By Priya Konings
At this point there are so many bottomless brunches in D.C. that having brunch without booze is a like taking a taxi instead of an Uber: who does that? One must keep in mind however that not all bottomless brunches are equal, and for that, BYT is here to help you figure out where you will get the best bang for your buck.
DGS Delicatessen (which stands for District Grocery Store Delicatessen) is one of the many restaurants to join the bottomless mimosa craze, and the restaurant has plenty of positives with its modern Jewish cuisine. For brunch, the deal is $27 for all you can drink mimosas, screwdrivers, or Bloody Marys, and your choice of two courses: appetizer and entrée or entrée and dessert. A word to the wise: get the dessert option.
Additional advice: even though side dishes are not included in the deal, you must get an order of the latkes. Advice is really the wrong word as this is not a suggestion. It’s an order. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, perfectly seasoned and served with sour cream and housemade applesauce, these are the best damn latkes in town. And if you are hungover, they are all the more golden. An order of the housemade pickles is also essential; they are addictively tart and crunchy.
As for entrees, there are many choices but here are a few highlights: Â Scrambled Eggs with Matzo are savory and well-cooked, with a kick from horseradish and green onion.
Shakshouka, which is poached eggs served in a tomato stew, is hearty and different than your run of the mill brunch entree. The stew is especially flavorful, sweet and earthy at the same time. It comes with grilled bread, which is an added bonus.
Eggs Benedict come served on latkes is perhaps the best option of all: eggs + crispy latkes + hollandaise is clearly a win. An eggplant Rueben, challah French toast, and smoked fish platter are available as well, all of which have proved to be popular.
Next up is dessert and the decision is not an easy one. Cheesecake is decadent and oh-so creamy.
Chocolate cake is a little dry but the frosting is so luscious it doesn’t even matter. Chocolate chip bread pudding is dense and delicious, topped with luxurious salted caramel ice cream. Honey glazed donuts are soft and sweet; adorably served in a little cast iron pan. And anyone who likes peanut butter should get the banana split which is piled high with peanut butter ice cream and drizzled with caramel.
Yes, this brunch sounds perfect but there is one major flaw not to be overlooked: mimosas are 90% juice and 10% champagne. The solution is to keep begging your waiter to add more champagne to your glass/carafe. He will gladly oblige, and it really is necessary unless you want to drink 10 glasses of Tropicana and wind up with a massive headache. You may be better off just ordering your food a la carte and getting a couple of drinks off their cocktail menu. Either way, gets some latkes and bread pudding and your meal will turn out just fine.
