Champagne, chocolate, bacon? Why the hell not. This year Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday, so if the way to your heart is through your stomach, you and your better half will definitely want to kick of this day of love brunching in style!  We here at the DBC have put together a list of the top 5 best spots to hit up if you and your amore are looking to class up your brunch game this weekend. 

Brunch hours: Saturday & Sunday: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Download Brunch menu here
Call for reservation: 214-443-4747
2821 Turtle Creek Boulevard  |  Dallas, TX 75219

Check out their brunch menu here
Call for a reservation: 214.550.9500
Hotel ZaZa, 2332 Leonard Street, Dallas, TX 75201

Check out Proof + Pantry's Website here.

Check out TSP Website here

Check out SMOKE's Website here

Recently, we found ourselves just on the other side of the Margaret Hunt Bridge, at a quaint little Oak Cliff restaurant called Jonathon’s. What they lack in restaurant capacity they make up for in portion
sizes and flavor.

Luckily, we arrived early enough, which is a must if you plan on getting a seat in the next hour, and scored the perfect little table on the patio. That is until the Attack of the Flies, but more on that
later…

Jonathon’s has plenty of cocktails to jump start your morning. They have a build-your-own Bloody Mary Bar with, in my opinion, one of the best house made Bloody Mary mixes. It’s a little sweeter and not so spicy – if you’re into that. 
 
Another favorite is the Purple Drank, but more because it’s just fun to say! I can’t dare say that I remember what is actually in the Purple Drank, but if you’re ordering it, it’s probably more for show anyway, right?

When it’s time to order go big or go home. One word of advice (and really the only advice that one who dines at Jonathon’s needs): Order the Chicken and Waffles.  I’m deadly serious on this one. If you decide to be all, “Oh, that’s too much food!”, “I’m on a diet…”, or “I’ll just have a bite of yours…”, you will live to regret it. I promise. Jonathon’s Chicken and Waffles is the best C&W in all the land. Mainly because their peppered gravy is the ish! You won’t want to share and even though it’s gigantic, you wont have any to take home.

Anther bruncher at our table took a gamble on the Kure. A heaping order of biscuits, scrambled eggs, bacon, gravy, and cheddar. Good, but t’was no C&W. Same goes for the Breakfast Tacos – eh. 
 
The only thing that made for an unpleasant experience at Jonathon’s was the swarm of flies that arrive as soon as your food is set on your table. Every time I have gone to Jonathon’s and eaten outside this has been a problem, so just know ahead of time – you’ll be getting an arm work out with all the swatting you’ll be doing whilst eating your C&W, which I guess, might not be a bad thing…

The Crowd: Get’s hopping around 11:00am – come earlier than that and you’ll be safe. Jonathon’s
opens as early as 8am.
 
Dress to Impress: Just wear your best stretchy pants and a loose top. You don’t want to feel confined while dominating your waffles!
 
Best Bite of the day: Chicken and Waffles – most def!

Worst Thing About Jonathon’s: The Lord of the Flies

Best Thing About Jonathon’s: Cool vibe, great Bloody Mary bar and deliciously oversized entrees.

Unfortunately, not all brunches are meant to be a leisurely affair. Sometimes you’re in a time crunch and just need to get the job done. Thus was the case when we stopped by Breadwinner’s Northpark location one afternoon before a very important Sunday Funday pool party. It’s a tough life – we know. But beyond the hustle and bustle of shopper’s on a mission, tucked in the center of the mall, a lovely dining experience awaits.

If you’re coming to nurse a hangover or to get one started, Breadwinner’s has quite the array of beverages to choose from. We sampled everything from the Bloody Mary to the French Kiss and a few in between. Oh la la! The tasty drink award goes to the Deep Eddy’s Frozen Blackberry Lemonade. A delightful treat on a scorching 100 degree day!

The drinking was the easy part. Trying to decide what to eat can be a little more cumbersome. They offer quite an impressive menu of scrambles, pastries, sandwiches, benedicts and other speciality items. The Leo’s Scramble was a definite hit at our table. Three eggs scrambled with grilled chicken, ham, onion, tomato, jack cheese and hollandaise. There’s no wonder it is highlighted on the menu.

The Croque Madame served open faced on grilled tuscan bread with ham, swiss, jalapeno cream gravy and a sunny side up egg was another favorite.

Don’t forget to save room for a warm Caramel Pecan Roll. Probably not recommended to indulge in before a pool party, but hey we live on the edge.

Breadwinner’s has several locations in the Dallas area, and while their Uptown location is probably our favorite, the Northpark location will do the job for the bruncher on the go!

The problem with brunch is that it’s not a daily occurrence. Luckily, happy hours were invented to bridge the gap from one weekend to the next. We were graciously invited to attend a happy hour this week at Social House Addison to sample some delightful bites and some refreshing frozen cocktails.

Social House makes everything on their menu in house and from scratch, which is what sets them apart from the rest. We had the pleasure of trying many items from their menu including the Prosciutto & Pesto Pizza and the Irish Pork Nachos, but my hands down favorite was the Tomato Bruschetta with Basil Pesto. Simple and fresh ingredients, yet very flavorful. It went down even better chased with the Frozen Raspberry Mojito. Social House has a variety of frozen cocktails that will make even the hottest summer day tolerable.

Before our happy hour came to a close, Social House had one last surprise up their sleeve. They announced that they will be opening a new location in Fort Worth early this fall. Congrats Cowtown! Looking forward to visiting Social House’s newest location!

Today we traveled back in time and to the south side of the Big D to hit up a groovy little spot called, The Cedars Social. No, seriously, you will feel like you’ve been swallowed by a time machine and dumped out into a space that’s a stylistic mash-up of the Brady Bunch and the Jetson’s living rooms. 
But trust us, you’ll love it! 

Arriving at Cedars Social can prove to be difficult because there is no signage on the street to let you know when you’ve hit your destination. Make sure you take Siri along for the ride.

Also, parking is free even though signs in the lot indicate that you must pay. After we had already paid the $5 fee, a waitress outside on her smoke break informed us that people eating at their restaurant do not have to pay. Awesome. We’re so charitable. 

Heading indoors, there were lots of oohing and ahhing as we were guided to our seats. The décor is strange but familiar, like stumbling into your grandma’s house after an acid trip. We’re only guessing. *The DBC does not recommend the consumption of acid before partaking in brunch, or ever really. 

I was glad to see that their menus were presented in an easy to read layout. Their online menu has all of their drinks, sides and entrees jumbled together in one run-on sentence and is difficult to decipher. I was also impressed by their long list of drink offerings. For $10 you can go for bottomless mimosas or if you’re fancy bottomless rosé.  I opted for the mimosas and they were fab! Tall pours and a good OJ to champs ratio, just the way I like them. The Bloody Mary was a little on the spicy side, but in a good feel-the-burn way. The Irish Coffees were also delightful and all coffees (with booze or without) are French Press. A-plus on drinks!

To jumpstart our palettes we ordered a plate of deviled eggs, as well as a sampling of their oysters, which change daily. I’d definitely recommend the eggs as a starter as they were more of a crowd pleaser. The oysters, although beautifully presented, were a little on the small side for $3.75 a piece. 

For entrées we went with several of the recommendations from our waitress. The Eggs Benedict was pretty delish, mainly because it was served atop thick pieces of pork belly giving it an extra savory sweetness. The Shrimp and Grits were also appetizing although come served in a very shallow bowl. You might need to eat with slow spoonfuls to really get your money’s worth. 

Their burger was good, although pretty standard and comes with a side of parmesan fries, which can be ordered with truffle oil if your heart desires. However, the real standout today was the Breakfast Flatbread. Toppings included pork belly, carmelized onions, cave aged cheddar (whatever that means) and eggs. It was fantastic. 

The Crowd: There was no crowd when we arrived at 11:15AM, but they slowly started to trickle in while we dined.  

Dress to Impress: Casual, although if you’re into blending in with your surroundings make sure to wear something that is a nod to mod.

Sounds Like: Portishead, Citizen Cope, Red Hot Chili Peppers…. You’ll definitely want to have your Shazam app ready to go!

Best Bite of the Day: The Breakfast Flatbread for the win. I mean with a pork and melted cheese combo can you really lose?

Worst Thing About Cedars Social: The parking debacle and a very confusing time splitting our check and getting charged for random things at the end.

Best Thing About Cedars Social: The ambiance and cocktails! Definitely a fun place to bring a group or out-of-towners. They have a patio area that overlooks the Dallas skyline that would only enhance your drinking experience. 

Wish we could go ahead and time travel to next weekend’s brunch!
See you soon!
-DBC

Check out The Cedars Social online here

1326 S Lamar St, Dallas, TX