Your Next Brunch Starts Here

There's nothing more daunting than waking up on a Sunday morning, STARVING. I'm talking about the kind of hunger that convinces you that you might have neglected to feed yourself for 17 days in a row. *and let's be real, we all know you ate ice cream right before you went to bed*

You peel yourself away from cozy linen sheets, wishing you could teleport to the kitchen. When you finally make it there, your eyes light up as you grudgingly open the refrigerator door... to find absolutely nothing. NOT EVEN A BANANA, GUYS. And then it starts.

The mental scavenger hunt that begins with food lust and ends with the perfect brunch.

Next time the little voice in your head is ravenously begging you to pick a restaurant, tell it to relax. Because I'm taking you to Noble Crust.

The first thing you should know about Noble Crust is that you can enjoy it in three locations - St. Petersburg, Carrollwood and Wesley Chapel. This blog is a recap of my visit to the St. Petersburg location.

Traipsing through their front door in my Sunday Best was kind of like a dream. The space has tremendously high ceilings, open and sunkissed, with tons of light flowing through gigantic windows. It's the kind of restaurant you want to take pictures in, and then frame them for your living room. Do people still do that?

Immediately after sitting down I was greeted by a brunch menu complete with an eclectic list of boozy beverages.

My friend Bridgette and I ordered a Pisco Punch (Pisco, St. Germain, house-made strawberry shrub, Prosecco) and a St. Pete Summer (Death's Door Gin, Green Chartreuse, fresh pineapple, mint, lime) before diving into the food menu. Both were well balanced bevs with personality. I particularly enjoyed the sweetness of the fresh pineapple, tamed by the the bite from the lime and gin in the St. Pete Summer cocktail.

The brunch menu is extensive, highlighting specialty breakfast items with a hint of their traditional offerings. Naturally, we couldn't resist the Fried Chicken and Waffles. Because is it REALLY brunch if you don't order Fried Chicken and Waffles? When that mountain of heaven landed on the table, there was a moment of silence for everything that's right in the world. It was smothered in pecan butter and bourbon maple syrup, and served with apple-fennel slaw. PRAISE BE. Sweet flavors dancing with savory, crispy fried chicken is a party I want to be invited to, again and again.

I was having a tremendously hard time deciding what to order (what else is new?), mainly because I really wanted fried green tomatoes AND a brunch item. You know what they say, don't judge a girl by her calorie count. This debacle led me to the Southern Benny, and I couldn't of been more thrilled. Two beautifully poached eggs sitting on top of country ham, fried green tomatoes and a buttermilk biscuit - all drenched in brown butter hollandaise.

Sliding my knife through the poached egg created a perfectly swimmable yolk pool on the plate. The crunch and warmth from the fried green tomatoes next to the saltiness of the ham was enough for me to die a little happier. The eggs and brown butter hollandaise were diligent co-stars, bringing the whole dish together. The entire combination made for a textural celebration in my mouth.

After the main course, I raised my white appetite flag. The Warm Chocolate Budino was calling out to me, but meeting it half way would of meant unbuttoning my pants. And I can't be the girl who unbuttons at brunch.

Check out the brunch menu and let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

With resting brunch face,

xo

Melissa