Graze

It's a restaurant, a verb, and a favorite pastime of ours....and I fear, of cows. Oh well. Of all the things Graze is, it is also a really excellent new gastro pub on capital square. We decided to do the inaugural tasting during brunch, and I think we made an excellent choice. The menu was small, tasteful, and featured local, fresh ingredients. Options ranged from "totally breakfast" options (pancakes, french toast) to "totally lunch" options (steak, beet salad) which is a good thing. I like options and at 11am on a Sunday who knows, I could go either way.

However, I went the way of the breakfast because as I glanced down the menu I saw something so delightful I immediately knew I would order it- nutella stuffed french toast with blueberries, red raspberries, and smoked almonds. Say no more- I'm sold. And it was everything I imagined it would be- actual french bread, light on the nutella, heavy on the seasonal fruit. It was delicious. Bob got something else- I think it was pancakes- but I was too entranced and could not bother to notice.

But here's the thing- Graze is owned by L'Etoile, a fancy pants french restaurant (also serving local produce). And we've always been a little put off by the fancy pants nature of L'Etoile, though we've only eaten there once. It feels a little more on the stuffy side and a little less on the "food to the people" side. So I was a bit concerned about Graze. But it was comfortable, relaxed, very open and bright (huge glass walls on 2 sides) and didn't feel stuffy at all. I could have done with more homage to the local farms and farmers in the menu descriptions and the waitresses' spiel but perhaps now I'M the one who's being stuffy. Hard to say.

We enjoyed our visit and will definitely go back- I think that means it was a winner.