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.
Another absolute necessity for a good brunch menu, especially in the south, falls into the category of sweet entrees, normally in the realm of breads. I know several people who only really think of three things as true breakfast entrees: pancakes, waffles, and french toast. For our sweet entree category we were more than willing to experiment outside the "big three." However, the winner soundly falls into one of those areas. The Best Sweet Brunch Entree of 2009 was the Vanilla French Toast at Jasper's in Plano.
Jasper's is part of Kent Rathbun's growing portfolio of restaurants, and they have several locations. Chef Rathbun speaks of Jasper's as having an American cooking style with a focus on regional cuisine. Their brunch menu certainly stands up to this expectation with a variety of incredible dishes. For the sake of this award, we are focusing on just one: Vanilla French Toast.
This dish is the most basic of French Toast, but with the most incredible of flavors and textures. You can count on not receiving a soggy syrup-soaked piece of bread. This toast is perfectly cooked and served with Caramelized Honey-Banana Syrup and Applewood Bacon. I must pause here and point out that this is the current description of the French Toast at Jasper's. When we sampled their menu, the French Toast was served garnished with a variety of seasonal fruits & berries, and the fresh fruits truly elevated the dish to a new level. Our Dessert & Sweets Editor, Rebecca, is quite certain that if the two were compared to each other, the summer version would reign far supreme. However, we do not want to fault a chef for featuring seasonal ingredients and only serving fruits when they are truly at their best. Also, the preparation of the toast itself was so far superior to any other we have tried, Jasper's still retains the award, regardless of the season.
