I must say my personal staple with food is Brunch!  I love it!  When else is it acceptable to drink before 12PM with no one questioning you (unless your in New York City on a Sunday).  When I can, I brunch in the South End.  It’s not because of the amazing scenery or out of this world menu and beverage options, but there is something about the South End that draws me in when it comes to brunch; the atmosphere is friendly and inviting while the food is delicious.  This is what brought me to Union Bar and Grille this past Sunday.

I’ve been to Union in the past and what brings me back is that they live up to what they claim on their website, Union is “what going out to dinner used to be — not a culinary education, just good food that you want to eat,” stated by the Aquitaine Group.   The Aquitaine group owns a total of 4 restaurants in the South End area that are all successful (Union Bar and Grille, Metropolis Café, Aquitaine-Bar a Vin Bistrot, and Gaslight Brasserie).  Union was chosen this time around because of their appealing menu.  Executive Chef/Partner Seth Woods uses classic brunch favorites with an added twist that makes the customer return for a particular item.

Serving brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm is pleasing for the person with the busy morning on the weekend OR the person rolling out of bed later on a lazy Sunday afternoon. However, being an early bird for Union will get you many “worms” on Sunday.  From 10am to 11am the restaurant offers an “All Inclusive Early Riser Brunch”.  For $9.95 before tax you can get a pastry, an entrée (from a selection of 3), and juice or hot tea/coffee.  Not bad right? Oh, you just have to wake up.  I missed that deal this time around and arrived about 1:45PM.

Key things to remember in the South End:

• Brunch is pretty busy, so if you can RESERVE, RESERVE, RESERVE your table.
• Parking can be pricey for garages, but Union NOW has FREE PARKING at 560 Harrison Ave which is about a block and a half walk away.
• Prepare to be social! If your looking for a quite, non-busy area for brunch then this just ISN’T for you!

Meals range from $8.50 to $14.75 before tax.  I went with the Steak & Eggs since I don’t like ham on my eggs bene.  For my drink I chose the Union Pimosa, a brut sparkling wine with pomegranate puree.  Dry but tasty.  There’s a list of international wines, cocktail & draught to chose from as well.  Those price points are from $6 to $16.

After a decent wait it was time to savor. My steak was juicy and a nice color for medium well.  Although I don’t enjoy a charcoal taste the steak itself was well prepared.  Full of flavor with no sauce needed.  My eggs were something I didn’t think possible.  Fried poached eggs in what seemed like a panko crust.  Brilliant.  My homefries had the perfect amount of seasoning and weren’t dried out, making the need to drown it in ketchup unnecessary.  I didn’t even need it.

As I enjoyed my meal in this simply sophisticated environment I became more aware of the features of the restaurant.  My favorite moment is walking through the door and seeing the bar area.  The busy, the calm, I love the bar here.  Natural light comes in and brightens the area, adding to the sky lamps throughout the restaurant.  Even though the dinning room is dimly lit, it’s the perfect contrast to the sun from the big windows.

Hopefully next time I visit Union I can get there on a Saturday at 10:30am and sit near a window so I can not only feel the sun on me, but then I can pay for my meal with about 10 dollars then buy 2 Primosa to wash it all down for about a Whopping total of 30 dollars.   Deal!

Union Bar & Grille
1357 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 423 0555

http://www.unionrestaurant.com/index.php