Like we said in the introduction to our Best of 2009 awards, it is truly amazing how many brunches have popped up during the past year in places where they were not previously offered. This is why we have dubbed 2009 as The Year of the Brunch and why it is one of the two main categories for this year's awards. As previously mentioned, the other category is response to the economic conditions, so you will not find any $200 per plate brunches among the winners.
Obviously, we could have just given out an award for the best brunch, but where would be the fun in that. Among those of us considering the nominees, we discovered some deeply held standards for what had to be offered in a good brunch. So, instead of finding whoever averaged all those together into the best overall final product, we have chosen to give an award for each culinary requirement so you can choose for yourself which is most important to you when picking that perfect brunch destination.
The first thing we all agreed on was that a good brunch menu just absolutely had to include some option for Steak & Eggs. No matter who our brunch group includes, it seems that somebody at the table orders this classic combination, so we have made it one of our missions to sample the Steak & Eggs at every brunch we visited during 2009.
We truly expected this to be a tight race. After all, we're really looking for two of the most basic things that can come out of a kitchen. However, that doesn't mean the dish had to be simple. We've seen steak & egg offerings with every imaginable ingredient used to top the steak or flavor the eggs, and we were willing to consider just about anything as long as it included a piece of red meat that had not been ground or shredded and something that resembled an egg, preferably from some sort of bird. In the end, there was a clear winner. Actually, there was no need for discussion and no dissenting opinion. The Winner for Best Steak & Eggs of 2009 is Bolla Restaurant at the Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa.
This is truly one of the simplest versions of Steak & Eggs we found anywhere in the metroplex. The steak is a grilled beef tenderloin, cooked to order and perfectly seasoned to let the natural flavors of the beef shine through. The eggs are simply two eggs cooked to the diner's preference. The plate is served with a perfect Bernaise. That's it. There is nothing else to it, and if anything was added, it could not help but detract from the dish's perfection. Of course, the lack of strong flavorings or signature spices means both the steak and the eggs must be cooked perfectly and served promptly to truly showcase their natural flavors. Thankfully, at Bolla, that's what you can expect from anything you order. I don't think the city of Austin has forgiven us yet for taking Chef David Bull away from them, but I'm sure glad we did. Perhaps we should remind them that he got his start at The Mansion on Turtle Creek, so we were really just reclaiming one of our own.
Before we receive any e-mail messages reminding us that this year's awards are supposed to be about economy as well as flavor, and we're giving this award to one of the top fine dining restaurants in the area, let me tell you something about the cost of service at Bolla. First, I would like to point out that although the standard menu price of $55 for a five course dinner certainly doesn't qualify Bolla for a "casual dining" classification (something I'm sure the management of The Stoneleigh is happy to hear), I truly think it is one of the lowest prices you will find in town for cuisine and service of this caliber. Second, I want to tell you that their brunch is even more reasonable. The Steak & Eggs at Bolla was $16.25. We found steak & egg offerings at almost twice this price at restaurants that do fall into the realm of casual dining.
