Brunch Review: 3 Monkeys
One of the first places I ever brunched in Richmond was 3 Monkeys. We selected it for brunch only because we had drank there the night before. We gathered ourselves, neighbors and friends to try out the brunch scene.
When we went that first time, we ordered 4 different mimosa pitchers for the entire table in various flavors. Turned out, only me and a few people were planning on drinking. Before you knew it, we were all a pitcher in, and then I offered to dog sit and decided to take the dog home with me. Then I passed out for most of the day. It was a good day.
My review of my first time is: I ate food there (bagel and lox, which tasted like bagel and lox), the outdoor/indoor patio place is nice because you feel like you're outside without actually having to be outside, it can fit large parties, but the mimosa is just champagne with some sweet syrup mixed in. There's no juice, and that's upsetting. I wouldn't quite suggest drinking mimosas there, especially not the entire pitcher.
The next time I went back, I got a breakfast pizza. Cazey would agree with me on this one, those pizzas are lush. To quote Cazey directly:
Back in the day, 3 Monkeys had a veggie pizza that was delish, but now they only have one breakfast pizza option, which is a meaty pizza. It comes with eggs, which is what makes it breakfast-y. My friend complained of the levels of salt in it, but all that salt makes it tasty to me. Also, I had enough pizza to have it for lunch that day AND lunch the next day. It's really a good financial investment, as well as being really enjoyable.
As a Northern pizza snob, though, my one critique would be that they could do more with the crust. That's really where pizza's can go from good to excellent. I'm thinking maybe a light dusting of garlic or cooking it to be a little thinner and crispier.
I recently went to 3 Monkeys again, and it reminded me that this place deserved a review. Their menu has changed a bit since the last time I went, but it's still got a lot of options. I went with the eggs bruschetta because I love normal bruschetta and eggs separately, so this has to be a home run, right?
I may not go with grand slam, but it was definitely a home run. It featured thick cut focaccia bread loaded with goat cheese, eggs, ham and some impressively thick pesto sauce. Eating this dish proved to be a challenge because the eggs didn't want to stay on the bread, and then the goat cheese would slide off as I was reassembling each bite. It was a bit of a struggle, but well- worth it, because the bites where I got everything included, it was stellar.
If they could figure out a way in which this held together a bit better bite-for-bite, this dish would definitely be in contention for a grand slam. Also, I would have enjoyed a bit more ham, as I felt like it was more of an after-thought than a priority. And I always prioritize meat. That's probably why I have such an affinity for Ron Swanson. But I digress.
3 Monkeys has a lot going for its brunch: they can accommodate a lot of people, it's in a convenient location, they open earlier than most competitors, the menu features both breakfast-y dishes and lunch-y dishes and if you're a vegetarian, there are at least a few options for a meal. If you live in Richmond and haven't done 3 Monkeys yet, I would go ahead and prioritize it.
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