Brunch happiness in Austin

He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart. - C.S. Lewis


Dear reader… let’s dive right in, shall we? I can’t think of a better way to start than to talk about food!

I love brunch. Now I know a lot of people SAY they love to go to brunch but I really love brunch. Not being an early morning person, I would never call myself a breakfast person, but I like breakfast food. Pancakes at 1:30 am are a sublime delight. Eggs Benedict is a worthy dinner companion. The French dine on omelettes and red wine. But breakfast after a leisurely awakening on a weekend is my favorite!

Perhaps part of why I enjoy brunch so much is that I am rarely able to indulge in them. Sundays just scream out brunch to me, but most Sunday mornings find me at church, and after that it is just lunch. No brunch for me at 1:30 thank you very much, just boring old lunch. Also, my town has very few places that offer what I would call a REAL brunch. So I often only have brunch when I am out of town, ergo making them not just unique, but an adventure.

I was in Austin this weekend visiting friends but by Sunday morning the social part of my trip had wrapped up. I was flying solo in an incredibly fun and gastronomically diverse city. Brunch was calling out to me, softly…but insistently.

There was one potential problem – Mother’s Day - after Easter, the second most popular brunch day in North America. No matter, I had plenty of time and was going for it!

I mulled over a few possibilities and finally decided adventuring out to Vespaio on SoCo (S. Congress St). It was still pleasant outside and I had been hankering to try out this restaurant, as well as their little outdoor patio, for several years. I had looked at their menu online and was delighted to see some unique offerings, so I hustled on down there. The fact that Vespaio is a client of the wine import company I work for had nothing to do with my decision ;-)

There was a brief wait for the outdoor seating (they said 15-20 minutes and it was closer to 10) but it was well worth it. The hostess was rather somber and lifeless but polite enough. My server, Bob, was also rather somber and grim-faced … but polite. Makes one wonder if the restaurant manager is a tyrant or perhaps they were all just tired of always having to be polite (I know I would be!). The happiest person there was the busgirl who was bubbly and jovial, and complimented my shoes (they ARE a great pair of shoes, Calvin Klein patent burgundy pumps…but I digress…). Bob endeavored to be helpful when I asked him about the menu. I was torn between two different dishes; but then he leaned forward and confided that while the one item was delicious, the other was authentically Italian and more unusual. The fact that the dish he recommended was significantly less expensive made me trust him immediately. So I opted for Panino with pressed proscuitto, fontina cheese, arugula and truffled egg. What is a truffled egg? According to this dish it is a sunnyside-up egg of the non-runny variety that has been cooked with truffle oil. Intriguing. And I love how it rolls off the tongue…truffled egg. Truffledegg. Equally intriguing was the side of “caramelized potatoes”.


The presentation was whimsical (I apologize profusely for no photo, I swear I shall do better!) with the sandwich served on paper in a dapper little metal basket. The potatoes were on a separate dish to the side.

The panino (must look up the difference between a panino and a panini later) was delicious. I like runny eggs alone, but NOT on a sandwich, so I was relieved to see it was cooked thoroughly. Overall it was a delicious savory sort of breakfast sandwich, although there was a very subtle sweetness in it from somewhere… the truffle oil maybe? I’ve not cooked with truffle oil so I’m not sure.

The caramelized potatoes were baked wedges that were then pan-tossed in caramelized shallots, then sprinkled with parsley and sea salt. The idea made basic potatoes into something unique but still comfortably potatoey. They weren’t quite what I was expected but a fun little discovery nonetheless – and it looked like something I could easily copy!

The only very slight drawback was the paper-lined basket holding the panino showed every spot of grease from the sandwich. It is one thing to KNOW what you are eating has grease; it is another thing entirely to see it blatantly before you!

I was surprised how filling the dish was, at least to me. Those with lighter appetites could easily split this dish. I goofed up a bit in opting not to finish and take it home with me, confident that the proscuitto would survive four hours in an air-conditioned car. It didn’t occur to me that perhaps a four-hour-old cooked egg would NOT be quite so happy. Needless to say I’m not eating the other half – but I kept the potatoes!

I was keen to try their tempting desserts but since I was already full, I opted to take with me a few of their toasted almond polenta cookies. I’m not a cookie person but these were great and a perfect little tidbit or two without any dessert guilt. After leaving Vespaio I wandered the shops of SoCo, nibbling away. I found a last minute gift for my mother and an inexpensive bottle of Spanish garnacha for myself and decided it was time to go home.

Thus, my first entry into the world of blogging! It will never be the same again ;-)


Side Note: Technically Vespaio is a 2-for-1 location. There is Enoteca Vespaio (Italian café type of place) and next door is Vespaio Ristorante (the more formal dining option). Enoteca Vespaio is the one I went to, the more formal one isn’t open for brunch.