One of the busiest restaurant days of the year -- Mother’s Day -- is behind us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy a special lunch or, in this case, brunch. In fact, I prefer a less-crowded, more relaxed day to celebrate motherhood.
I had wanted to take my mother-in-law to try the new brunch at Easy Street Eats, a relatively new restaurant also on Tilghman Street, but the place closed before we could get a taste. The nerve! And less than a month after I purchased a $30 certificate online for half price. Such is the fickle finger of fate with many restaurants, even the good ones: here today, gone tomorrow.
Given a choice of alternatives, my mother-in-law Ginny chose Ruby Tuesday, a chain restaurant. I don’t have the bias some folks do about eating at a chain, especially one that offers a signature dish or something a bit out of the ordinary.
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Ruby has a brunch menu with some delicious and delightfully different options, such as the new “crabacado” omelet with sweet, rich jumbo lump crab meat, fresh ripe avocado, Swiss cheese and Parmesan sauce.
The three-course brunch is served from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The prices range from the $9.99 crispy southern chicken benedicts to the $14.99 steak and eggs. Included are the first two courses: made-from-scratch biscuits and berry good yogurt parfait. There’s even a kids’ menu for children 10 and younger that features $4.99 “Patty cakes,” cheesy scrambled eggs or a single slice of French toast. Each child’s option comes with biscuits, grapes and a beverage.
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We had both been to this brunch once before. The first time, I opted for a salad instead of the parfait and made one at the salad bar to take home. This time, I asked a most accommodating waitress to bring the parfait at the same time as our main course, since I preferred eating the sweet stuff last.
The little biscuits came out warm, cheesy and slightly sweet. One for each of us.
My main course was a bacon avocado quesadilla ($11.99). Ginny chose the two-slice French toast ($10.99), also new to the menu. The quesadilla arrived hot and loaded with slices of fresh avacado, cheese, egg and bacon. The generous portion included four large sections, two of which I took home for dinner. On the side was a small cup of sour cream and salsa.
I ate the yogurt, which looked beautiful served in a martini glass with vanilla yogurt, dark blue berries and granola sprinkled on top.
Ginny ate all of her French toast, quite the feat for someone nicknamed “short stack.” She took home the yogurt.
I would definitely recommend this brunch to anyone looking for a better-than-average breakfast, lunch or brunch. First time there, my “main” course was the cranapple crepe ($10.99), filled with baked apples and cranberries and topped with caramel sauce. YUM!
Next time? Maybe the mini steak benedicts ($11.99).
Ruby Tuesday
3995 Tilghman St.
South Whitehall Township
610-530-8570
www.RubyTuesday.com