Since opening in September of last year, Bacari PDR has quickly become the go-to place for tapas in the Marina.  In January, they added brunch on the weekends.  Here’s a look at what they’re serving for the most important meal of a weekend day.

A Bottomless and Boozey Lineup for Beverages

Mimosas are the requisite beverages for brunch and Bacari offers them up with a deal:  For $15/person, guests can have their choice of mimosa, strawberry Bellini, or sangria for one hour.

Bloody Mary enthusiast will be pleased with the peppery Bloody Bacari: house-made Bloody mix, vodka, tapatio, and a crunchy pickle.  For a slightly warmer pick me up, the Toddy Del Rey is a nice take on the hot toddy with hot tea, whiskey, ginger liqueur, and lemon.  The Toddy also includes falernum, a clove-flavored simple syrup.

The Toddy Del Rey, a Whiskey+ginger hot toddy.
The Toddy Del Rey, a Whiskey+ginger hot toddy.
The Bloddy Bacari.
The Bloddy Bacari.

Savory Plates Stay Sunny Side Up

Since all plates are served tapas style, they’re perfect for sharing or keeping to yourself.  Please are around $7 each or three for $19 which means can bring a friend or two and have your own little brunch sampler.

Of course, eggs are omnipresent on the menu with other savory items thrown in.

The goat cheese polenta was a standout: crispy chunks of polenta doused in lamb ragu and chipotle pepper sauce were topped with a fried egg.  The polenta was perfectly al dente and the lamb ragu was worth eating all by itself.  The chipotle pepper sauce was good enough to make the plate worthy of being licked clean!

Goat cheese polenta with lamb ragu and chipotle sauce.
Goat cheese polenta with lamb ragu and chipotle sauce.

One of the prettiest items on the menu – and equally tasty – was the croque madame.  A more simple version of this dish might be called SOS or Stuff on a Shingle…you get the picture.  But this one was much more elegant than that.  The caramelized pastrami provided the meat element with a taste clearly reminiscent of a corned beef hash.  Over the pastrami was draped a fried egg topped with a five-cheese sauce.  All of this was served open face on a piece of toasted bread.

Croque madame is like an elevated SOS.
Croque madame is like an elevated SOS.

Other items worth noting are the crab cake benedict ($8) mainly for its tender and crispy crab cake topped with grapefruit hollandaise (grapefruit? really!? yes, really.) and the yam cakes sandwiched with kale and poblano pepper cream.

Yam cakes with fresh kale.
Yam cakes with fresh kale.
Crab cake with grapefruit hollandaise.
Crab cake with grapefruit hollandaise.

A Sweeter Side, Too

Of course, brunch wouldn’t be brunch if it wasn’t sweet.  Bacari’s menu has that covered with French toast and pancakes.  The toast being made from house baked brioche and the pancakes made with flax and hemp seeds and whole wheat flour.  The finishing touch is a topping of fresh fruit.

I’ll add that the French toast and pancakes are small but hearty servings that warrant sharing; still, if you’re with a hungy bunch get two of these plates to go around.

Bacaro pancakes
Bacaro pancakes; whole wheat flour and seeds give these cakes some heft.
2015-03-22 Brunch at Bacari PDR 021
The Bacaro pancakes are a small plate but they’re a mouthful. Share!

A Shareable Brunch Over the Hump

I like that fact that Bacari’s brunch menu extends the “Sunday fun day” experience by offering an opportunity to sample multiple dishes and share them with companions.

Brunch service at Bacari PDR is Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 2:30 PM; plan to go as early as possible to miss the rush.  The stellar menu crossed with an intimate dining room can make for a wait time, but it’ll be worth it.