Bluegrass Grill and Bakery

Half the people in this town will tell you that a brunch at the Bluegrass Grill and Bakery is a key part of any good weekend plan. But my weekend plan usually involves the following: wake up starving, decide Bluegrass sounds like a good idea, drive past Bluegrass and see a line of 20 people waiting outside, feel hungry and grumpy, decide it will take too long to wait, go somewhere else. This repeated pattern has led me to my wisest Bluegrass lesson: go during the week.

As a result, I can’t remember the last time I actually enjoyed a weekend brunch at Bluegrass. I suppose it’s a victim of its own success. But it does make for a wonderful weekday treat for those of us with less patience. Located in the Glass Building, the ambience is nicely relaxed: a mix between a country diner and window-heavy urban loft with a Bluegrass soundtrack playing in the background. Continuing that theme, the staff is often a mix between small town friendly and hipster too-coolness.

The food is old fashioned goodness with a twist of fresh. It’s solid, filling Southern brunch food that’s healthier and a tad more unique than you would expect. Their flagship food, the whole wheat biscuit, is a perfect representation of this. Some may wonder why in the world you would want a healthy biscuit, but I appreciate feeling smug and fit as I eat my brunch sides.

While we rarely venture away from our favorite Bluegrass dishes like the stellar Cilantro Lime Tofu Hash, which I promise would make even my grandpa a tofu lover, on our most recent visit we braved new dishes in pursuit of a more balanced review with a Mediterranean Frittata and P3 – a pile of potatoes with chorizo, cheddar cheese, onions, and peppers. The results were not as good as the classics, but Bluegrass always stands strong. Just be prepared to stand strong on the weekends.

Jed says: “Don’t get the chorizo.”

Rating: Erin: Jed: