Sunday Brunch: that time of the weekend that we both look forward to and dread. The rise of Sunday means either a lazy day or an afternoon spent catching up on work and chores. But brunch, at least we have that small part of the morning devoted solely to pleasure.
I will never think of brunch the same after dining at Co Co. Sala in DC's Chinatown. Known for its lavish menu consisting of all things chocolate, Co Co. Sala is one of the most envied of restaurants on the restaurant week list, because for $25.11 you are getting more for brunch than you normally would for, oh, just about anything else on the menu.
The Co Co. Sala restaurant week deal is as follows: for brunch, one gets a mystery appetizer, a main course ranging from egg dishes, to cheese souffle to typical breakfast delicacies turned up a notch, and a dessert. I know, you're thinking, "who in their right mind eats this much for breakfast?" But let me tell you, when its from Co Co. Sala, YOU DO. I didn't eat anything else for the rest of the day, and that was perfectly okay with me.
Now, at first glance, the menu seems overwhelming. My friends and I had the hardest time choosing what to order, because everything looks so damn tasty! Thats why we each ordered something different and shared. And when I say share I mean share- we each took a few bites of the plate in front of us then rotated. But lets not get ahead of ourselves- the mystery appetizer comes first.
Artichoke tart with a cream cheese crust. A lighter version of spinach artichoke dip, garnished with a roasted cheery tomato, the filling was both smooth and textured with artichokes and onions. It was perfectly seasoned- not too salty but salty enough to keep you begging for more. The crust was light, flakey and buttery. I could have eaten an entire bowl of the stuff. But then I wouldn't have been able to experience six more dishes!
For our main courses
I will begin with "Cheese Magic." What a name! It was a gooey cheese souffle. It was a fluffy cheese omelette. It was magic. Garnished with a side salad of arugula, cranberries, walnuts and bleu cheese (one of my favorite salad combinations), this dish was very rich and very flavorful. I'm glad we all shared because I never would have been able to finish such a dish on my own.
Next came- get ready for this one- French Toast S'mores. At my first bite, all words were gone. "Oh my god," I kept repeating. TOTAL FOODGASM. Imagine the fluffiest slice of challah bread soaked and pan fried in egg batter, then soaked again in home made chocolate sauce and marshmallows. This is no ordinary piece of french toast. This is no ordinary s'more. And if that weren't enough, the french toast was kept company by three slices of bananas foster (bananas that have been cooked in brown sugar and butter) and a chocolate shortbread cookie-type thing with three rich dollops of chocolate buttercream. This is any child's (or any adult that still wishes they were a child's) dream come true. By far my favorite dish of the afternoon. I was sad to pass it over.
Grown-up grilled cheese. Again, that rich and fluffy bread. Such a crucial element to a perfect grilled cheese. It was perfectly toasted with just the right amount of oil. The cheese: bread ratio was outstanding. Not too cheesy but still enough for it to ooze out the sides and make you lick your lips for more. What made this grilled cheese so special was the bread was actually toasted in truffle oil as opposed to butter. Truffle oil is one of the most prestigious and distinctly flavored ingredients I can think of, and boy did it taste prestigious. And you can't forget the tomato soup- because the two go together like peanut butter and jelly. The soup was more of a broth style than a bisque, but it still managed to provide the perfect balance as I submerged my grilled cheese in it.
And finally, not your ordinary breakfast flatbread, piled with cheesy, gooey scrambled eggs, crisp hash browns, salty cured bacon, spicy chorizo and fresh tomatoes. This was diner food gone wild. One bite of this dish summarizes breakfast as we know it. The flavors were so well balanced; no need for salt, pepper of hot sauce.
Perfectly cooked scrambled eggs resting on top of a pesto flatbread would have sufficed, to be honest. But the rest of the toppings just make it that much more amazing. $25.11 for all of this? Gladly....but we're not even through with brunch!
After about 20 minutes of digestion (thankfully) we are brought our dessert. The restaurant was out of the peanut butter cheesecake so we were limited to a chocolate mousse with salty caramel and a white chocolate mousse with raspberry filling. Two orders of each, of course! While dessert was my least favorite part of the brunch (heck, I would have eaten another order of french toast for dessert), it was still tasteful, pleasant and a perfect way to round off the meal. It was a true showcase of what talented chefs can do with good chocolate.
So for all you chocolate lovers out there, Co Co. Sala is the place for you. While the menu is a bit pricey, I definitely think it is worth not going out for a weekend to save up for and experience this brunch. Don't forget to try one of their six hot chocolates! Talk about comfort food...
From front left clockwise: Rachael, Lisa, Myself and Mariah (thanks for cutting me off!) getting ready to enjoy dessert.
Photo Credit: Rachael Holbreich
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