clock to ensure a quality product.
How did you celebrate your mother this past weekend?
I was treated to breakfast in bed that included pancakes, strawberries, and bacon and later that day my mom came over and we grilled some wonderful steaks from Kuby’s and had baked potatoes and grilled asparagus accompanied by a lovely 2007 Antica Cab. Mom came over early and we ended up raiding the fridge for the last of the braunschwieger. Not a well-planned appetizer, but nonetheless completely delicious!