Lazy Sunday

Sundays are one of my favorite days at the restaurant.

One of our guests today, visiting from New York, said the menu reminded her of a "New York brunch." There is definitely something for everyone, as guests can choose from breakfast favorites or lunch entrees. We are open from 10 - 3, so the time you arrive might have some bearing on whether you feel more like breakfast or lunch.

I know that I love the menu choices like "Eggs Benedict" and "Croque - Scrambled Madame" that are only available on Sunday. When we lived in Paris in 2006 while Mark was concluding a deal for Heinz, we were surprised to see that eggs for sale in the market were not refrigerated. Instead, they were stamped with the date laid -- usually two or three days before I was purchasing them! Using fresh eggs not only to serve by themselves but also as an ingredient in pasta or cakes made such a difference in the taste. Upon our return from France -- even before we opened Passport Cafe -- we began to use eggs from Eichner farm because we learned they are always freshly-laid, often the same day. We also learned from Mr. Eichner that his chickens are fed only grain, not parts of other chickens as they are at some corporate chicken farms. I remember his telling us, "That's just not right. That's not the way God intended it to be."

Although we use Eichner Farm eggs all week in the kitchen, it is on Sunday that they are showcased. Perfect eggs, perhaps paired with local ham and a famous Chef Carlson sauce -- as far as I'm concerned, you can't get better anywhere.

I got so carried away talking about the eggs, I haven't even mentioned the Sunday pastries. Our pastry chef, Erin Ribo, came to us at the beginning of December from Hyeholde Restaurant, where her desserts had achieved no small fame. Through the week, Chef Ribo makes our daily bread and focaccia, along with tantalizing desserts that are as beautiful as they are delicious. On Sunday, though, she outdoes herself with made-from-scratch croissants -- plain and with chocolate. She also makes one or two varieties of muffins and a cinnamon or nut pastry. We offer small or large pastry baskets so people at the table can sample all of them!

One of my other favorite features of Sundays at the restaurant is that customers come in relaxed. It may seem like the perfect time to enjoy a Bloody Mary or a Mimosa when the rest of the day is not programmed -- or at least not as programmed as other days. I also love that there are usually some multi-generational groups. It can be a special time for grandparents to fuss over grandchildren, and vice versa. The children are often dressed in their special clothes and are on their best behavior, aware that this is a sort of fancy place and anxious to show that they can act grown up too.

I don't know why, but it seems that the best behaved children in the community come to our restaurant. It probably helps that Mark and I are crazy about children. We have puzzles and coloring books to help keep them occupied, and special "Bento boxes" for serving children's meals. Mark has even been known to carry a baby around for enough time to allow a harried mother or father to enjoy a meal. He manages to keep the baby fascinated while he continues to greet guests and shows the baby the workings of the kitchen at the chef's table window.

If you have not yet had a chance to join us for Sunday brunch, take a break from "fast food" and come relax with us on a Lazy Sunday.