Dexters is a Do!

Hi darlings,

As most of you know, I live out in the boonies of NorFLA but most of my best friends live in Orlando and in college I dated a guy from there too, so I know Otown nearly like a native and that central city is my escape many of weekend.

When I was down for the F&W 2009 extravaganza the other weekend it was such a beautiful day my bestie girls and I drove down to Thorton park to walk around and drool over all the wonderful craftsman homes we can't afford. (although Jenna and her BF bought a 1925 craftsman last month and are in the process of renovating it, the luckies...but it's not in prime time Thorton-those are million dollar homes mostly! And sadly those are price tags none of us can afford right now....one day!). All our walking and drooling kicked up an appetite so we decided it was surely time for a nearly Sunday tradition of Brunch. And what better brunch location than Dexters!

Pretty much all the fabulous young professional in Orlando had the same idea (that and Dex's is KNOWN for it's great Sunday brunch) so we had about a 1/2 hour wait.

Once seated my tablemates ordered a round mango mimosas, but I had veggies on the brain, so only a Bloody Mary would do!

You guys know if you've been reading my blog for a bit, or even if you are a new reader (Hi!), I LOVE Bloodies. It's a family tradition on holidays to be awoken with one, so vodka at breakfast totally works for me! And out of all the brunch spots I frequent (mostly in Orlando, Tampa or St. Pete) Dexter's has the best BM!

I guess I was really craving tomatoes, since I ordered a cup of the Soup of the Day for the table to share on the first brisk Sunday of our fall season.

Can't go wrong with Tomato Basil and this hearty soup hit the spot.

Our orders were taking an extraordinarily long time, and even though we were waiting patiently, just enjoying our drinks and the company, our server hooked us with some complementary sweet potato chips and sweet chili dipping sauce.Just a few moments later our lovely brunch plates arrived. And truly lovely they were!

I got the classic Dexter's Benedict, (which I had had before, and it didn't disappoint.): Poached eggs with spinach, tomatoes, smoked turkey on French bread with a lava mustard hollandaise sauce, miniature potato pancakes, and fresh seasonal fruit.
I had forgotten to ask for the chef to go light on the honey mustard hollandaise sauce, but he must have read my mind, and I had the perfect portion of the rich sauce.

Christine got the true winner of the day, however with the Elvis Stuffed French Toast special.

This mountain of yum consisted of (if I remember correctly- Christine correct me if I'm wrong) Brioche bread stuffed with peanut butter cream cheese dipped in a cinnamon egg batter then toasted golden brown, topped with bananas, bacon and maple syrup! I was lucky to have a taste and almost wished I had ordered this instead! Not exactly the lightest item on the menu, but one the KING would be proud of!

Jenna had the Open Faced BLT which was toasted Brioche bread topped with greens, tomatoes, bacon and a poached egg. Plus seasonal fruit on the side.

Kayla went the creative route and tacked the Make Your Own Omelet.

Her end result was one of the more mammoth omelets I've seen, bursting with onions, peppers, ham and cheddar cheese! Plus the mini potato cakes and fruit. I think I may be taking advantage of the make your own omelet in the near future!

Even though the service was slow on that particular Sunday I have never had a reason to complain about any experience at Dexter's. They also have great Friday night drink specials.

If you live in the Orlando area, or are visiting and want to avoid the tourist scene check out this local gem, or it's sister location in Winter Park!

Love to all,
~ A brunch lovin' babe, Jess