A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

I love brunch. I used to go all the time, now, not so much… So I was excited to meet up with some fun (blogger) friends in Southie for brunch ON A FRIDAY!! Yes, you read that right, who doesn’t need an extra day for brunch? Lincoln Tavern has a brunch test kitchen on Fridays from 10-3 where they try out new items to see which ones will make the cut for the regular brunch menu. They serve regular brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am – 3pm. Let’s talk about the space. Lincoln Tavern is enormous. There is this great front area by the window, then a middle dining area with booths, and then a sun lit back room where the bar and wood burning stove are. I thought that it would be empty on a Friday because let’s be honest, shouldn’t people be working? It was rather crowded and after eating brunch there, I can see why. I’d take a work from home day and head out there every Friday if I could.

So Southie. Parking is on the street (if you can find it) or in a lot across the street (again, if you can get a spot…) I had to circle the lot a few times before I got a spot (they’re 2 hour spaces), so make sure to head out a little early and give yourself time to circle the block for parking when you go. Our server was awesome, she was super helpful – giving us great suggestions because EVERYTHING looked delicious, checked back on us often (we needed that!) and couldn’t have been sweeter.

So even though it’s Friday, we decided to do a little day drinking!! Yes! We had the small bucket of bubbles, prosecco served with apple cider, peach puree and orange juice.

Fluffernutter parfait ($6) peanut butter mousse, homemade fluff, cookie crumble, caramelized banana. Delicious, super light, and wasn’t too sweet.

Fried calamari ($13) with fried onion, cherry pepper aioli and lemon. Perfectly cooked, crispy and light.

Philly cheesesteak hot pocket ($7) shaved wagyu sirloin, griddled peppers and onions, tallegio cheese sauce. Ok this was AMAZING. They had me at hot pocked but that cheese sauce…oh, dear god, so heavenly. Even though it was savory, it managed to feel light.

Smoked salmon pizza ($14) with house smoked salmon, everything spiced crust, boursin cheese, baked egg, shaved red onions and capers. I’m not a huge fan of smoked salmon, but this pizza had all the right moves going on. I love egg on any pizza and the everything crust was a home run.

Breakfast pizza ($15) eggs, bacon, roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, hash browns, fontina, pecorino romano, and tabasco. Breakfast pizza, yes please. The first thing you notice when you walk into the back room where we sat was the intoxicating smells that were coming out of the wood oven – they were roasting peppers and cranking out pizza, so our mouths were watering before we even looked at the menu.

Fruity Pebble pancakes ($12), which were not on the Friday menu but are available on the weekend (Sat and Sun 10-3) came topped with cereal milk anglaise. So Instagram worthy that we HAD to have them and the kitchen was kind enough to make us up a special batch. A little on the sweeter side, but delicious. You might want to get this with a savory option to balance things out.

Short rib grilled cheese ($12) smoked pulled short rib, aged gouda, tomato, runny egg, and basil on brioche. It comes as a full sandwich but I split this with my friend Nancy, and they gave us two plates. This was another home run. I love short rib grilled cheeses. The meat was tender and flavorful and paired well with the cheese. The bread was perfect (there’s nothing worse than too much bread in your grilled cheese) and the fried were finger licking good, right down to the last one.

Chef’s fruit salad ($10) peaches, Asian pear, apple, mango, melon, blackberry, blueberry and strawberry. Nancy and I also shared the fruit plate, you know, just to balance out the short rib grilled cheese. This fruit salad was even one that I would eat. The fruit was perfect, ripe, sweet – made you feel like it wasn’t winter outside, seriously, this was good quality fruit (don’t you hate it when you get a fruit salad and the pineapple is white and the melon is hard as a rock?).

Brunch pot pie ($13) sausage, gravy, confit potatoes, broccolini, peas, sage, sunny side up egg and honey butter. You had me at honey butter. Not only is this served in a cute cast iron skillet, but it is enormous…like the size of a dinner plate. Great size for the price, because there was certainly half left over to bring home! The perfect comfort food, the crust was flakey and delicious.

Shrimp and grits skewers ($13) fried pecorino grits, harissa marinated shrimp, smoked tomato hollandaise, mixed green salad and picked jalapeño. Ok, this dish is not something I would normally order, or even give a second look to. Leah ordered it and I’m so glad that she did. The grits were PHENOMENAL. I’m still dreaming about them. So light and they packed a bold flavor. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and paired perfectly with the rest of the meal. Hope this one makes it on to the permanent brunch menu.

Butternut Squash pancakes ($10) toffee caramel, brown compound butter, toasted walnuts, whipped sour cream. Such a beautiful presentation, these did not disappoint.

And finally, the roasted onion and goat cheese pizza ($14) with oven roasted leeks and shallots, caramelized onions, shaved garlic and romesco sauce. Love the simplicity of this pizza, and the flavor. Sometimes simple is best.

Disclaimer: I was invited to a blogger brunch at Lincoln Tavern. My meal and beverages were provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

Lincoln Tavern

425 West Broadway, South Boston, MA

https://lincolnsouthboston.com/

Tags: brunch, casual dining, restaurant, south boston, test kitchen