Yellow House Hotel

Sunday brunch is a special time to sit down with friends and family and enjoy a meal. This surprise brunch outing took us to a wonderful little place called Yellow House Hotel. This hotel was built in 1801 and served originally as a stagecoach stop and country store. Later, it was a general store, a switchboard for the town and a post office. Despite the passage of time, it is still a charming little bed and breakfast. The first floor is the restaurant, decorated with old style light fixtures, dark wood and Victorian style wallpaper. While pursuing the menu, we sipped champagne and tasted the assortment of breakfast pastries. I am not quite sure what everything was, but I do know that there were mini cinnamon rolls, a strawberry coffee cake and potentially cornbread style bread. I decided on a mini cinnamon roll which had a nice cinnamon mixture and a light glaze. It was nice that it was small since the real part of the meal was still to come.

For my selection, I chose a Belgian waffle topped with chocolate chips and served with maple bacon, fruit and whipped cream. The waffle was nice and fluffy, but to be honest it was just kind of a normal waffle, nothing to write home about. The chocolate chips and whipped cream did make it slightly better. However, the real star of the dish was the maple bacon. I have had maple bacon before, but it seemed like the maple syrup was just lightly drizzled over the bacon. This bacon had an actual layer of crunchy, sweet maple deliciousness on it. It was cooked so that there was crunch to it while still maintaining some tenderness. This was a quaint little place full of history and charm, a unique Sunday brunch setting. If you are ever in the area, be sure to stop on into the Yellow House Hotel.

Down House Brunch

One of my favorite things to do is catch up over brunch. It is one of the few times where I don't feel rushed and everything just seems to taste better. I have been hearing rave reviews about Down House in the Heights, so I figured it was time to make a visit. The restaurant was a bit larger than I expected and have a nice shaded outdoor patio. Even though it was one of the hottest days we have had this year, it was pleasant in the shade. How else can you kick off brunch then with a mimosa and a popover? The popover, which had a nice crunch to the outside was served with butter, raspberry jam, and lemon curd. The popover wasn't too awesome on its own, but definitely paired well with the lemon curd and raspberry jam. Plus lemon and raspberry just make a perfect pair.

After perusing the menu and having to decide between lunch and breakfast, I ended up with breakfast tacos - black bean and egg and bacon, served with some lovely minted fresh fruit. These tacos were actually a bit deceiving because they look pretty small, but were filled to the brim with deliciouness. One taco was black beans, queso fresco, avocado, and a bit of pico de gallo. The other was scrambled egg, cheddar cheese, and big pieces of applewood smoked bacon.

These were definitely some of the best tacos I have had in a while and gave me the fuel I needed to take on the day. The next time I am definitely trying the chicken and waffles. Not only have I not ever had chicken and waffles, but because the spicy honey glaze on the chicken is out of this world. Down House is a great place to relax and enjoy good food and great company. So if you are looking for a place to grab brunch or unwind, head on over to Down House and enjoy!

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Breakfast is a meal that I could eat at any time because there are so many options. You can either opt for the sweet side, like pancakes and waffles, or the savory side, like eggs and potatoes. To me, there is something about Sunday that means a big leisurely breakfast with the whole works. I love hearing about great breakfast places and the Food Network gave me a great option. When you are in San Antonio, you absolutely must stop by The Magnolia Pancake Haus. This place is only open for breakfast and lunch, and there is always a wait! If you want to go on Saturday or Sunday, expect a long wait, but I promise it will be worth it.

When you first open the menu, you are greeted with a wide variety of pancakes, waffles, and all sorts of egg dishes. However, there is one thing that will surely catch your eye. This place offers something that you can't find anywhere else. "Authentic Munchener Apfel Pfannekuchen", pronounced fan-e-koo-kan. This is basically a Bavarian apple pie pancake that's a family recipe. Though I really wanted to try this amazing sounding dish, I have found that I like to try my good ole favorites to see how they do them. For me, this is a stack of chocolate chip pancakes. All I can say is that the batter was light and airy and the chocolate chips melted perfectly into the batter. They weren't overly sweet and had the perfect chip to batter ratio. I think they definitely nailed the pancakes! Plus they are the size of a plate, so you most likely have leftovers to enjoy again.

They also have a fabulous pecan waffle that was very light and the added sweetness of the maple syrup gave it a pecan pie like taste. As big the plate, this waffle is sure to fill you up with just the right amount of morning sweetness. I have been to a fair number of breakfast places and sometimes the hash browns are a real disappointment. They are usually dry and bland or not crispy and limp. However, I was very pleasantly surprised at how delicious these hash browns were. They were grated with just the right thickness, had plenty of flavor, and were definitely crisped to perfection. Let's just say there were no leftovers of these.

The Magnolia Pancake Haus definitely lived up to all the hype and it's a good thing that I don't live closer because I might just become a regular. If you are going to be in the area, be sure you stop by at any time and try it out because I promise it's worth it!