I love Mimosas. It is a standard that is widely consumed and liked by many, perhaps because it has refreshing citrus flavors and celebratory associations. When I have had a weekend of over-the-top partying, typically spent out of town, it is a requirement of mine to find a breakfast spot that serves this Sunday hangover remedy. Last Sunday, I had not necessarily reached my party limit over the course of the weekend, nonetheless, drinks were required this particular morning. The Mountain Man and I had been half-heartedly planning to hang out since I’ve been back stateside for two months. We pondered where to go – Ruth’s? A favorite but usually packed. The Tin Angel? It serves local produce and features local artwork in the restaurant not to mention has a fun drink menu, but is unfortunately closed on Sundays.
We landed at the Wild Grape, a place I’ve been to a few times but the MM had not yet experienced. This restaurant has been in business for two years and they also offer local produce like cheese from Beehive Cheese and keep their dishes seasonal. They also have wine events where big players in this industry, like Robert Mondavi, stop by to offer his opinions on the matter of his expertise. Impressive he came through actually. I encourage you to check out upcoming events they are hosting, typically wine related. Next Wednesday, December 29th, the winemakers behind the company Donkey & Goat will be present between 6:30-9 to speak about their product and select Syrahs will be paired with a meal. You can bet I will be there before I jet off to California to celebrate the coming of the new year.
It was also a pleasant surprise to discover from a placard at the entrance that The Wild Grape was voted “Best Mimosa” from The City Weekly. After seated, my friend and I browsed through the culinary offerings but the real fun came when we spotted the Mimosa selection on the menu… nine different Mimosas are featured! Not knowing which to choose, we asked that we be served each one of them. Unfortunately, drinks can only be served after noon and we had to be served one glass at a time. Really Utah lawmakers.. stop trying to be a pain for libation lovers! We began breakfast at eleven and enjoyed conversation over coffee and a just-right runny eggs Benedict (mine made vegetarian) with disappointingly over-seasoned hash browns. We also enjoyed the view of some of the hottest boots I have ever seen sported on a confident, edgy and, might I add, just plain sexy woman sitting across the restaurant. The restaurant has large windows which adds such great natural light into the capacious space. Noon came and our friendly waitress knew we were eagerly awaiting our version of Sunday sacrament and jutted out of the back two flutes filled with nitid colored bubbling beverages. We had the following flavors: Strawberry, Prickly Pear, Pineapple, Mango, Peach, Pomegrante, Blackberry and Kiwi. There was one flavor which we forgot to try which was the Blood Orange. I guess I will just have to come back one Sunday to try them all again….darn. Now for the ranking:
Mildred's picks:
1. Strawberry
2. Peach
3. Mango
4. Kiwi
5. Blackberry
6. Pomegrante
7. Prickly Pear
8. Pineapple
The Mountain Man's picks:
1. Peach
2. Kiwi
3. Strawberry
4. Mango
5. Prickly Pear
6. Pomegranite
7. Blackberry
8. Pineapple
While our rankings differed, we did like the same drinks in general opting for the drinks that were not as sweet tasting. The drinks that we did like, oddly enough, were made mostly with syrup while the sweeter drinks, like the Blackberry, were made mainly with fresh fruit puree. The pineapple was bland, hence why it received the lowest score from both of us. The sparkling wine used was Andre, a California extra dry variety. It is a cheap standard but I admit was a good choice which complimented these particular versions of a classic drink. My favorite of this type of beverage is Pierrier-Jouet. I have also tasted Don Perignon once and it tastes surprisingly well with or without orange juice after not having been refrigerated after an all night drinking fest (ahem NYE 2008). That particular New Years, I went to the Bubble Lounge in San Francisco which is one of the only places that you can order DP by the glass. But I also had an open bottle waiting for me at the flat in which I was staying and worked on finishing it the next morning alongside my dark, unflavored coffee. Perhaps on my next visit to France, I will stop getting wasted in Paris and will take a day trip to the Champagne region and further educate my palette for this drinking varietal.
But back to the present story at hand. The Mountain Man and I questioned the waitress if anyone else has been so bold to order every single Mimosa on the menu and she said she has only seen it done one other time where a fun gay group ordered a rainbow spread of Mimosas (since there were 8 people they could order all of the Mimosas at once). I will definitely need to come back with a group and replicate this event. We were feeling really swell after this outing and soon after brunch, I took a nap to recover from all of the work of drinking and judging the various Mimosas. I especially like that I spent the following Sunday downing 8 Mimosas as well! I am agreeable to the idea of keeping this newly found tradition of drinking not only one, but many Mimosas on a Sunday morning.
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