Sunday Brunch @The Stanley

I love Brunch!! I am thinking about creating a whole new category called ‘Brunch Places’ for my blog. On the recommendation of a friend, my friends and I visited The Stanley for Brunch. The Stanley is a family-run restaurant by James Beard and his son Alex, who is also his Sous chef. It is located just outside of uptown Charlotte in the Elizabeth neighborhood. The Stanley’s philosophy is inspired by the farm to table movement. The entire menu is seasonal, market-driven, and locally sourced.

Ambiance- 8.5/10

The restaurant is not grandeur in size and has seating for 63 people, but that is what makes it a cozy place. If you are planning a weekend brunch, it is better to make reservations in advance as we had to wait for an hour for a table. The decor has all-white esthetics with color from brown tables and yellow chairs. It has an earthy feel to it. The atmosphere at The Stanley sets the stage for intimate conversations and relaxation with the use of dim lighting. Ironically, the placement of tables is so close that you can hear the conversations happening on the other table. I did not mind that, but that is a personal choice I’ll say. The architecture is modern with the use of brick wall on one side for the bar and all-white walls with paintings for the dining area.

Servitor 9/10

Our server David was a cheerful and polite person and answered all our questions in detail and even explained a little about the restaurant.

Cuisine 9/10

The restaurant has a rotating menu i.e the menu is decided based on the fresh produce that they receive from the local farmers market. The menu has about 4-5 dishes in starter categories and 9-10 dishes in the “Other” category. The menu is small but as it is rotating so every visit shall have something new to offer.

We ordered Gnudi, Pancake, The Stanley Burger and a bunch of donuts. Gnudi is a cousin of gnocchi, by which I mean instead of using potato, it is made with ricotta cheese. However, the chef chose goat cheese as an alternative and I could not be happier. Goat cheese is my favorite type of cheese. The gnudi sauce had a smokey flavor to it and was just relish. For me, the only con was the portion size of the appetizer. As it was priced at $14, I assumed the portion size would be filling for one person. However, as it was listed under Starters, I should have asked about the portion size. The dish in itself was mesmerizing and I think when the quality is so high then paying a little extra does not bother me. Now about the pancakes. My friends and I have had our fair share of pancakes but these were the best so far. The pancakes just melted in my mouth. It came with fresh maple syrup and bacon. The pancakes vanished from the plate in no time. We were head over heels for the pancakes so much that guy sitting on the next table couldn’t resist but to order some for himself.

Buttermilk pancake with bacon and maple syrup

Before I describe the burger let me first tell you about the sauces. Yes, the sauces deserve separate attention as they were homemade and delicious. The red sauce was tangy and sweet and the moment the first drop hit my palette, I knew it was freshly made with tomatoes from the farm produce. It was the same case with the mustard sauce. I like to put mustard sauce on everything but this one I was just eating by itself. Then came the burger with the meat all juicy and tasty and cooked to perfection. But everyone on the table agreed that it was not a star of the table, it was the pancakes. The place also serves freshly made donuts. The donut of the day was a fig donut. We got ourselves a couple of chocolate and fig donuts. The donut was soft, and the cream cheese icing was freshly made and luscious. The fig donut came with half a fig sitting in the middle of the donut but I think it would have been better if the donut itself had fig flavors. I was expecting that maybe there would be fig filling or at least some topping because you are bound to expect the flavor when the donut is specifically called a fig donut. I would still recommend the donut if you are there but if you are looking just for donuts, then I would recommend Krispy Kreme.

Drinks- While we were waiting for the table, we ordered some drinks at the bar. We chose Bloody Mary, Chantilly Shake, and Mimosa. Bloody Mary gave no feeling of merry as it lacked flavor and was served in a highball glass, which is a wrong glass for a bloody mary. The chantilly shake was sweet and nice but it was ordinary (nothing special about it) and so was the mimosa. You wouldn’t miss out on anything if you skipped the bar.

Price 8.5/10

Again as I said earlier, good food demands appreciation, so I think the food at The Stanley’s is every penny’s worth. Sadly, can’t say the same for the bar. The average cost of a dish is $15(without taxes). It would cost $40 (including taxes and tips) on an average for a drink and a dish.