Brunch!

Let me just rave for a second here. I love brunch. No, I mean, I really, really LOVE brunch. I can eat at least twice as much for brunch as I can for dinner. And what I'm eating. Oh man, what I'm eating. Don't get me wrong, I'm as much of a dinner fan as any, but I'd take brunch food over dinner food any day. How could anyone turn down syrup-drizzled, perfectly cooked french toast with raspberries and powdered sugar, or two eggs fried perfectly and served over crisp, buttered toast? And orange juice! And cappuccinos! And chai tea lattes! I could go on...

Whole grain pancakes with blackberries, scrambled eggs, and bacon, at Smiley's. Photo: oinkety.com.

So what inspires this mouth-watering ode? Eli took me to brunch this morning at Smiley's cafe and bakery downtown in C. Springs, and it was incredible. How much of this is due to the fact that I have not been out to brunch (or cooked my own, for that matter) in ages, I don't know, but I have been in such a state of gastronomic bliss all day, I thought it would have just been shameful to not write at least something about it.

Smiley's!!! Go. Really. And order the blueberry buttermilk pancakes. And while you savor the fluffy, powdered sugar-sprinkled, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness topped with organic blueberries, drool at the pastries in the display case. And then eat eggs. And then have a bite of your companion's french toast and try not to eat all of that, too. Eli did say that the sausage that he ordered with his french toast wasn't the best, but since a) if I ate meat, I probably would have scarfed down the bacon that was on the girl's plate at the table next to us because it looked so good (there you go, meat lovers), and b) why would you order sausage anyway, dear?, I am not too concerned.
The place was packed, by the way, and when I was there last Sunday around 9 to pick up a slice of pumpkin date bread, it was just as busy. I'd recommend getting there before you are starving, so you can find a table without having to wait too long for one. Either way, this people- and food- and stuff-packed (but still homey!) restaurant is high on my list of eateries in the Springs.

What's your favorite brunch place in your city? I know you have one!

P.S. In Seattle, mine is a tough battle between Circa, in West Seattle, and Portage Bay Cafe, with locations in Ballard, South Lake Union, and the U-district.
P.P.S. Look for a new post in the next day or two about...you said it! Cupcakes!