Another weekend, another brunch: and this is a good one. Al Dente, a charming Italian spot in northwest, offers a rustic Italian brunch guaranteed to leave you so satisfied you will spend the rest of the day basking in the afterglow.
Al Dente is tucked into a small shopping center on Mexico Ave, which means it is relatively quiet at brunch time. This means you can have a long, luxurious brunch, complete with mimosas and as many courses as you want without feeling rushed.
Al Dente offers a $19.95 brunch option which includes a brunch cocktail, an appetizer and entrée. It’s an awesome deal, considering the options on the brunch menu, but it’s also not your only option. Their entire dinner menu is available as well, so you can feel free to order from that menu if there are items on it that you just can’t pass up.
Highlights on the brunch menu include the ricotta crostini, a crunchy-creamy-nutty situation that includes jagged pieces of crostini generously smothered in luscious ricotta, embellished with crushed smoked hazelnuts and drizzled with copious amounts of honey. You will eat it and only want more. The onion polenta and poached eggs dish is equally as satisfying, with mounds of velvety polenta, creamed onions, and fontina cheese that enrobe two perfectly cooked poached eggs. It’s sinfully delicious. Italian toast, a porcini mushroom frittata, and fettuccine tossed with tomatoes and basil are also brunch menu options.
If you stray from the brunch menu, go for the fried stuffed squash blossoms. So good. So so good. No words. All of the pastas are also a win; a current favorite is the butternut squash cappellacci which is drowned in a decadent butter sauce.
For dessert: lemon ricotta pancakes. Nutella and strawberries are involved. Just do it.
