Brunch at Macrina

Perhaps one of the most simple, basic pleasures in life is the enjoyment found in the partaking of a hot beverage, lunch, or brunch at a local café. There’s something about enjoying good food that’s fresh and uncomplicated while enjoying such pursuits as people watching, periodical perusing (be it in paper or electronic form), or merely sitting back and existing in the present moment.

Take Macrina Bakery & Café, for instance. Macrina has long been known for their breads and pastries. For example, your Hedonista is a big fan of their Sardinian Flatbread with Truffle Salt, which I “discovered” at this year’s 7th Annual Seattle Cheese Festival, which took place May 14th and 15th, 2011. But Macrina is so much more than beautiful bread and tasty treats.

Earlier on this spring in late March I went over a weekend to their SODO locale to purchase a couple of items on their brunch menu. (Note: they also have café locations in the Belltown and Queen Anne neighborhoods.) The joint was jumpin’, providing ample people-watching opportunities. What’s more, the brunch menu – which serves up portion-appropriate fare, is available at all of their cafés, and changes up every weekend – has a few always-changing items such as their Market Special, which reflects what can be found at the market and their Brunch Café Special, Brioche French Toast, and Buttermilk Waffle, which are the special of that weekend’s brunch menu. Macrina also offers some relatively standard items:

The Salmon Scramble ($11.50) – made with toasted onion bialy bread that’s topped with scrambled eggs, smoked salmon from Gerard & Dominique Seafoods and chive crème fraiche. This dish is served up with Macrina’s herb roasted potatoes and organic greens salad.

The Macrina Fried Eggs Sandwich ($10.50) – fried eggs over-medium on grilled potato bread that are topped with Muenster cheese, roasted onions, Dijon mustard and spicy tomato sauce. Comes with herb roasted spuds. (Applewood smoked bacon from Zoe’s Meats can be added for $3.50.)

First Square of the Day ($10.25) – two eggs any way with Macrina’s herb roasted potatoes and two choices: 1) toast: (herb baguette, brioche or Vollkorn) and 2) meat: (Zoe’s applewood smoked bacon or chicken apple sausage).

I ordered the First Square of the Day with the baguette and Zoe’s bacon – unadventurous, but oh-so-tasty. For a walk on the wilder side, I also took a bite out of their Brunch Café Special: Welsh rarebit with two eggs over easy and roasted onions topped with a sauce made of extra sharp Tillamook cheese and Guinness Extra Stout. All this was served on Macrina’s toasted sour white bread with a side of herd roasted spuds and a bit of fruit.

All in all, a lovely way to while away a weekend morning or afternoon, dear hedonists.

(P.S. – They also have a lunch menu that changes weekly.)

Note: In order to comply with FTC Act 16 C.F.R. 255, Heed the Hedonist would like to disclose that it does receive media “comps” and/or media discounts – but not in exchange for favorable coverage, or for withholding unfavorable coverage, of the given venue/meal/performance/product/service.