A' Brunching We Shall Go!

Okay, if I was serious about this post, I would have shared it back in October, when you could still make holiday brunch reservations at my favorite places for Sunday celebrating.  But at least I get to savor the memory of each one.

The closest - The Waterwheel, off Doylestown's beaten track - is the oldest structure (the milll was constructed by 1722, but wasn't transformed into an inn until the 1930s.  But it LOOKS wondrously old.  And never more charming than at Christmastime!  It's famous brunch draws people from way past Bucks County's borders.  Looks splendid, everything tastes wonderful!  Best to make early reservations (go to an early church service);  sort of slows down near the end.  Cap off your festivities with a ramble around beautiful Bucks County!  

From heart of the country to downtown Wilmington...  THE brunch destination of Lockharts is The DuPont Hotel.  Although it hasn't been served as a buffet for many a decade (I think desserts are still laid out for you to pick & choose), the menu still delights & the setting is a stunner.  Expensive & worth every penny!  Cap off your festivities with a ramble around Wyeth Country.

Where The DuPont's Green Room is a stunner each & every time I see it, The Jefferson of Richmond will totally blow your socks off.  Seriously.  The hotel's Rotunda Lobby is transformed into a spectacular dining space.  It's a knock-out at any time of year, but at Christmas it will leave you slack-jawed in amazement.  

Sweet serendipity!  it not only was designed by the same firm that designed Cairnwood - Carrere & Hasting - it opened in 1895, the same year Cairnwood was completed.  The firm made elegant sense of the eclectic combination of styles popular at the turn of the 19th century.  Today, it’s considered one of the finest examples of Beaux Arts style in existence. It continues to serve the use for which it was designed – still welcoming devoted Richmond citizens & their guests.  

Full Disclosure:  The Jefferson is, hands down, my favorite hotel in the world !!  

Can never decide what blows me away more - the architecture, the brunch or the service.  Would happily spend years trying to decide their order. 

“The Jefferson’s Sunday ChampagneBrunch is a Richmond tradition, “ is no idle boast.  It absolutely is!!  Their chefs really & truly lovingly craft menus that feature the best in Virginia’s seasonal fare, which delights & tantalizes (the Christmas offerings are quite different at Easter).  I can’t describe how it feels to walk down the grand staircase (rumored to have inspired the design of the staircase Clark Gable’s Rhett carries up Vivien Leigh’s Scarlett) to the magnificent buffet spread.  You’ll wish you could clone yourself, seeing all the different offerings!  As much as I have enjoyed sitting amongst the marble columns, my favorite time was a summertime brunch, where a generous sampling of my family sat at a large table at a balcony overlooking the incredible scene below.  They are not kidding when they say, “Brunch at The Jefferson is a culinary dream, reminiscent of a bygone era of grand buffets and lavish feasts – music by a trio, beautiful ice carvings, and genuine, friendly service make this an event to remember.”  I could echo that…  No, I could shout that from the rooftops!  It is not total lunacy to drive down on a Saturday & back after Brunch – staying at The Jefferson, of course. (Or maybe meander eastward to Williamsburg, with perhaps a stay at The Williamsburg Inn or one of the many colonial houses available as lodgings.)   sigh......  It's wonderful to have such glorious memories of such an unforgettable place, but I long to have enough spare cash to head down again for a joyous reacquaintance!!