The Beach House Cafe in South Norwalk CT

Social Media Promotion: Sponsored  

Brunch at the Beach House Café in South Norwalk CT

There's a new restaurant serving up a delightful brunch in South Norwalk CT - the Beach House Café of SoNo! Located right across the street from The Maritime Aquarium and Museum and the Norwalk Seaport Dock, the Beach House Café features some delicious offerings for brunch on Sundays that are sure to please. We received an invite last week to sample restaurateur Kane Xu's new brunch menu. Fairfield county foodies may remember Xu from the popular French-Asian Fusion eatery in Cos Cob, Nuage). Xu re-opened the Beach House Café in Old Greenwich in the fall of 2016, and also took over South Norwalk’s low-country cuisine locale, Mama’s Boy. Xu made the bold move to convert SoNo's well know Mama's Boy Restaurant and Southern Refuge into another seafood themed Beach House Café, the Beach House Café of South Norwalk!
  

“As bold as it may have seemed to some, for me it made perfect sense to create a seafood restaurant being located in a coastal community, just steps away from the Maritime Aquarium and the Seaport Dock,” explains Xu, “And the seafood concept is really where we shine.”

The Beach House SoNo is nautical in theme, taking a page from an ocean-side hotel bar and restaurant. Dockline roping drapes above the reclaimed wood-paneled bar. Massive boating prints, hanging canoes, mounted oars, and dock master lanterns complete this waterside retreat. 

Sunday brunch, also featuring live music by local artists, and private party capabilities round out the Beach House Café experience. On his brunch menu, Xu also kept some of the 'southern favorites' that the location was well known for, like Fried Green Tomatoes, Chicken and Waffles, and my personal favorite, Shrimp and Grits. 

Here are some of the items we sampled - starting from their creative cocktail menu!

Although I'm typically a Bloody Mary Brunch person, and the Beach House serves a killer one called "Ring of Fire" (uh, YUM!) on this particular day I thought I'd go with something a bit more fruity, selecting the Blood Orange Margarita! Definitely a great choice - smooth and frothy and the perfect tang to clear the palate and start the day!

Blood Orange Margarita
Jose Cuervo Tequila, Thatcher's Blood Orange
Tripe Sec, Fresh Lime 

Here are some of the offerings that my tablemates selected - starting with the aforementioned staple at brunches, the Ring of Fire Bloody Mary.

Ring of Fire Bloody Mary
House Bloody Mary Mix - Jalapeno Peppers
(also available by the pitcher)

If that Bloody Mary causes too much 'heat' - how about a cool Coconut Mojito to simmer down the fire?

Coconut Mojito
Cream of Coconut, Captain Morgan White Rum
Malibu Rum, Muddled Fresh Mint with Lime, Club Soda

If you prefer something a bit lighter, how about the crisp and clean "Dutch Boy"?

The Dutch Boy
Ketel One Vodka, Fresh Lemon
Simple Syrup, Champagne

Prefer bourbon and whiskey? They have the Nutty Bulleit and the Best Dang Manhattan. Both made with Bulleit bourbon.

Best Dang Manhattan
Bulleit Bourbon, Cocchi,
luxardo brandied cherry

Another traditional brunch drink is the Mimosa, and at The Beach House, they're almost bottomless. Pay $9.50 for your first glass, and refills are only $2.00 (prices are from March 2018). 

Almost Bottomless Mimosa

Another table favorite was the Pear Necessity - another great way to start a brunch day!

Pear Necessity
Absolut Pear Vodka, Elderflower Liquer
Pear Nectar, Champagne

After sipping and getting caught up with one another over cocktails we moved on to our tasting portion of the day, starting with a delicious 'charcuterie' or Meat and Cheese Plate. This fun platter would be great any time of day to sip some cocktails and nibble on some fun flavors!

Meat & Cheese Plate
prosicutta sopressata and capocolla, marinated olives
house select gourmet cheeses

On our visit this meat and cheese plate included a blueberry and vanilla goat cheese that was out of this world good! I couldn't get enough of it - and I'm on the search to find some or recreate it myself!

Then it was time for some starters and small plates like brunch wontons, deviled eggs, and tuna tartare. 

Delicious Brunch Wontons
with cream cheese, lightly fried with pepper jelly

Deviled Eggs

Tuna Tartare
avocado, scallion, masago, spicy sesame soy

After whetting our appetite with these delicious teasers we moved on to the plate portions of the brunch menu, sampling an Organic Salmon BLT, Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs with Sausage Gravy, Chicken and Waffles, Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict (!!!), and a southern favorite, Shrimp and Grits!

Organic Salmon BLT
Grilled salmon, lettuce and tomatoes, bacon,
dressed with cilantro jalapeno aioli,
served with french fried

I love that the Beach House had so many classic southern dishes on the menu, while adding their fresh new spin on the flavor profiles.

Chicken Fried Steak
Tender pounded 'chicken fried' steak (breaded and country fried)
Smoked paprika pork sausage gravy, breakfast potatoes
sunny side egg

Chicken and Waffles
marinated country fried chicken,
fresh made waffle, habanero jelly,
Brookside Farms Maple Syrup

Oh - the Crab Cakes Benedict was a DREAM! This crab cake nestled under the Eggs Benny was a surefire way to win my heart over! As much as I love a classic eggs benedict - this version was equally delicious with a sweet little crab cake accompanying the poached eggs. There was also a "Lobster Benedict" version available that substituted a grits cake with the lobster. 

Crab Cakes Benedict
Poached Eggs, hollandaise, baby greens
Crab Cakes

And how about this creamy delicious bowl of Shrimp and Grits! 

Shrimp and Grits
Slow Cooked Grits, Smoked Tasso (pork) Spring onions
Pimento Gravy

Moving on to our finale tastes of the day were two incredibly good desserts, a Pistachio Cake with the perfect balance of pistachio flavors, and a decadent Gorilla Bread (which is actually on the starter menu - but would make for the perfect "happy ending")

Pistachio Cake

Gorilla Bread
Cinnamon Roll filled with cream cheese,
dulce de leche sauce, praline pecans

I cannot begin to describe how wonderful everything we sampled was, and I'm so glad I'm ending with the Gorilla Bread because it was truly one of the highlights of our sampling. Light and fluffy and so decadently delicious, I could have it as a starter, as a dessert, or anything in between. It was definitely soooo good - and the 'exclamation point' to a fun brunch at the Beach House!

Be sure that you visit the Beach House Café in South Norwalk soon! 

Beach House - SoNo

19 N Water Street
South Norwalk CT 06854
203.956.7171

http://www.beachhousecafe.com/
http://bhsono.com/


Disclaimer: We were invited to Beach House So No by members of their management and marketing team, however, the opinions expressed are entirely our own.

©  Home Place 2018