Al Vento **2.5/5 stars

When Mizz Franklin texted me and said, "We need to do Al Vento brunch. It's $20 all can eat and drink." I jumped on the phone and made a reservation, assuming it would be slammed. They set me up a table for six and we were good to go. Then things began to unravel...well, not really, but I'm trying to add dramatic effect. So after discovering that Beth and Matt couldn't join us. I asked around to some Bad Eggs friends/fans and was able to round up Miss Colleen Belmont, Alyssa Fox and Paul Stroot. Add it up, folks, that's four, not six... 

Al Vento is a good 5-mile bike ride from 35th and Blais... you get to ride the creek for most of it.

As we pulled up, I saw the amazing patio and was hell bent on getting seated outside... So in this modern age, I figure people are pretty good at adjusting reservations, especially when your party shrinks in size. I am owning up to the fact that we were ten minutes late and two people short.

But our table ended up being in the loud, dark and crowded back dining room...

As Colleen's mom says, if you want it, ask for it, so we politely asked to be reassigned to an outside table. This caused a lot more drama than I expected. Our server was totally cool with it, but our host was not. I can tell you that in all my years of dining, I have never been reprimanded for changing a reservation last minute. Oh, I'm sure it's annoying, but most people just suck it up and go with it. The host at AV was quick to explain to us how they had held that table especially for us and that next time we'd better not make this mistake again. Yeahhhh... The dining room wasn't full. I'm sure some fine, less obnoxious family was seated soon after.

Nevs the less, we made it outside! So worth it. But now we've been black-listed. 30 minutes passed before Al got her screwdriver... She's still smilin'...

So that's the buffet Italiano. Eggs, potatoes, sausage, ham, pancakes, cheese, greens and a CHOCOLATE FONDUE FOUNTAIN????

We loaded up. But, honestly, I've never met a brunch buffet that blew my mind. And this one is only okay. The eggs were cold, the poached were hard, there was no bacon... there was no bacon.

BUT there was an endless supply of mimosas, bloodies and screw drivers. 

We closed the brunch down. Colleen had to call her lovely fiance for a ride, so I'd call it an ultimate success. Remember to ask for an outside table and keep your afternoon open... getting home will be an adventure...