Yes, it’s still me. The Foodinator. However, with enough whining and complaining, The Insiders finally allowed me to change my name. I think my new name will also help readers understand what they’re in for.
Goodbye Foodinator, hello Food Snob. On with the snobbiness!
A male minion and I recently took advantage of the Sunday breakfast buffet at The Red Blazer, 72 Manchester St. As I’ve mentioned in a previous article, I don’t usually do buffets. I cannot stand having to wait in line while others hover over the food I’m about to eat. I prefer to be waited on. Always.
However, a friend of The Insider recommended The Red Blazer. I admit I was a little dubious of her description of the restaurant’s “famous” egg lasagna. I believe her words were, “I know it looks disgusting, but you have to try it.” Doesn’t she know that looks are everything to the Food Snob?
I did some research, though, and found out The Red Blazer had a Bloody Mary bar featuring over 30 varieties of vodka. Ah, nothing beats a Saturday night of drinking like rolling out of bed and sucking down more alcohol. I was sold.
On Saturday night, I made sure to have a couple extra Tom Collins so I could fully enjoy my a.m. Bloody Mary. My minion and I made it to the Red Blazer at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Sunday (the buffet runs from 8 a.m. to noon.) We took a seat in the bar because the dining room, where the buffet tables are placed, seemed just a little too loud for me and my Tom Collins-induced headache. The bar was peaceful and quiet at this time of day. I imagine if I wanted to engage my minion in conversation, we could have done so without having to yell “What?” over screaming children and hungry patrons. That is, if I wanted to have a conversation with him, of course.
When our perky waitress came over and asked for our drink order, I ended up skipping the Bloody Mary and went for a black coffee and several glasses of water instead. While she was getting our drinks, my minion and I made our way over to the buffet. As I walked into the dining room, a delectable smell wafted up my nose.
Not only were there buffet tables filled with breakfast favorites and pastries, but you could also get such items as Belgian waffles, pancakes, omelets and fried eggs made to order. I was too hungry to take advantage of such deliciousness, so I headed straight to the buffet, while my minion stood in line for an omelet. I do not do lines.
At the buffet, I spotted the infamous egg lasagna. It did not look nearly as disgusting as I imagined, so I transported a hearty piece of it to my plate. I also piled on home fries, sausage biscuits with gravy, bacon and some fruit for good measure, before heading back to the bar. Hey, I don’t keep my outstanding figure by eating only bacon.
Minion returned with his omelet and two plates of various buffet items. I had already begun to dig in on the lasagna, and it was admittedly the best breakfast item I have ever had. This egg innovation had actual lasagna noodles in it, egg and lots and lots of cheese. I am pretty sure I picked up a hint of blue cheese in it, but I could be wrong as my taste buds don’t work to full potential until lunchtime. It wasn’t so much eggy as it was cheesy, which is what made me like it so much. I’m not too into eggs, unless it’s the “nog” variety.
My next-favorite items on my plate were the sausage biscuits. The small bite-sized biscuits had pieces of sausage inside them and were coated with a thick, scrumptious gravy. Yum. I had never seen something quite like these, and although the egg lasagna was my favorite, I admittedly craved sausage biscuits for weeks after eating them here.
When I decided to talk to my minion sitting across from me, I asked him what his favorite item was. His heart belonged to the eggs benedict. He said that the popular breakfast treat tasted as if it was made-to-order, even though it was a buffet item. The yoke oozed out when he cut in, instead of becoming congealed like most buffet items do after sitting on a table for an hour.
Not only was the food great and all you can eat – the price was right, too. The buffet is $9.95, $5.95 for children 5 to 10 years old, and children under 5 eat for free. Sorry, this does not include beverages. So that means you can’t get unlimited Bloody Mary’s included in the $9.95. It’s probably for the best.
The only thing I didn’t like about the buffet was that it ends at noon. I love nothing more than sleeping until noon on a Sunday, so this meant I had to get up “early.” This face doesn’t maintain its youthful glow by going to bed at 2 a.m. after my date with Tom Collins on Saturday night and then rising bright ’n’ early at 9 a.m., you know what I mean? Nonetheless, I would go back despite the fact that the world doesn’t revolve around me and breakfast isn’t available at the exact moment I happen to want it.
The Food Snob
The Red Blazer Restaurant and Pub, 72 Manchester St., 224-4101, wwww.theredblazer.com.
Sunday breakfast buffet hours: 8 a.m. to noon Restaurant hours:
Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The pub is open until midnight Monday through Thursday and until 12:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
