Angelette's Cajun Kitchen- September 12th 2010

Tuesday-Sunday: 6:30am-3:00pm
Price Range: $

Tamera being the little foodie exhibitioner that she is stumbled across reviews for Angelettes Cajun Kitchen. Each review was nothing shy of outstanding so although we weren't the most chipper on this particular Sunday morning, us apprehensive brunch crawlers decided to make the 7 mile trek down Blair Stone and Capital Circle. Here's the review from the crew who makes it down to New Orleans 3-4 times a year, so we really had our judgmental hats on.

THE FOOD:

Banana Foster french toast= paradise, three pieces of baguette doused in the right amount of syrup, candied pecans and bananas, its so hard to describe this heavenly delight because although a creation such as this might seem as if it could possibly be a little much after one slice, every aspect of its preparation was so impeccably done that this wasn't the case. Each bite had a melt in your mouth taste which was added by a gratifying crunch thanks to the pecans, it was so flavourful it was as if every drop clung deep into every taste bud.
The cheese grits were the right level of thick and creamy, and the cheese omelet was the right size, very cheesy but not too rich.
Beignets AKA three pillows of heaven, were pleasantly engulfed by a blizzard of powdered sugar, although this appetizer only comes with three, all nine of us brunch crawlers were able to have a little nibble, and after dipping my bite into chicory coffee I was transported back to Cafe Dumond even if only for a minute.
The home fries were soft but not mushy, and had a kick that wasn't too heavy, they were so scrumptious they brought your regular home fries to shame.
For those who prefer a savory morning meal The biscuits and sausage gravy with bacon is a good choice, KwearBear dabbled with this start to her day, and although her brain was still pressing snooze on the alarm she didn't hesitate to give this quote "it looks as good as it tastes" and I can speak for all of us brunch crawlers when I say it looked pretty darn good. The bacon was cooked to perfection, and the gravy had an enjoyable kick.
Chicken noodle expected any old pancakes for her small and picky appetite when she ordered just two, and wasn't the only one surprised when two colossal fluffy flying saucers were placed in front of her, although she could only swallow down a half, she gave the statement that they were the second best pancakes she had ever had.
The breakfast sandwich was quaint yet flavour loaded, this morning treat was a compilation of an over easy egg and bacon in between a biscuit, each bite was smooth yet crunchy and welded together so well it was as if all the ingredients were never mutually exclusive.
The special, which was two crab cakes over grits with crawfish etouffee on top, was buttery and rich as New Orleans cookin' should be, it had a pep of its own but a little crystal river hot sauce is encouraged for those who prefer a little extra spice, although the grits were excellent, for those who aren't the biggest grits fans substituting them for home fries is an ideal recommendation.

Over all:
Friendly family ambiance, and you can tell they really care and love what they do by the hospitable atmosphere, the service was weak at first which was understandable due to the place bursting by the seams with customers, yet it quickly picked up, with a personal touch from the management. The place was quaint yet clean and covered from head to toe in the symbol of New Orleans the fleur de lise. Everything was made with heart and it shows. We all left with our wallets and stomachs full, and completely satisfied. We came to the consensus if you want to do brunch right in Tallahassee, Angelettes is the way to go.

Overall Grade:
A

Brunch Crawlers:
Levi, Theo, Chicken Noodle, KwareBear, Mack, Patra, Label, Tamera, and yours truely Percy

Po Boys Creole Cafe- May 23rd 2010

Sunday: 10am-2pm
Price range: $

Po Boys is a well known establishment, for Tallahassee locals, students and visitors alike. Their aim is to bring in the fun NOLA atmosphere; good drink specials, good food, and decent price range it was no wonder we wanted to see how they prepared brunch.

The shrimp omelet= hodgepodge of ingredients, make that rich ingredients emphasis on the RICH. The outer casing was unnaturally thick yet the omelet was still flavourful, and delicious for a bite or two, it was HUGE and literally oozing with sauteed spinach and cream cheese. There was a relatively uneven shrimp to cc and ss ratio, but then again those little suckers could have been camouflaged by the array of green white and yellow over powering textures.
The eggs benedict which was two english muffins topped with poached eggs, canadian bacon, then dumped with hollandaise, Gibs (eggs benedict enthusiast) had one word to say about po boys rendition of his favourite brunch item...bland.
The breakfast po boy was decent, but not exciting. It was just bread, scrambled eggs and bacon. I substituted the bacon for sauteed green peppers, and even with some crystal river didnt have my taste buds buzzing with delight. Label stayed on the traditional bacon path and had to say the same about this breakfast item, which although wasn't terrible still was a disappointment, the word po boys is the name of the restaurant for a reason I guess with almost 25 different varieties of po boys you cant perfect every one.
The cheese grits had no taste, the cheese didnt even give it a nice kick.
The hash browns were undercooked, and dumped with cajun seasoning. One bite of that raw spicy potato does not having you wanting to come back for more.

Over all:
Po boys brunch, sounds like a good idea due to the overall value of the establishment, but in actuality is nothing of the sort. The service is terrible, when asked for coffee and water, only the coffee was brought out, and refills were a rare occurrence, these types of instances would be deemed dismissible if the place was packed, but considering there was only one other table this discrepancy is rather appalling. Usually po boys is light on the wallet, but the brunch prices seemed to be jacked up a couple of dollars from normal.

Overall Grade:
C-

Brunch Crawlers:
Gibs, Starfish, Krackle, Label, Levi, Tamera, and yours truly Percy.

Cabos Island Grill and Bar-May 2nd 2010

Sunday: 9am- 2pm
Price range: $

We decided to start our Sunday brunch crawl at one of Tallahassee's most famous gems. Cabos Island Grill and Bar, the 20 year old establishment that's a watering hole for many of the locals. Heres what we had to say about our brunch experience, from the assortment which we sampled.

The chocolate chip pancakes were alright, but unless you have a mean appetite only one will suffice, they are whole wheat so they are jam packed with fiber and nutrients for all of you health nuts out there.
Under the chefs specialties is listed "Mikes Costa Rican Breakfast" which sounds rather enticing. An infusion of rice, black beans, salsa, pico, more rice, cheese, and topped with an elegant looking poached egg. This sounds like a great medley of ingredients. yet had a few errs on enticing the palate. First off the whole assortment was a little on the cold side, the onions were somewhat undercooked, yet the salsa added a nice kick. The secret to making this dish a winner is substituting the toast option for a flour tequito...I mean who doesn't like a food you can assemble yourself into a flour roll up?
Mack got the egg platter, which is two eggs cooked the way you like it, the eggs (scrambled) came with your toast (whole wheat) and grits or home fries. The egg platter, although filling was not anything to write home about.
DO NOT GET:
the grits, although edible were absolutely flavourless, and somewhat resembled retirement home brand soup.

BEST ITEMS:
The home fries, aka "cup homies" are nice on the taste buds, and infusion of chopped red and green peppers with nicely cooked onions, not too much oil, the potatoes were the right consistency, and some spices to add a nice flavourful kick.
The bloody mary, Cabo's really set the bar. The right infusion of all the necessary ingredients, I'm pretty sure there's a secret ingredient in there. Not only did this mary simultaneously mask the sharp taste of the well vodka and left me with a beautiful hangover curing buzz, its smooth tasting left me yearning for more.

Over All:
Cabos brunch, not only easy on the wallet, cater those with dietary restriction. Service was promt and friendly especially for the busy brunch rush (BBR), the atmosphere was comfortable and suitable for everyone from families to those who had a rough late night. Cabo's is defiantly a place defined by its atmosphere and not by the quality of its food.

Overall Grade:
B-

Brunch Crawlers:
Mac, DAMK (dont ask my ky), Tamera, Levi, and yours truly Percy.