Set Sail for Columbus Day Brunch
“In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…” Columbus Day may be relegated to a Monday holiday – just another reason to give Federal workers the day off. Although he was sailing in search of a new route to Japan, he found the New World instead. People living in the DMV can set sail for Columbus Day brunch at many area restaurants this coming Monday.
Commissary, 1443 P St. NW, will offer its breakfast for two featuring two coffees, two entrees and a pitcher of Bloody Mary or mimosa for $55 or it’s a la carte brunch, which includes a pulled pork benedict on a cornbread muffin with BBQ hollandaise, a chorizo benedict with a poblano hollandaise or potato pancakes with eggs, smoked salmon, sour cream and toast. Entrée prices range from $5.50-$14.50.
El Centro D.F., 1819 14th St. NW (the Georgetown location is NOT serving brunch), will serve its all-you-can-eat Mexican brunch from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Columbus Day. Priced at $35 per person, must e ordered for the entire table. The menu ranges from buttermilk pancakes with fresh berries and fried eggs divoricdos smothers in red and green salsa with chorizo and black beans to bacon, egg and cheese tacos. Bottomless brunch drinks like mimosas, Michelada, Bloody Marisa, margaritas and a seasonal aqua fresca are included.
Graffiato, 707 Sixth St. NW, will serve its bottomless mimosas and a la carte brunch from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m Bottomless mimosas are $18 per person. Brunch entrees include a breakfast pizza with bacon lardon, potato, cheddar, broccolini and a soft egg; quail eggs with mushroom ragu, feta and garlic bread; tiramisu French toast with espresso, mascarpone and Kahlua syrup; and carrot cake pancakes with Cracker Jack butter and icing. Entree prices range from $8-$18.
Grillfish, 1200 New Hampshire Ave. NW, will offer its $49 brunch for two, which includes a dozen local oysters, two entrées, a dessert and a bottle of champagne with mixers from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. A la carte items include a hash brown madame with braised hash browns, two eggs, Italian sausage, bacon and crostini, fruit-stuffed French toast with caramel pecan sauce and bacon or a crab cake benedict over potato pancakes with hollandaise. A la carte items range from $11-$17.50.
Kapnos, 2201 14th St. NW, is serving its a la carte brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Entrees include stone oven baked eggs with crispy lamb, potatoes and feta; pork and beans with soft egg, gigandes, loukaniko sausage and grilled bread; Greek coffee waffles with chocolate espresso beans, cinnamon butter and crema; spit chicken and waffles with Greek honey and crispy grains; and baklava French toast with walnuts and seasonal fruit. Main dishes range from $11-$16 and bottomless mimosas are $18 per person.
Kapnos Taverna, 4000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, will offer its a la carte brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Brunch mezze offerings include a scrambled eggs gyro with crispy potatoes, tomato, mushrooms, yogurt and dill; a smoky crab omelet with zucchini, labne and mint; eggs benedict with smoky chicken, dill biscuits and aleppo hollandaise. Entree prices range from $10=$15.
Logan Tavern, 1423 P St. NW, will serve brunch from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday. The a la carte meun includes soups, salads, starters and sides as well as crispy chicken paillard with parmesan grits, caramel pecan French toast and huevos motulenos with turkey, avocado, plantains and black beans over corn tortillas. Entrees range from $11.25-$21.50.
Lupo Verde, 1401 T St. NW, will serve its regular weekend brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Monday. The family-style menu is priced at $35 per person and must be ordered for the entire table. Options range from salad and brioche French toast to poached eggs in San Marzano tomato sauce and spaghetti carbonara. A carafe of Bloody Mary, mimosa or prosecco served with three seasonal house-made juices is included.
Masa 14, 1825 14th St. NW, will serve its prix-fixe Latin-American brunch from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. for $39 and must be ordered for the entire table. Brunch includes an unlimited selection of brunch drinks such as mimosa, Masa mimosa, lychee bellini, Bloody Mary, bacon Bloody Mary and lemon lager.The menu features a selection of salads, eggs, sandwiches, sweets and sides, including a pork belly Benedict with spicy curry potato cake and chipotle hollandaise and chilaquiles with corn tortillas, chorizo, queso cotija and soft scrambled eggs. Brunch can also be ordered a la carte with prices ranging $4-$13 per dish.
The Pig, 1320 14th St. NW, will offer it’s a la carte holiday brunch from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Selections include the piggy breakfast with bacon, sausage, two eggs, cheese grits, roasted squash and toasted rye bread to skilled cornbread cooked in bacon fat with sausage, a fried egg and tomato hollandaise sauce to a waffle with a fried chicken thigh, spicy maple syrup and sausage gravy. Entrées range from $14-$17.
Station 4, 1101 Fourth St. SW will serve brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Columbus Day. Guests can order a la carte or enjoy endless Bloody Marys and mimosas along with the choice of one brunch entrée for $30 per person. Dishes include a Mardi Gras omelet with smoked Andouille sausage, red peppers, crawfish and scallions topped with hollandaise sauce and served with toast or The Nationals, a fresh croissant with scrambled eggs, diced ham, onions, green peppers, tomatoes and melted cheese served with a mixed green salad. A la carte brunch items are priced from $7-$17 each.
Toro Toro, 1300 I St. NW, will serve its unlimited small plates brunch and free-flowing brunch cocktails from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Brunch, which must be ordered by the entire table, includes signature dishes as well as a rotating selection of shared plates, carved meats, desserts and a Bloody Mary bar. Cocktails include a traditional, passion fruit, mango and blood orange mimosas and spiked lemonade.
Zengo, 781 Seventh St. NW, offers its bottomless brunch on Monday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. for $39 per person. Children under 10 are $10. Guests can enjoy an all-you-can-eat selection of ceviche, sushi, and salads, dim sum and antojitos, and brunch plates such as achiote-hoison pork arepas or Harris Ranch beef barbacoa has with poached egg, potatoes, rojas and caramelized onions along with seven brunch cocktails. Bottomless Brunch must be ordered by the entire table and is offered exclusively for the prix-fixe service. Bottomless cocktails include Bloody Mary, Bloody Maria, sake-sangria and four kinds of mimosas.
Editor’s note: This post was updated to add additional restaurants.
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.