Breakfast food is one of those things that everyone likes. We want to eat breakfast not only in the morning, but at lunchtime or even in the middle of the night. But it’s at least a good reason to get out of the house on a Sunday morning (or afternoon), especially if you’re going to the Rookwood restaurant in Mount Adams. The historical Cincinnati landmark has recently been reborn as a restaurant and bar and is now offering Sunday brunch.
I pried myself from bed on a recent Sunday morning and recruited a couple of sleepy but willing friends to go check it out. We hadn’t made reservations, but it was not a problem. We were taken to a table immediately. There are a few different seating areas in the restaurant and we were seated in a clean room with lots of windows, adjacent to the bar.
The brunch menu will change frequently, which was probably the inspiration for the simple paper menus clipped onto a small clipboard. I’m still not sure how I feel about the idea of having cocktails on a brunch menu, but one of them did include bacon-infused vodka so I guess it’s appropriate. Other creative cocktails and variations on Bloody Marys are also available. The rest of the menu is comprised of an assortment of pastries made in-house and other breakfast items made with local ingredients like the Ricotta Pancakes, Vanilla French Toast and Omelettes made with local organic eggs.
I ordered the Country Omelette ($12) with ham, cheese and onion. It was served with a link of sausage and delicious white beans with a red sauce. The omelette was hot and fluffy, but something about the ham inside was too much for me. The sausage and the beans were very good.
The Belgium Waffles ($5) seemed to be the popular Jean-Francois version with a sweet citrus cream. We found the cream sauce to be somewhat boring, but it’s hard to ruin one of those waffles. A nice side of fruit ($3) included blueberries, strawberries, kiwi slices and grapes that complemented the waffles well.
The Vanilla French Toast ($11) was served with banana slices on top. It was pretty standard but very good. The fresh squeezed orange juice ($5) made the whole experience even better. More restaurants should offer fresh juices.
Speaking of fresh, the views of Mount Adams and the artwork of the talented Julie Hill (look for the banners and birds) add a nice visual appeal. To top it all off, the service was great. If this incarnation of the Rookwood space keeps up its momentum, it will keep Cincinnatians dining in style for a long time to come.
CONTACT BRIAN CROSS: [email protected]