You might not recognize today’s Sunday brunch.
Gone are the long-standard chafing dishes filled with hours-old eggs and soggy waffles.
Today’s food-savvy consumers demand fresh choices and live action, and several Morris County restaurants have answered the call. The result is an array of classic brunch favorites, cooked exactly to order by engaging chefs.
“It’s better for everybody because you get a better product out to the customer,” said Bryan Davidson, manager of the Black River Barn in Randolph, who has added a live action pasta station, carving stations and a made-to-order French Toast station to his Sunday brunch setup. “It’s hotter, fresher and it puts on a little bit of a show. And it’s better for us because there’s less waste.”
An omelet station was always part of the weekly brunch, Davidson said, so he took that idea and ran with it. Dressed in traditional chef’s whites and toques, the food preparers look impressive and make the meal memorable. “Food has evolved so much in the past 10 years,” Davidson said, noting the number of food and cooking shows on television these days. “They want to see the guy in front of them, cooking everything fresh to order. They are trained professionals, and the product is a light year’s difference.”
Brunch is offered for $16.99 per person at the Randolph restaurant, at 1178 Route 10 West, and at its Rockaway location, the Rockaway River Barn, at 11 Green Pond Road. The cost for children 10 and younger is $9.99. Both establishments are owned by Dean Buttafuocco.
A similar setup, including Virginia ham and roast beef carving stations, fresh salads and peel and eat shrimp, is offered at the Rockaway location. Both restaurants boast large dining rooms and outdoor covered seating. Traditional breakfast sides, including bacon and sausage, are offered, as is a large dessert selection, including pies, cakes, cookies, fresh fruit and puddings. Both serve brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.
The Black River Barn may be reached by calling 973-598-9988 or visit www.blackriverbarn.com . The Rockaway River Barn may be reached at 973-453-6900 or www.rockawayriverbarn.com.
For those who prefer a sit-down brunch experience, Cinders Wood Fire Grill in Mine Hill offers a unique a la carte experience each Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A regular lunch menu features burgers, salads and steaks, but distinctive breakfast options round out the menu.
Mancakes, a popular selection, is beer and bacon-flavored pancakes topped with crispy strips of bacon ($11). Another favorite is the Boston Cream Pancakes, stuffed with Chantilly Cream crème and topped with Chocolate Ganache ($10).
Banana Bread French Toast, topped with Bananas Foster, is another unique offering ($11), as is the Avocado and Eggs, which features an egg cooked in the center of an avocado, served over an egg salad ($12).
The specialties have been winning raves ever since brunch was introduced at the grill in 2010, said John Frade, the restaurant’s manager. “It’s been very successful,” he said. We also have all the standards, but if you want something different, you also have that option.”
Cinders Wood Fire Grill may be reached at 973-928-7000 or visit www.cinderswoodfiregrill.com.
Some other area restaurants serving Sunday brunch include:
Sweet Basil’s Café and Grill
498 South Livingston Ave., Livingston; 973-994-3600, www.sweetbasilscafe.com.
A specialty at Sweet Basil’s in the morning or early afternoon is its Benny Bar, a menu of Eggs Benedict selections, served on toasted English muffins with home fries.
Choices include Crab Cake Benedict, served with hollandaise sauce ($15), Smoked Salmon Benedict ($13.50) and Sweet Basil’s Florentine, featuring sautéed spinach, portobello mushrooms, fresh herbs poached eggs, hollandaise and a drizzle of fresh basil pesto (12.50).
Brunch is served a la carte at Sweet Basil’s every day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Unique scrambled egg dishes also fill the menu, including the Goldilox Scramble, featuring eggs, smokes salmon, goat cheese and tomato ($13.50) and the Spanish Scramble, which is eggs scrambled with avocado, tomato and jack cheese with a side of salsa. The Health Kick ($11.50) is pesto-infused egg whites scrambled with portobello mushrooms, avocado, crisp red onion and fresh tomato, served with salad and multi-grain toast.
Bring your sweet tooth, because eight different types of pancakes and five French toast varieties await visitors, including Banana Pecan Pancakes ($11), Organic Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes ($9.50), Strawberry Mascarpone French Toast ($10.50) and Poached Pear Vanilla Bean French Toast ($11.)
“People love their sweets,” said Mari Platt, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Allan Platt. Expect a line out the door on weekends, but seven hours of serving time is sure to get everyone the meal they seek in the dining room, which seats 106 people.
“Everything is made in-house,” Mari Platt said. “Our dressings, our soups, and all of our burgers are made in-house.”
Sweet Basil’s has been at its Livingston location for three years, having moved from West Orange, where it operated for 15 years.
The menu also includes a large variety of lemonades and smoothies.
Millie’s Old World Meatballs and Pizza
60 South St., Morristown; 973-267-9616, www.milliesoldworld.com.
Millie’s strives to evoke memories of families sharing Sundays together. Though the restaurant is primarily Italian, specializing in traditional past and pizza favorites, on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. it’s BYOC — Bring Your Own Champagne — brunch really draws a crowd.
The Brunch, priced at $23.99 per person, features fruit, muffins, pastries and Greek yogurt. The main attraction, however, is the breakfast ‘pizzas,’ loaded with morning favorites, and prepared within view of the dining room in front of a hot pizza oven.
Millie’s Brunch Pie is topped with fresh mozzarella, Parmesan Reggiano, homemade home fries and eggs. The Meat Lovers also features fresh mozzarella, home fries and eggs, but is topped with your choice of sausage, applewood smoked bacon or capicola ham.
Traditional favorites like french toast and waffles are prepared to order by chefs in the restaurant’s bar area, said Jonathan Navarro, one of the managers at Millie’s.
Waffles — with Nutella, bananas, maple syrup or whipped cream — are also a customer favorite.
Going down the Shore for the weekend?
Check out Talula’s, 550 Cookman Ave. No. 108, Asbury Park; 732-455-3003, www.talulaspizza.com.
Shanti and Steve Mignogna opened Talula’s in Asbury Park almost a year ago, and their focus has been on serving creative dishes prepared with farm-fresh, local ingredients. Their brunch offerings are no different and include a variety of toasts with different toppings, sweets, sandwiches, egg dishes and salads.
“What makes (Talula’s) stand out from all other places around here is the quality of our eggs and that we bake our own sourdough and sweet breads fresh daily and make everything in house from scratch,” Shanti Mignogna said. - Contributing: Sarah Griesemer.
Got an eatery to recommend? Email EAbreu@GannettNJ.com
