Chez Zee
5406 Balcones, 454-2666
Brunch Menu, Sat-Sun , 9am-3pm
Brunch at this Austin favorite is a calling, a true vocation. It’s an event filled with rich, decadent treats, and sumptuous beverages. A tinkling piano fills the crowded room as scores of people make this the destination that makes their weekend special. Offered from 9am-3pm on Saturdays and Sundays, the brunch is selected from a special menu, not a buffet. The signature croissants with strawberry butter accompany every meal, which might well begin with a frozen peach bellini ($4.95), served slushy. On a recent trip we sampled the Southwest Maryland Crab Cake Benedict — two roasted corn and crab cakes, topped with two poached eggs, and bernaise sauce ($13.95) — and a fresh spinach and mushroom omelette ($9.95). While neither option could possibly be considered diet material, the crab cake really reached far into the sinful territory. It’s delicious, silky, and beyond rich. The omelette was overstuffed with mounds of buttery sautéed mushrooms and freshly wilted spinach and together with the fried country potatoes (which came with both items), it made a feast that proved more than either one of us could handle in one sitting. Other favorites of the house are the Crème Brûlée French Toast ($11.95) and the Toasted Pecan Belgian Waffle Platter (10.95), plus the usual (and lovely) suspects of assorted omelettes, pancakes, migas, etc. If you pace yourself, you might make it to the impressive dessert case. It’ll make your weekend and the food will hold you almost as long.
This article appears in March 16 • 2001.