Article by Tiffannie Williams
Photography by Fitz
What do you need after crawling out of bed late on a Sunday morning after a late night of debauchery? The answer is, of course, brunch. Esoteric and Stephen Marsh of LeGrand Kitchen paired up this past weekend to take traditional brunch fare to another level at their Beats, Beer, and Brunch Vol. 9. Other publications might not be able to spell his name, but serious eaters in Norfolk know Stephen Marsh is one of the best chefs working in Hampton Roads. So a collaborative brunch with him and new Esoteric Executive Chef, Bryan Wegener is bound to have some high expectations; It’s safe to say that I did not leave dissatisfied.
Chef Stephen Marsh & Chef Bryan Wegener + the Esoteric and LeGrand Kitchen crew at Beats, Beer & Brunch
The event was packed with a young, lively crowd whose energy was kept up by DJ Canrock spinning hip hop and top 40. I started off my meal with a “Balanced Breakfast”, a cocktail of bourbon, Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk, and coffee syrup. As a lover of an Irish coffee, this was definitely right up my alley. With the sweet front end taste of cereal milk, it finished with a bite of bourbon and a hint of coffee aftertaste. Next, I had the blueberry scones paired with a lemon curd butter. The scone was nicely done–soft and buttery on the inside with a crisp sugary outer crust. Can you say melt in your mouth good? The steak and eggs–served paired with potato wedges and an English muffin topped with an egg sunny side up–was a nice play on traditional steak and eggs mixed with an eggs benedict. I don’t usually think to get dessert at brunch but that definitely would have been a mistake in this case. “The Devils on a Horseback Tart” was just the right finish to an already good brunch. The tart, topped with dates, pecans, bacon, and butter pecan ice cream, was just the right amount of sweet matched with a savory kick from the bacon.
Clockwise from the top- steak and eggs, The Devils on a Horseback Tart, blueberry scone
Esoteric hosts brunch once a month and I highly recommend putting it on your radar. After all, you know it’s good when a who’s who of the best of the local food industry are there. Kevin Dubel (Chef de Cuisine at Terrapin), Anne Galante and Patrick Edwards (Chefs/Owners at Stockpot), George Culver (Food Writer/Blogger at I Heart Food), just to name a few were in attendance.
Clockwise from the Top: DJ Canrock, Pastry Chef Michelle Felipe, and Co-Owner of Esoteric Tim Chastain
For more on Esoteric visit esotericvb.com
For more on LeGrand Kitchen visit www.legrandkitchen.com
No Comments