Ugly American Brunch

Update: Chefs David and Carla Gilberg left the Ugly American and opened their own excellent restaurant called Koo Zee Doo, in Northern Liberties.  The Ugly American is still in business, but seems to have scaled-back the food side of their operation.

Several comments on the earlier post here about the Ugly American raved about brunch. I'm just cynical enough to wonder about the sincerity of anonymous posts, so I felt the need to check it out for myself. I think brunch can be summed-up by the photo at the left. Which is to say, banging. The biscuits with sausage gravy were absolutely fantastic. The sausage itself was a little untraditional, more of a sweet Italian style than a rustic country one, but that's of little consequence because the whole package worked beautifully. The creamy sauce was rich, but not too thick, which too often bogs-down unskilled versions of this dish. The eggs were poached perfectly, still a little soft and runny. The biscuit was first-rate: a little sweet, almost cakey, but substantial enough to hold up to the hearty topping. The portion was very generous. Looking at the following photos, I'm not sure that the portion size communicates very well, they're pretty big plates, and the serving sizes were pretty satisfying all around.

We also sampled a Lobster Omelet, which was very well-executed, with fluffy eggs surrounding a creamy, cheesey sauce with lumps of lobster. Roasted potatoes were good too.

French Toast was good, if not especially outstanding. It was executed well, and was served with good maple syrup, the bananas went well with it. I think we're spoiled by the crazy versions at Carman's, and so, expect French Toast to be a riot on the plate. Still, there's something to be said for a basic rendition.

There's also much to recommend basic ham and eggs, when the ham is this good, and the eggs are properly cooked, and especially when it comes with one of those biscuits.

Coffee cups were a little small, but they came around with refills often enough that it wasn't an issue. The space was mysteriously not packed, in fact almost empty, although we were there on the late end of brunch service, which ends at 3pm. I'm confident there were still long waits at Sabrina's and Morning Glory at that time. Seize the moment, get in here before the word gets out and it becomes totally jammed. The menu's not huge, but the food's very good. And no matter what you do, don't miss the biscuits.