Our second stop during our Tour de Brunch was the Vineyard Wine Company at Colonial Town Park in Lake Mary. I know, the name doesn’t really hint at the possibility of having brunch here, but there this lovely restaurant indeed has a brunch that is worth trying! (On a side note, Liam Fitzpatrick’s Irish Pub and Friendly Confines Sports Pub also don’t scream BRUNCH at you, but they also offer one and we are determined to included them as stops during our Tour de Brunch)
We met our friends Lisa and Craig for a late brunch on that Sunday. Perfect for the Tour de Brunch our youngest team member showed up in his fast new stroller. Go Nico!
What we all loved at the Vineyard Wine Company is the great atmosphere. In fact, we liked it so much that we almost overextended our stay (our very patient waiter kept bringing us water even long after we had paid). It’s just such a cozy and bright, yet elegant place to sit and talk to good friends while enjoying great food (and if brunch time is not too early, a fine glass of wine).
I have no idea why I feel this way, but to me the Vineyard Wine Company is the embodiment of a cozy “Californian” restaurant somewhere next to a vineyard (OK, I am being influenced by the name here, but seriously, check it out sometime and tell me that you think, I’d love to hear your opinion!). This place definitely wins the Tour de Brunch in the atmosphere category so far 😉
First we shared some delicious warm pita bread with three types of hummus (we were all starving since it was kind of late in the morning already…)
I stuck to my favorite brunch “entree” Eggs Benedict (sorry about the pic, can you tell I was hungry?). They were great, nothing out of the ordinary though, and I have to say, they overdid it on the bacon – too much for me, despite my appetite. So Jose got lucky and ate half of it.
I also got to try some of the Frittata (with veggies and meat of your choice) and it was delicious. After our main brunch entrees Jose and I had to satisfy our sweet tooth and shared an order of chocolate chip pancakes – they were just the right consistency and I liked the taste too, I think I’m going to ask for some extra chocolate chips next time though (I’m a bit picky with pancakes, not a big fan of the typical pancake mix pancakes you find in most places)!
A clear winner was the peach turnover: so flavorful and just the right amount of peach in it (OK, I should really get into the habit of taking my food pictures BEFORE half of it is gone…)
So altogether, the Vineyard Wine Company finished strong on atmosphere and service. The menu offers some great choices. The quality of the food is fantastic and it tastes fresh. We will definitely be back for more, also because I heard they are going to add even more menu items 😉
Tip: The Vineyard Wine Company also offers a special on Mimosas (all you can drink Mimosas for $10).
