Whether brunch energizes you or creates the perfect scenario for an afternoon nap, one thing is certain:  It has to be thoroughly satisfying.  And these days what goes beyond the norm of eggs Benedict gets my vote for culinary rapture. That happened this past Sunday at Terlingua, now a mainstay   along the bustling restaurant mecca also anchored by  Roustabout across the street and  the newly opened Drifter’s Wife.

A hale and hearty scene at Terlingua’s well- attended Sunday brunch

I chose Terlingua for my brunch destination because after scanning many restaurant sites and their online menus, one dish stood out: smoked brisket hash with sweet potatoes and eggs.

I got there precisely at 10 AM, which is when they open for brunch.   I think it should be earlier for those of us with ravenous appetites at the crack of dawn.

An excellent bloody Mary and wonderful biscuit studded with jalapeno

Since I already knew what I was going to have I still listened intently to the waiter’s recital of the day’s specials.  They included a tripe stew or a roast leg of lamb with hash browns, two dishes that would have appeal later in the day.

The beef was strikingly smoky and fork tender.  It wasn’t the typical hash in which the meat component is shredded or cubed.  Rather big chunks of beef mingled with a soft hash of white and sweet potatoes, onions, peppers and laced with a lusty hollandaise.  Two poached eggs melted into the hash, allowing the runny yolks to moisten it even more.

Smoked beef brisket hash

I couldn’t resist ordering a jalapeno biscuit with honey butter.  It wasn’t as tender as a true southern buttermilk biscuit but more in the Texas style—a heartily delicious biscuit.

Breakfast/brunch easily lived up to expectations, and as I walked out of the restaurant I passed other diners who were mostly digging into some rendition of eggs Benedict while just a few went for more rarefied dishes such as the pan-fried trout over cheesy grits or a towering serving of Terlingua’s version of Hot Brown, the famous Kentucky dish created at the legendary Brown Hotel in Louisville.

Very Briefly Noted

Maybe you’ve seen the sign at the Hannaford entry at their Forest Avenue store: Now Serving Breakfast in their newly opened food hall where a mixture of American fast food and traditional sushi are served in tandem.

The big poster announcing breakfast at Hannaford

Skip it.

Last Sunday I went to Hannaford at 7:00 AM to buy laundry detergent so I could finish that chore early.  I saw the sign hawking breakfast with a delicious looking bagel sandwich on the poster.  How bad can it be?

If there was a textbook written on the inglorious ways to ruin a bacon-egg-cheese sandwich, the story at Hannaford would be encyclopedic.

Egg, cheese and bacon on a bagel at Hannaford

I watched in horror as I saw the death of an egg felled on the flattop.  The yolk disappeared into a hard mass while the white congealed into a rough brown blob with curly edges.  The bacon sizzled with a coating of fat on top and the slice of cheese put over the egg melted beyond recognition.  It was all heaped on a bagel grilled on the flattop and for a moment I thought it was going to be further annihilated in the microwave.

I expected it to be served on a paper plate, which I would have taken to the small dining area off to the side.  Instead it was wrapped up in foil as though ready for travel.  I washed it all down with excellent coffee that’s available in the dining area and thought even at $2.99 this breakfast bagel belonged in the heap.