Brunch has been growing in popularity in Shreveport the last few years, finally catching up to the last decade the rest of the world has enjoyed. Pushing aside my negativity for the positivity that it’s actually here is what I should be doing, so here I am, being positive. I love being positive! Ok? Ok.

Before we dive in, let’s discuss what qualifies a meal as brunch. Brunch was coined in Britain in 1895 to describe a Sunday meal for “Saturday-night carousers”, according to Wikipedia. Today, brunch retains that spirit of a meal for the recently or currently hungover and has also extended to cater to sponges who need a Saturday morning reprieve.

In reality, brunch is actually less about the food and more about the gathering of friends for a casual meal. It usually involves sharing of plates, trying new things, and drinking more alcohol (usually bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Maries). Attire is casual and often accessorized with sunglasses because it’s just too damn bright, y’all. This lazy meal style is all about friends who finally have the time to be slow with eating and lengthy with conversation.

A brunchy meal.
A brunchy meal.
On the food front, brunch menu may include mainstays of a restaurants’ normal breakfast or lunch menu, but it’s also an opportunity for chefs to experiment. Many times, seasoned brunch spots create custom brunch menu items, crafted specifically for the breakfast-lunch intermediary with mainstays like grillades, frittatas, quiches, tartines, and the like.

With that base of knowledge out of the way, brunch can be found at a few different places around town today. Locally-owned destinations include the ever-popular Ki Mexico, Marilynn’s Place, Highland Table, Blue Southern Comfort, and Wine Country – to name a few. 

Yet, despite the growing number of eateries catering to the breakfast-lunch crowd in town and the plethora eating establishments downtown during the week, nary a brunch could be found in our city’s core. Nor has there ever truly been – at least in the recollection of this Texas Street resident. But that may be changing now with advent of some limited, experimental brunch events.

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Abby Singer’s Sunday Brunch Menu
Abby Singer’s Bistro at Robinson Film Center (617 Texas St) in West Edge District debuted it’s new brunch in mid September of this year after a short stint of attempts in 2014. This new iteration features southern style eggs benedict, cream cheese-stuffed crepes, steak and eggs, a vegetable frittata, and chicken and waffles – a main menu holdover. Happy with the turnout, Abby Singers is bringing it back and Chef Tootie Morrison will serving brunch once again this Sunday, October 16th between 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.. Hopefully the weather will hold and I can get a seat on that beautiful balcony.

Beyond the RFC, another popular weekday spot is jumping into the brunch fray. Today, Bon Temps Cafe (500 Clyde Fant), Remarkable Food, and Sassi Cafe announced a partnership to bring brunch to the Riverfront District though on Saturday, October 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m..

Chef Monique Mosa Armand of Sassi Catering and Chef Mark Myers of Remarkable Food will be hosting Brunch at Bons “Taste of Both Worlds” where guests are invited to taste “signature dishes and local favorites at this one of a kind Brunch event” as the press release reads.

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Promo card from Taste of Both Worlds Brunch @ Bons
The one-of-a-kind part is definitely true. Taste of Both Worlds will be a ticketed event and feature live music, customary bottomless mimosas, and a – wait for it – bottomless brunch. Featured dishes will include Fish and Grits and a strange, but tittilating concoction called Red Velvet Chicken and Waffles.

It’s certainly exciting to see chefs stretching their legs and trying new things, and it’s especially nice that it’s happening in a place as deserving as downtown.

So, dig in, Shreveport! Brunch is beginning to arrive in the heart of the city, along with everything else. Tickets to Taste of Both Worlds are $30 in advance, sold online, and will be more expensive at the door.

The Abby Singer’s brunch is still accepting reservations as of Friday night and can be made by calling (318) 459-4125.