Second Sunday Brunch Bunch: SMOKE

This Sunday, we hit up SMOKE for our monthly Brunch Bunch (we had to postpone it a week due to our crazy schedules).

The restaurant is located in the Belmont Hotel (technically, it is right next door), and is such a cool place. According to D Magazine, "the restaurant has an easy-going Austin vibe that draws both families and hipsters on the weekends." I didn't see many hipsters, but there was a weird dude taking pictures of everyone. And I totally got the Austin vibe...which of course, I loved. 

They don't take reservations for brunch, and the place was packed! But luckily, the weather was gorgeous, and we were able to enjoy our cocktails on the patio while we waited.

{Sarah, Lolly, and Laura.}

{Natalie (Sarah's co-worker who joined us this week), me, and Jill.}

Sarah ordered the Bloody Mary, which she said was "very good, not a premade mix, and cured her hangover." We also may or may not have made comments about the phallic nature of the jalepeño/carrot topper.

The rest of us ordered the mimosas, which were good, strong, and bottomless....can't really go wrong with that.

 I loved the restaurant and table decor. For example, each of our place settings included cute plates with different animals on them. Mine was a pig plate. 

And the tables also had adorable mini-cacti.

My favorite part was the lovely wall behind Lolly. The classic family photos add such a fun, kitchy touch.

{And yes, Lolly is fanning herself with one of the plates. She was having some hot flashes. I think it was the guy behind her rocking the awesome mustache.}

Anyway, on to the food. It was all really, really, really good.

Jill ordered the "Pulled Whole Hog BBQ Eggs Benedict with Goat Cheese Potato Cakes." She loved it. According to Jill, the pulled pork was great, and the sauce was nice and spicy. 

Laura and I both ordered the "Farm Eggs Cooked Your Way." With this dish, you get to pick one side, one bread, and one meat. Below is my plate...I got my eggs scrambled with cheese grits, a biscuit, and bacon. It was all simple food, but really well done. The cheese grits had a little kick to them, the biscuit was nice and flaky, and I loved the addition of the grilled asparagus and tomato. 

The bacon was also excellent. As Natalie put it, "the bacon was so good I even ate the fatty parts." I totally agree with her, because I normally don't like bacon unless it is super crispy and not fatty. 

I didn't manage to take a picture of it, but I also really loved the homemade strawberry and rosemary jam they served with the biscuits. That stuff would be good on almost anything. 

Lolly and Natalie both ordered the "Heavy Handed Blueberry & House Made Ricotta Cheese Pancakes with Vanilla Poached Apricots and Cream." Lolly also got a side of "Artisanal Style Pork Ham" and Natalie ordered the "Thick Cut Pork Belly Bacon." 

Sarah had the "Omelet with Salad & The Things Inside." She really liked it, but wished she had ordered the pancakes. 

And I have to agree with her. We all got a taste of the pancakes, and Lolly and Natalie totally won the ordering game. They were ridiculously good. 

This is what the plates looked like by the end of the meal. 

Next time...and there will definitely be a next time...I'm getting the pancakes and a side of bacon. And some cheese grits :).