Brunch at Krazy Kat's, November 8, 2009

Here's our entrees, clockwise from top left:

Croque Madame; French Toast; Mixed Seafood Grill.; Lobster Hash.

They tasted as good as they look!

Brunch at Krazy Kat's

Sunday Brunch at Krazy Kat’s
November 8, 2009



Krazy Kat’s (http://www.krazykatsrestaurant.com/) is located in a renovated blacksmith shop on Route #100 in Montchanin Village - Brandywine Valley in all its glory. We dined in the vaulted sunroom which was bright and airy with excellent acoustics. In contrast the main dining room provided a dark and intimate ambiance. Hostess service was a bit spotty, but we all found our table, and Kleenex hopefully was replenished in the ladies room.

Brunch at Krazy Kat’s is à la carte - nary a sign of a Hotel DuPont type buffet. Instead they offer a diverse and imaginative menu. We ordered two appetizers and four entrées which we split four ways, the servings were ample allowing each of us to fully enjoy each dish. We also had drinks and coffee. Our attentive, but not hovering, waitress, Laura, advised that their Bloody Marys were spicy, but the bartender was able to mix drinks that fit our tastes from fiery to bland - and I hear tell the Mimosa was fine. The coffee was rich and full bodied without a hint of bitterness, perfect for my taste.

We began with a Smoked Pear and Arugula Salad with goat cheese mousse and port cranberries, dressed with hazelnut oil and honey balsamic syrup. For us this was the best dish of the meal - the combination of flavors and textures was a delight to the palate.

Our other appetizer was Smoked Salmon and Potato Latke Torte with caviar and tarragon crème fraîche. This was a richly flavored, lush dish with generous amounts of salmon and caviar. The torte was crisp on the outside
and soft inside. At least one of us found the torte a bit mushy, however it also has its ardent supporters.

For entrées we chose:
Croque Madame: A breakfast sandwich made on brioche with Gruyére cheese, grilled ham, béchamel, and sunny-side-up egg, served with a bright and colorful salad. A wonderful preparation of this dish, the flavors subtle, bread crisp, and the salad a bright counterpoint.

French Toast: This week's special was made with cinnamon swirl brioche and served with rum-plum compote, caramelized walnuts, and syrup. We used this delicious dish as dessert. Although very good, I can't imagine something so sweet as my main course.

Maine Lobster Yukon Hash with poached egg, hollandaise sauce and caviar. Very tasty with tender lumps of lobster in great hashed brown potatoes. The caviar added a sweet note of luxury.

Seafood Mixed Grill: The fish this week were tuna, salmon and scallop served with fingerlings, haricots verts, and fennel-chive butter. The fish was perfectly prepared; the potatoes and beans delicious. The tuna was from a cut of dark meat and for some a bit too pungent. For others of us it was fine.

Lorraine treated us to the final note of our meal, Spanish Calabacita figs hand filled with whiskey flavored ganache then hand dipped in dark chocolate - made by John & Kira's of Philadelphia. Beyond words -definitely the embodiment of luxury. (http://www.johnandkiras.com//)

We thoroughly enjoyed our brunch and highly recommend Krazy Kat’s to anyone wishing to indulge in well-prepared food that satisfies all the senses. We particularly appreciated the beautiful presentation of each dish, the lovely atmosphere, good service and generous portions. On a practical note, this extravagance only cost us $33.00 a piece including a 20% tip.

Brunch - the word evokes a sense of leisure and luxury, so far away from an ordinary life of breakfast and lunch. The DDDs endulged in this lovely world at Krazy Kats, an exquisite setting for such a luxurious experience. Krazy Kats is a renovated blacksmith's shop nestled in the rolling meadows of the Brandywine Valley, the decor is a sophisticated mix with many renditions of Krazy Kats scattered about. We ate in the vaulted sunroom which overlooked pleasant gardens and a pumpkin display. The review of our interesting meal will follow.

White Gazpacho and This Months's Dining Plans

November 1, 2009

During dinner last month we mentioned a White Gazpacho, this piqued our interest and the very next morning I happened to be looking at my September issue of Martha Stewart’s Living magazine, and there was a whole article on Gazpachos one being a recipe for the white Gazpacho with the almonds as was mentioned by Linda. Lorraine went on line looking for gazpacho recipes as well. Linda noticed that the recipes that Lorraine found had a white gazpacho recipe too. So we each decided to make it. Since I have never had it before I thought my husband and I would try it before sharing it. Must have been good he had two bowls. But the true test would be to have the person who had the “real thing” critique it. So with that in mind I marched a bowl down to Linda’s house and another over to Lorraine’s. Wishing Nancy lived closer so I could have bestowed some to her as well. Next time I will plan this better, and take her a sample to her as I leave from work. It will be interesting to see what they think. And I am looking forward to tasting Linda’s recipe. Nothing like putting the pressure on - - or am I just asking for a free lunch?!

Heading into the holiday season we are all so busy, but not too busy that we are not going to plan our next restaurant ventures. We decided that these two months we are going to focus on Sunday buffets. Seems that the group is into a descriptive animal theme, so we are going to do the buffet at Krazy Kats in November and the Blue Parrot in December.

Watch for future review on the best gazpacho recipe. If one of the recipes is a hit then we will post it.