Let’s Eat: The best of Seattle brunch

Let’s Eat co-host Terry Jaymes hates brunch, but he’s found some restaurants around the Seattle area that have made him re-think his food strategy.

“The time of brunch for me is not a time of day that I normally want to eat. On the flip side, it’s usually good because you only eat maybe two meals that day,” says Terry. “But it just wears me out, I’m tired, it kind of screws up my entire day, I need a nap.”

When Terry’s wife took him to The Book Bindery right across the canal in Fremont, the meal changed his outlook on brunch.

“It was a work of art – the fruit plate alone,” said Terry.

The Book Bindery features airy atrium seating and an artful menu, as well as very creative dishes.

Terry’s meal was a seemingly typical order of steak and eggs. The Book Bindery’s version, however, used poached eggs and came with a hot, crunchy french toast spear. When co-host Providence Cicero visited, she tried the cheese plate, which featured candied pistachios and compressed fruit.

Providence and Terry also recommend Tilth, situated between the University District and Greenlake, which serves only certified organic food. At Tilth, Terry was surprised with a pasta dish that came with a fried egg over the top.

“They do some sort of things that I never imagined eating for a breakfasty-lunchy thing,” said Terry.

The Fat Hen in Ballard is another favorite brunch spot for Providence. The Fat Hen has an earlier brunch, opening at 8 a.m., with a more extensive menu. The restaurant serves a potpourri of egg dishes, with several varieties of eggs benedict and baked eggs, like the porri that features leeks with ricotta and Emmenthal cheeses.

For Terry, Hunger in Fremont helped change his perspective on brunch. Hunger is famous for the chicken and the egg dish, which Providence said the chef developed with his wife when they were on a date years ago.

“It was fried chicken with an egg and hollandaise sauce on top and a bed of greens with bacon and fried potatoes with smoked pimento, and it’s now on the menu at Hunger because it turned out so well,” said Providence.

While Terry doesn’t think the meal is very manly, Providence has some advice for men who stay away from Sunday brunch.

“I do think, you know, if you’re a single guy it’s not a bad thing to do if you’re looking for a lady,” said Providence.

By Jillian Raftery, MyNorthwest.com Editor