Brunchlusters, if you know like we know, brunch isn’t just a meal. It’s a lifestyle. Especially in Dallas. The city’s collective love for all things brunch was the inspiration that brought together hundreds of attendees to ‘The Morning After, a Dallas Observer Brunch Event’ last weekend.
The sold out, inaugural event held at Dallas Farmers Market was billed as ‘a Brunch Sampling event that will feature bites from local brunch hot spots, alongside drink samples & music’. This is the first time that Dallas has hosted a brunch festival so we absolutely had to be in the house!
We could not have asked for a more perfect Saturday to enjoy this event. 80 degrees and sunny, all while enjoying some of the city’s best brunch bites in an open air setting. When we arrived to the event, parking proved to be a logistical nightmare. But that just provided a way to enjoy more of the great weather and get some exercise. The entry line was wrapped around the building as we arrived on the scene.
Once inside after getting some swag on our way in, the crowds inside proved to be a little challenging as well. More on that in a few. Dozens of restaurants, vendors and stores set up booths serving brunch inspired bites, beer and cocktails. As part of the swag, attendees received a small tray with a cup holder, perfect for carrying your cocktail and food. A DJ played some great tunes to soundtrack the experience.
On to the food. This was a great way to try lots of Dallas’ known brunch players and to make some new discoveries. Everything that we tried was fantastic. From the shrimp and grits from The Island Spot to Dot’s Hop House’s chicken biscuit…so much yum. The lines to sample food were not bad at all. Most of it was served room temperature, or downright cold, but it wasn’t a big deal.
Left to right: Lucky's Cafe chicken and waffles, The Island Spot shrimp and grits, Dot's Hop House chicken biscuit, Sundown at Grenada bananas foster
Having said that….
IT. TOOK. 30. MINUTES. TO. GET. ONE. MIMOSA.
The 30 minute line for Grayson Social's Bubbly Bar
We all know that brunch without cocktails is really just a sad breakfast. So after sampling a lot of food, we braved the line. Infinite blessings to the folks at Grayson Social, a newcomer to the Dallas scene, for keeping the bubbly flowing. The Grayson Social Bubbly Bar served signature sparkling wine cocktails featuring Korbel. All attendees received a card allowing you to receive 8 cocktails, however, you only had one glass. I would have doubled up after waiting all that time, but that simply was not an option. You easily could have spent an hour at the 3-hour event just trying to score 2 champagne cocktails.
There were plenty of secondary drink options including a build your own bloody mary bar, but not being able to secure more champs really was a drag.
All in, I would say The Morning After was a definite win. I would like to see the event move to a larger venue with a better parking situation. And maybe some places to sit and/or high top tables to take a breather and enjoy your food. And more champs. There is almost always room for more champs.
