On Sunday I went to brunch with some of my favorite food companions. I went with DJ, Chrissy, and Anthony to the 10:30 brunch seating at La Luna in Branford. It's $21.95 per person for all you can eat. Now typically, I don't like brunch because I'm against the idea of a buffet in general. This brunch was decent considering it's a buffet. Let's take this review from the top- the website says you must have a reservation to eat during brunch hours. I assumed that the restaurant would be bustling with people but that wasn't the case. We were seated in the middle of this room that was filled with a good number of circle tables. Other than one very undressed couple with their unruly child, we were alone in this room. A complimentary beverage comes with brunch. You are given the choice of a mimosa, bloody Mary, or an orange juice. Of course I chose the bloody. Anthony and I had bloodys while DJ and Chrissy ordered the mimosa. The bloody was delicious. Very horseradish and peppery tasting. Looking back on it, I don't think there was a celery stick in it. That's a negative. We all ordered coffees and were given these fancy, yet small coffee mugs.
After the beverages were brought we were told that brunch was ready and we could help ourselves. The food area was set up in a somewhat organized way. When you walked in the room the breakfast hot plate things were to the right. They had sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, homefries, french toast, and eggs benedict. Around the corner they had muffins, bagels, and danishes. On the left was the omelet station and the waffle irons. The website said that the waffles were made to order with a choice of toppings but that wasn't true. The waffle irons were there but the people looked at me like I had 7 heads when I went up there to say I wanted a waffle. Once you passed the omelet station, the lunch food began. I thought that was backwards. The breakfast should have been near the waffles and omelets, no? The lunch stretched to the center of the room. They had a few carving stations, some pasta, broccoli rabe and sausage, fried calamari and shrimp, mussels and clams, and some other meat items I can't quite remember. Right in the center there was a table that was filled with salads, a cold antipasto, fruit salads, and veggies. There was a wide variety of food but I don't know. Brunches bother me a bit. They should have food that could pass for breakfast or lunch. They shouldn't have such clear cut items. I mean who wants mussels and clams dripping on your eggs?
The food was okay. We all went back to the buffet three times. I started with eggs, eggs benedict, a strip of bacon and a sausage link. The eggs benedict were no good. Eggs benedict are supposed to be served with a poached egg on top. These eggs were hard boiled. Anthony did point out that the eggs probably continued to cook while in their little hot serving tray, which I agree with, but then don't put eggs benedict on the menu. I've been watching a bit too much Gordon Ramsey. I'm very snobby when it comes to eggs I guess. The waffles were good, the fresh fruit was quite fresh, but the best were the mussels and clams. I got "lunch" my third time up. The fried fish was gross. The fry got all soft and the piece of calamari was hard as a rock. I felt like I was biting someone's finger. Who knows... maybe the cook had an accident. It was too early, for me, to try any of the pasta. Chrissy had the pasta and she said it was good. The mussels and clams were the best. They were in this broth that had a nice mirepoix (aromatics- celery, carrots, onion). I love mussels just love them. I was watching the history channel- the 100 foods that changed America. They said that the first settlers survived because of eating raw oysters. Now I know this is a bit different, but I could imagine myself surviving off of mussels. I could see myself as the Pequot girl taking all the mussels to the garbage area. (My grade partners will understand this and now have a frightful mental picture. My apologies.)
To sum up, La Luna is a good place to go for brunch. They have it every Sunday at both locations. (Branford and Mystic) I'm not wild for brunch in general, but this was pretty good. I thought it was reasonably priced. The food was good for the most part and the waitstaff was attentive. I believe my companions felt the same. No one raved and went on and on how good it was, but no one spit food in their napkins either. Until my next bite..
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