As Told Over Hattie Maes's Brunch
Last week my friend and I had inaugural brunch at Hen Quarter, which is an open, airy Southern restaurant in Washington D.C. I learned two things there that affected my brunch life in Richmond:
- They have a sister restaurant in Richmond called Hattie Mae's
- American Tap Room is closed
In total transparency, it was difficult being excited about #1 because #2 shocked me. It's not that I went to American Tap Room often -- I didn't -- but the last time I went, I had possibly the best shrimp tacos that have ever existed. I couldn't process that unknowingly that was my last time enjoying them.
However, as I alluded to already, the brunch at Hen Quarter was magnificent. From the service to the atmosphere to the drinks to the food, I'd rate it a 5 out of 5 on everything. I had high expectations heading into Hattie Mae's.
My mom, my favorite mom on the planet, suggested we try it out after hearing about Hen Quarter. So, at 10:05AM last Sunday, we went to Hattie Mae's. Like we were when we went to On the Rox, we were the first table seated.
Because being excited about brunch runs in the family!
Hattie Mae's is very airy, just like Hen Quarter, and also unsurprising since I've been in American Tap House before too. The inside very much looks like American Tap Room. The booth we sat in was comfortable and featured a roll of paper towels on a cute holder with a fork and spoon.
The Bloody Mary I had at Hen Quarter was life-changing, so I wanted to try out one at Hattie Mae's. At half the cost, I halved my expectations, which saved the beverage. It was a good Bloody Mary, but just not the same.
Now is a good time to mention some Hattie Mae's brunch drink menu highlights:
They have a $10 bottomless mimosa deal, which is misleading because each glass after the first $10 is $.25. I'm doing out the math in my head, and you'd need at least four to make that a good deal. They also had a $5 mint julep that sounded pretty good!
They had the chicken, biscuits and gravy on the menu, which I was tempted to try to see if they were the same as Hen Quarter. However, I dared to be different and got the French quarter omelet, which featured andouille. My mom got the banana brûlée waffle and my dad got the chicken and waffles.
My mom's was the most aethstetically pleasing while my dad's was the least. His was very brown and could use maybe a stalk of rosemary or something to make it a bit colorful. Or maybe stack the chicken to make the presentation pop a bit more?
I went first to try my potatoes. They were big, fried chunks of potatoes. I didn't know I could have such strong feelings for potato wedges... they were fantastic. I think it might be the same batter they use on the chicken.
Unsurprisingly, my dad liked his chicken (it's really good; that's why it's not surprising). My mom reported that the waffles were waffles (in a good way), but the banana brûlée was phenomenal.
Overall, good restaurant and good brunch. Anthony, our waiter, asked me to invite everyone to come visit. He meant on Yelp, but I think this works too. He'll be in D.C. for manager training soon (I didn't ask specifics because I'm not a stalker), but thankfully there are other people working there too who can sever you if you miss him.