There was a time when people didn’t mind standing in line for a fabulous breakfast. Bard’s in the Heights was one of those places, and we miss it still. It was the perfect way to ease into a Saturday or Sunday. You could see people you knew or wanted to know, and waitresses knew your name and what you wanted to order.
That was then. This is now. Breakfast and brunch are back, but in style and upscale.
Nancy Tesmer is known for her work at Lilly’s Dim Sum, Then Some in the Market Place Shopping Center. She’d been thinking about breakfast for quite a while. Using the party room from Lilly’s as a breakfast room was a fairly easy undertaking. When she made up her mind it was full tilt boogie. If you want eggs, bacon, hash, French toast, pancakes, waffles and biscuits, The B-Side is your place. Or if you want something a little different, this is your place.
We visited the first time around 10 a.m. on a Saturday. There were a few people standing in line, but because Tesmer suggested we share a table with another couple at the back of the room, we did not wait. For us, sexy jazz was perfect for a quiet, lazy day. And we saw people we knew.
I ordered vegetarian hash ($7.99) and my husband ordered the waffles ($5.99); a safe bet. Fresh squeezed orange juice in a small glass seemed extravagant at $3.99, but it tasted so good I didn’t care. The hash arrived, and as advertised it included crisp potatoes, onions, peppers, slow cooked tomatoes and cheese. I ate every bite.
On a second Saturday visit my husband tried French toast kabob, French toast on a stick wrapped with bacon and drizzled with maple syrup ($7). It’s a little different, but it was fine. He also tasted the crispy beignets with lemon curd and whipped cream ($8.49). No food for me, but I did manage to drink a mimosa made with that delicious fresh-squeezed orange juice. It’s served in a small flute ($6), so watch yourself.
Jeffrey Moore, B-Side chef, has teamed up with Tesmer to create a number of breakfast dishes that you probably haven’t tasted in your regular coffee shop. I never saw a frittata on Bard’s menu, but it sure looks great ($7.99). Some dishes just have a different name, like biscuit mountain, a concoction of buttermilk biscuits, sausage and Pommes Rosti topped with a house-made sausage gravy and two pan-fried eggs ($10.99). Figgy piggy is a glazed pork tenderloin with sweet potato hash ($11.99). Fried chicken and waffle is just what it says, a golden boneless leg of chicken and a waffle ($11.49). Thankfully Moore added a healthful, gorgeous fruit and yogurt parfait with homemade granola ($6.99).
Next visit I plan to check out Lil’uns (what they call their “sides”; the main dishes are called “Big’uns”). Smoked gouda grits ($2.99), oatmeal with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon ($2.49), fruit plate, and Pommes Rosti ($2.99) are just a few of the offerings.
Service was flawless. Dishes were brought out by one person, and coffee was added by someone else. Tesmer seemed to visit with everyone. Watching the wait staff was like watching water ballet, smooth and effortless. The décor is peaceful. Art decorates the soft yellow walls of the square room. Ah, just like we wanted.
More in Our Restaurants Directory