Loring Kitchen ** 2.5/5 stars

I was lucky enough to be joined by some very discerning brunchers today...B, Nick, Al, DP and Petts. We chose the Loring Kitchen, having heard great tales of a "bottomless mimosa."









During the few precious Minnesota summer months, the Loring Kitchen opens its wall of glass doors facing Loring Park. It's been a gorgeous winter, but not warm enough for open air, however the room was still warm and bright and freakin' busy! Monopolized by well-dressed, well-groomed men, it's no wonder Lavender Mag is a big fan. We were seated after a brief wait and immediately ordered up a round of mimosas. It's true, they are beautiful and bottomless. For $10 you get a nice large pour in a nice tall wine glass...and they keep it coming. The menu is pretty basic. Scrambles, eggs your way, pancakes and typical sides. I was excited to see if they would pass my Benny test!



Well, luckily we had good company, because the food took a long time to arrive. Champagne on an empty stomach is not the best idea, but it fueled interesting conversation about breast exams, colonoscopies, bad french kisses and Whitney's death.



Finally, food! Well, the benny passed my test. Eggs were perfect, but the presentation was sub par. The potatoes came out of a bag, for sure. Look, I got one onion and two red peppers! That hollandaise was not made with enough love! Oh, and they forgot my pancake.



But, our mimosas are still magically full...



Nicki was distressed to find that her corn beef hash was missing the potatoes that the menu claimed were included. Our server got defensive and said that they were "cut up really tiny in there." Wha? She totally copped a 'tude, but finally agreed to bring N a side of potatoes. I mean, seriously, gross. I would never order corned beef, but at least try to make it appetizing if you're gonna put it on your menu! Looks like raw ground beef under there...



Sausage scramble...



Everyone else enjoyed their pancakes and scrambles, but weren't blown away, and I think the prices are way high for the quality. But dang, if your boyfriend just left you for another man and you want to start your Sunday by drowning your sorrows in a fruity boozy pitcher of bubbles, while scoping out new dudes, then the Loring Kitchen might be a good choice. Or you could just stay home and watch "The Bodyguard", drink box wine and blog about how good Whitney used to look and then ponder the attractiveness of Kevin Costner...I'm on the fence with that one...