Enjoying Brunch at Saint Marc in Huntington Beach

Who doesn’t like brunch? A combination of the best breakfast and lunch items it’s the ultimate dining out experience. Recently, I was invited to try out a new brunch debuting in Orange County at Saint Marc Pub-Cafe, Bakery & Cheese Affinage.

Saint Marc is a new dining concept at the Pacific City center in Huntington Beach. In addition to the restaurant is a small market and cheese shop that offers some of the best cheeses available. As much as I love cheese it wasn’t the reason for my recent visit. After all, it was brunch time and I was ready to chow down. So I grabbed one of my closest friends and we began to explore the menu. The brunch menu is chock full of sweet and savory items. Rather than dive into it on our own we let the chef direct our meal and he brought us out a bevvy of items.

We started out with the Aperol Spritz and the “free flow bread” an endless supply of complimentary rolls and honey butter. The piping hot bread and the champagne cocktail were an excellent start to our meal.

We then had a sampling of sweet starters – lemon ricotta beignets and an assortment of danishes including peach bacon and strawberry almond. The beignets were heavenly – soft and fluffy with a subtle lemon flavor. The danish was also delicious but I had to limit my tastes because we had a lot more coming.

Avocado toast and handmade quiche. Now, I must admit I’m not a quiche fan but for journalism’s sake I decided to try it. Wow! I think I’m a convert. Made with leeks, bacon and gruyere it was chock full of flavor and absolutely delicious.

One of the funnest drinks on the menu is the Saint Marc Twisted Grapefruit. A special tool imported from Japan blends the grapefruit in it’s skin leaving room for mixers to be added. We opted for vodka and it was a refreshingly tasty beverage.

We also tried the swine plate – Saint Marc’s take on charcuterie. The plate is customizable but we let the chef take charge on this one and it was a delicious array of meats. I particularly enjoyed pairing the bacon with the honeycomb. So tasty! Speaking of bacon…Saint Marc’s has a bacon bar offering 11 varieties of the tasty meat. The fun part is that each one can be ordered a la carte as an added bonus to any meal.

We sampled a few including apple pie, coffee, paprika and garlic parmesan. I loved the apple pie – the cinnamon sugar coating paired fabulously with the pork but I don’ t think I’ll want coffee rubbed bacon again anytime soon.  As if we didn’t already have enough to eat we were presented with three entrees.

The restaurant’s take on the infamous “S-O-S” dish, Biscuits and Gravy and Ham and Eggs. The S-O-S consisted of Pullman toast topped with chipped bacon and gravy and was filled with flavor. The Biscuits and Gravy was a pile of cheddar biscuits topped with sausage gravy and was my friend’s favorite dish. The Ham and Eggs was fried green tomatoes topped with scrambled eggs, ham and cheese fondue. It was hands down my favorite dish. The tomatoes were fried perfectly, the eggs were fluffy, the ham was fresh and the cheese fondue was filled with flavor. Combined the ingredients made for the perfect entree.

After all this food there was only one thing left to do.

Jell-o shots! Orange jell-o and vodka – what a way to end a meal.

I loved the brunch at Saint Marc and can’t wait to go back. Luckily, I won’t have to wait long because brunch is available 7 days a week! Saint Marc decided diners shouldn’t have to wait until Sunday to enjoy brunch. It should be enjoyed all week long! Monday through Saturday you can find it from 8am-11am and Sunday from 8am-2pm. Enjoy!