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Acitron Cocina Mexicana – Arlington, MA

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Acitron Cocina Mexicana

When the Talls and I first moved into this area, we immediately went on the hunt for a regular brunch place.  We were shocked to find none we liked within walking distance.  This was before Madrona Tree started to do brunch (although their hours are still fucking short.  Who the hell stops breakfast food at 11am on a Sunday!?), and we were bereft.  Where would I get my french toast fix?  Who would ply us with sausage and bacon?  It was all very sad, especially since Somerville and its fabulous collection of brunch places were right fucking there and we had easy access to both a car and buses.  But we sobbed anyway.  It was really pathetic.  It did lead to the creation of the Brunch it Yourself shit though, so that was good.

But lo, the Internet did say that a fancy-great Mexican place nearby had a great brunch!  We were skeptical, but desperate.  So off we went to Acitron, which has since become our local brunch go-to.  Isn’t that always how these melodramatic stories go?

Huevos Benedictos - please note the inclusion of an ENTIRE avocado.

Huevos Benedictos – please note the inclusion of an ENTIRE avocado.

Acitron’s food is great and the staff are fabulous.  They tend towards the savory and you can even get a really great omelet with cactus in it.  There’s still crepes and french toast, but I haven’t even tried that yet because their egg-based concoctions are JUST SO GOOD.  Also, every plate gets tasty fresh fruit as a side, and how can I say no to that?

Fresh made tamale! So delicious she forgot to eat her black beans.

Fresh made tamale! So delicious she forgot to eat her black beans.

There's some fab hash under all that egg.

There’s some fab hash under all that egg.

Learn from me, brunchies: don’t be afraid to go to a restaurant that makes no intuitive sense as a brunch place.  It may just be the greatest brunch place of all.

The Burren – Somerville, MA (Davis Square)

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The Burren

Pub Brunches are to be found all over the place, I’m sure, but I associate them closely with Boston and its surrounding towns because that’s where I’ve eaten them most frequently.  I also spent a year of undergrad in Lancashire, England, so I have some pub brunch feelings left over from that.  Basically I would like there to be a lot of meat on the menu.

The Burren in Davis Square is an Irish pub that has benches and tables that remind me strongly of my week in Dublin.  They do great food, drink, and music during non-brunch times, and some pretty solid brunch Saturday and Sunday mornings.  They are also THE place to go in this area for a full Irish breakfast.  What is a full Irish breakfast you ask?  From their website:

  • 2 Irish rashers
  • 1 Irish sausage
  • black & white pudding
  • 2 eggs
  • grilled tomato
  • Irish baked beans
  • Irish brown bread

Neither I nor my lovely brunching companion order this as we and our stomachs are small.  But if you’re a tall person with lots of space in your legs, please order this and chow down.  I’ve stolen parts of this from others, and it is all delicious.

The Farmhouse Omelette

The Farmhouse Omelette: cheddar cheese, ham, onion, tomato, and onion

Although they have french toast I decided to branch out and go omelette.  It was delicious and perfectly cooked.  I didn’t even touch the toast and potatoes because the omelette filled me up so well.  The Burren is a place to arrive hungry.

The Black Bean Burrito: Scrambled eggs, black beans, onion, green pepper, spinach, avocado & salsa, rolled into a fresh tortilla & served with homefries or grilled mash

The Black Bean Burrito: Scrambled eggs, black beans, onion, green pepper, spinach, avocado & salsa, rolled into a fresh tortilla & served with homefries or grilled mash

My friend went for the above, and although I didn’t steal a bite whilst challenging myself to defeat my omelette, I have it on good authority that it was super tasty and also very filling.  Said friend is an avocado authority, so if they gave this a thumbs up they definitely nailed that aspect.

They also have a kids menu (with a mini Irish breakfast!), french toast and pancakes both come automatically with real maple syrup, and vegetarian dishes.  As far as I can tell, all of the servers also have real Irish accents.  I’ve always gotten great service here, and that combined with lovely food makes this a nice place to grab a simple but very filling brunch.

How to Brunch without Fucking Up

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A few easy tips and admonishments to improve your brunching experience:

  1. Know your area.  How can you know where the good restaurants are if you don’t?  Do some research to help expand your knowledge.  Places like The Internet can tell you a bajillion useful things, such as how awesome other people think your local diner is and that it closed three years ago.  Wandering around town and complaining about a lack of brunch places is not an acceptable substitute for this.
  2. Avoid the rush. One of the biggest complaints I’ve seen about brunch is that the wait is soooooo long because hipsters and their damn skinny jeans took my spot!  Dude, regardless of how tight the jeans on the forty people in front of you in line are, they are all there for the same reason: tasty food.  Do not go at peak brunch time (often a 11) and then bitch about other people wanting to eat.  Go back to the internet, see when the place opens, and next time go earlier or later.  Yelp posters will definitely tell you when no tables will be free just as surely as someone will give a great place one star because their water was only refilled fifty times.
  3. Know your allergies and dietary needs. Brunch is fab but very high in gluten, allergens, and meat.  Again, internet it and possibly call ahead if you have serious dining concerns to make sure your chosen restaurant can feed you safely as well as deliciously.
  4. Try new shit. I know my other points can be boiled down to “Seriously, look at the internet first,” but this one lies within each of us.  Loosen up.  Try a new place.  Try a new meal!  Be prepared to love it, hate it, or forever have a new embarrassing story to tell you friends. Go as slow as blueberry and banana pancakes or all the way to the french toast burger.  But seriously, try something new every so often.

And for the love of challah, stop complaining about things that you can easily fix with the supercomputer in your pocket.