When was the last time you went to a restaurant and ended up ordering everything on the menu? Well, I almost managed to do just that at the Lambert's brunch the other day. Lambert's, for those readers not familiar with the Austin area, is an upscale barbecue establishment that tries to combine fine dining with brisket and ribs. Basically, it's as far away from Smitty's as you can get while still serving the same type of food.
We went at 11:30 on Sunday, trying to beat the lunch rush, but the place was already bustling. Luckily, we'd gotten reservations and were promptly seated. The waiter came by and explained to us how brunch worked. There's a buffet line you can go through as many times as you want, plus a short menu you can order off of as many times as you like. In short, it's an all-you-can-eat extravaganza for $26. Since all the food is top-notch and prepared fresh for you, this is actually a pretty good deal if you come hungry.
AE and I decided to start by heading for the buffet line. AE was just getting over a bad cold, and didn't have much of an appetite, putting a lot of pressure on me to eat as much as possible to ensure we did get our money's worth. I rose to the occasion as best I could, grabbing the following on my first pass through the line:
Classic New Potato Salad
Jicama and Cilantro Slaw
Deviled Eggs with Caviar
House Smoked Gravlox Salmon
Apple Smoked Bacon
New Potato Home Fires
Brown Sugar and Coffee Rubbed Natural Brisket
All of the food was really good, with the salmon and the truly excellent bacon being my favorites. More importantly, a quick look at that list will show how carefully I was balancing the proteins and carbs to ensure I could eat as much as possible. Pacing yourself is vital at these all-you-can-eat places, and although I don't have much practice at it, I was working hard to keep going for the long haul.
Just as I was finishing up my plate, the waiter came by and I decided to order some stuff off the menu as a change of pace. This time I went with a michelada (bohemian beer with a spicy mix of olives, limes, and ice added...flavorful AND light, which was of course perfect for maximizing food intake), and some eggs Benedict with Niman Ranch ham, poached eggs, and a tasty Tobasco hollandaise sauce.
So far, things were going great....at least until I noticed AE just picking at her food. At that point, she forced upon me some buffet line items she'd snagged but wasn't going to finish. My carefully planned and balanced approach came crashing down under the onslaught of her:
Fresh cut fruit and berries
Chilled Asparagus with Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette
Spicy Breakfast Sausage
Chedder and Roasted Poblano Grits
Baked Mac and Cheese
It doesn't take Takeru Kobayashi or Joey Chestnut to see the problem here...way too many carbs and not enough protein. Even though her food was super tasty, it was also super filling. Just to rub things in a bit, after I ate all of AE's food for her, she revived enough to order some Thick Cut Brioche French Toast and a Banana and Berry smoothie. After I helped her (again!) to finish her french toast, I had only enough room left to order some Smoked Brisket Hash.
Tragically, my planned second trip through the buffet line thus never happened and trying things like the Niman Ranch prime rib and the coriander and maple crusted Berkshire pork ribs would have to wait for another trip. Oh, I did manage to grab some fried pie as I waddled out though. I think Miss "my eyes are bigger than my stomach" enjoyed it too...the picture at the start of this entry was stolen off of flickr from someone with better photo skills than me, but it does a good job of capturing what was on AE's plate.
Anyway, it was an extremely tasty time, even if I did end up having to take the dogs for a long calorie-burning walk after being such a pig.
