© Marc Bona, cleveland.com/cleveland.com/TNS Sausage at Washington Place Bistro & Inn CLEVELAND, Ohio - If we were to construct one perfect morning meal, culling from the more than 125 restaurants we've visited on our brunch-breakfast series in the past several years, what would it include? If we could create that fantasy meal, taking bacon from one place and sausage from another and so on, where would everything come from? We drew on a range of places. For our weekly series, we visit a different restaurant each weekend and post a story about what you can expect every Saturday at 7 a.m. Here is our perfect brunch meal:
© Marc Bona, cleveland.com/cleveland.com/TNS Grits at XYZ The Tavern STARTER: Sticky bun at Fire Food & Drink
If you're going to nosh while you wait to order, this is the thing to have on your plate. It's a popular seller, and with good reason. The airy bun is served warm, and the frosting melts slowly in your mouth.
13220 Shaker Square, Cleveland, 216-921-3473
ENTREE: Breakfast burger at Felice Urban Caf 1/4 u00e9
Breakfast burgers have gotten to be in vogue and, often, lazy. Toss a fried egg on a patty and add it to the morning menu. This one, though, had fried plantains serving as the bun (the top was crispy, the bottom soggy from the burger's juice). This delicious cooked-to-order burger also included whipped avocado, and fries came with a cold, slightly sweet salsa that had a nice kick of heat.
© Marc Bona, cleveland.com/cleveland.com/TNS Avocado toast at Boss Dog Brewing Co. 12502 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland, 216-791-0918
SIDE: Potatoes at Twiisted Burgers & Sushi
© Marc Bona, cleveland.com/cleveland.com/TNS Corned beef hash at Big Al's Diner It's as if steak fries and curly-Qs got together and spawned this tasty creation. Beer-battered for a perfect ever-so-slight crunch on the outside, and smooth mashed potatoes inside.
© Marc Bona, cleveland.com/cleveland.com/TNS Millionaire Bacon Rosewood Grill 985 Boardman Alley, Medina, 330-661-0606
BACON: Rosewood Grill
Of course you can't call something like this just "bacon." It's Millionaire Bacon - thick-cut Applewood bacon jazzed up with brown sugar, and it's cayenne pepper-crusted. Despite the cayenne pepper, it's not hot, and it's got a great savory-peppery-salty combination going on.
© Marc Bona, cleveland.com/cleveland.com/TNS Potatoes at Twiisted Burgers & Sushi 36 E. Streetsboro Road, Hudson, 330-656-2100
© Marc Bona, cleveland.com/cleveland.com/TNS Breakfast burger at Felice Urban Caf\u00e9 SIDE: Corned beef hash at Big Al's Diner
To call this a side is really a misnomer. A meal unto itself for sure, this hit the spot. Incredibly lean, not greasy, and a very generous portion zinged up by green peppers.
© Marc Bona, cleveland.com/cleveland.com/TNS Sticky bun at Fire Food & Drink 12600 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland, 216-791-8550
AVOCADO TOAST: Boss Dog Brewing Co.
There's some good avocado toast around, and this one was our favorite. No need for hot sauce here; this has a bit of a kick to it. It's zesty and peppery and served with a poached egg and tomato.
2179 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-2337 (BEER)
© Marc Bona, cleveland.com/cleveland.com/TNS Toast at Rowley Inn SIDE: Grits at XYZ The Tavern
Grits is a simple dish that can be turned into a gloppy, pasty mess by over or under cooking. At XYZ, they are cooked with just the right consistency - not too watery, not too dense - and served with shredded cheddar cheese and sliced scallions. Adding scallions is perfect here.
6419 Detroit Ave., 216-706-1104
SAUSAGE: Washington Place Bistro & Inn
For those who opt for sausage over bacon, this Little Italy restaurant offers these thick links, not overly fennel-tasting with a nice sweetness.
© Marc Bona, cleveland.com/cleveland.com/TNS Our brunch-breakfast series has us going all over Greater Cleveland. So we decided to create a fantasy meal with one special item from each of several restaurants. This is what we came up with. 2203 Cornell Road, Cleveland, 216-791-6500
TOAST: Rowley Inn
Here's a sentence you don't hear uttered too often: The toast here is amazing. One huge piece is very thick. The secret: It's grilled, not toasted, with just a thin layer of butter instead of a giant goopy shmear.
1104 Rowley Ave., Cleveland, 216-795-5345
COFFEE OR TEA? Flury's Caf 1/4 u00e9 (coffee) and Element 41 (tea)
There's a lot of java out there. Some you savor, others remind you of Nick Yemana's jet fuel percolating in the detectives' office on "Barney Miller." Flury's serves and sells Pearl Coffee Co. of Akron. At Element 41 in the quaint burg of Chardon, a fine selection of Numi tea is offered. And cups come with warmed honey.
Flury's Caf 1/4 u00e9, 2202 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls, 330-929-1315
Element 41, 141 Main St., Chardon, 440-214-9011
DESSERT: The Boughnut at the Eye Opener
A deep-fried biscuit sprinkled with sugar and topped with locally made jam? Count us in. It's a jelly doughnut ramped up several notches. Sweet decadence.
1688 West Market St., Akron, 330-867-1114
DRINK: Mimosa from Market Garden Brewery
The brewery knows a thing or two about drink samples, offering flights of its tasty brews. So the folks at MGB took the same approach with Mimosas. If you can't decide, well, who cares? Order a flight of the sparkling wine-and-juice morning concoctions. We tried a delicious quartet - blackberry, orange, mango and white peach.
1947 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-621-4000
More brunch!
31 restaurants for breakfast, brunch on Greater Cleveland's East Side
18 restaurants for breakfast, brunch west of Cleveland
27 restaurants for breakfast, brunch in Akron-Medina area
37 restaurants for breakfast, brunch in Cleveland
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