When you’re just not sure where to go for brunch, it’s always good to turn to a trusted source and one of my fave local bloggers has posted about Alison a lot. The restaurant has been around for less than two years, which means the majority of its lifespan has been in the pandemic…but this is not a pandemic restaurant. There’s no compromising on the food here and the ambiance is great.
Let’s talk about that striped awning. Can we say inviting? It says “come, enjoy my sidewalk bistro vibes.” The street seating, built out during the pandemic, is lovely with ivy and café lights. It feels very much like a European bistro…but also more modern and American, kind of the way Jack’s Wife Freda feels, if that makes sense. I wish I took a pic of the inside, but it was cute and I spied a great wine and craft beer selection when I went in to request a table.
The menu pulls from around the globe but skews French. Brunch has all your regulars like eggs florentine and french toast, but also chilequiles. I made a point to come back for the dozen oysters + bottle of rosé as well as for dinner because the entire evening menu looks fabulous. My beau was craving a salad with grilled chicken and talked about it enough on the walk over that I knew we’d be going elsewhere if the restaurant couldn’t accommodate. Thankfully, they had a lovely Mediterranean salad on the menu and he was very happy. I got the egg toast, which featured perfectly scrambled eggs with gruyere (you couldn’t see the gruyere, but you could definitely taste it, which means they did it right) over a creamy green salsa on a piece of toasted sourdough. The salsa had a light kick and the dish was just very nice.
Alison is an ideal neighborhood spot. It’s not a wine bar, but it’s a restaurant I could spend hours sipping in; they don’t have bottomless brunch, but it’s the perfect atmosphere to enjoy a morning cocktail. Thankful to Dom for pointing me in Alison’s direction – she hasn’t steered me wrong yet.
Peaches to Apples 