Anyone who has enjoyed the pasta at Esther’s Kitchen knows that Chef James Trees commits. Trees and his crew put their best efforts into every dish the Downtown favorite prepares, and Trees often goes to table-to-table, inquiring about the food. Now, they’re bringing that confidence and quality to weekend brunch.
Available Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Esther’s brunch menu is conveniently arranged into four categories: Toasts & Breads, Egg Dishes, Pizza+Pasta+Salads, and naturally, Brunch Things. I could scarcely dip into the Toasts section without discovering several new favorites. A pair of prosciutto and fontina biscuits ($4), accompanied by a pat of chive butter, could pretty much stand alone; they go down beautifully with the house orange juice ($4), fresh-squeezed daily. A thick-cut piece of house-made sourdough bread smeared with cream cheese and topped with red onion, capers and ocean trout ($11) is a savory revelation.
Want something rib-sticking? Try the poached eggs and hollandaise, stacked on toast with pepperonata and generous amounts of porchetta ($14). The bread pudding French toast ($11), topped with syrup, pecan and crème fraiche, is every bit as filling as you’d suspect (Trees says he soaks the bread in both egg and marscapone), but it’s not a gut bomb—more of a sweet naptime pillow. And if you want a pizza topped with bacon, egg, fontina, carmelized onion and saba ($16) or a “proper” brekkie of sunny side up eggs, bacon or sausage, kale Calabrian potatoes and sourdough toast ($13), Esther’s stands ready to please. And please it does.
ESTHER'S KITCHEN 1130 S. Casino Center Blvd., 702-570-7864. Brunch served Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
