It’s hard to go wrong with brunch. You know what to expect—egg dishes, French toast, pancakes. But can the most pleasurable meal of the week upend your expectations?
At Sparrow + Wolf, it sure can. Chef Brian Howard’s Chinatown spot, which bills itself as a neighborhood cookery, is known for inventive dishes that draw inspiration from the chef’s background, from his hometown of Detroit to his stints at spots like Comme Ça at the Cosmopolitan. A dish at Sparrow + Wolf proffers flavors you’d never expect, sometimes with ingredients you might not be familiar with.
Sparrow’s brunch is a more casual affair than its dinner service, but no it’s less interesting. Some of the starter items can be found on the dinner menu, like the exceptional Pâté en Croûte ($12), served with pickled onion, mandarin mustard and grilled sourdough. The house charcuterie board ($22) is a tested crowd-pleaser, so begin with that for the table.
The brunch menu, which draws on global culinary influences, should appeal to any palate. For those not looking to stray far from an egg-centric brunch concept, the Japanese Rolled Omelette ($14) should not be missed. It might be the most delicate omelet you’ll ever taste, served with dashi crème fraîche, soy and scallion ginger. The corned beef hash with fried egg ($9) is a familiar classic, but this one features an elevated presentation. Pair it with the sourdough bread, and you can’t go wrong.
Speaking of sourdough, the pancakes ($15)—purportedly made from a 500-year-old starter(!)—is anything but traditional. Sparrow’s version, with pistachio butter, strawberries and bourbon barrel maple syrup, has the hearty bite of fermented dough but lends itself to a sweet and tender mouthful.
Other items on the menu take on a more unconventional twist. Steak and eggs comes in the form of wood-fired Creekstone Farms sirloin, sunny-side up quail eggs and chili garlic crunch ($13). Soak up all that chili garlic oil with more bread. Another standout protein selection is the Japanese Tsukune chicken sausage ($8), served with soft-scrambled farm egg and jaew sauce, an addictive umami combination you might not expect so early in the day. And when was the last time you had hamachi crudo ($10) for brunch? Sparrow’s is refreshing and light, served with cold-pressed pineapple, habanero, fresh lychee and yuzu.
The most surprising thing on the menu is undoubtedly the duck confit cinnamon roll ($16), which comes in a crock perfect for spooning. The frosting’s made with duck fat, tender shreds of meat are nestled in the cinnamon roll, and the concoction’s topped with a yuzu apricot chutney. If it sounds over-the-top decadent, it is—the perfect union of sweet and savory. It’s filling, so it’s best to order it at the beginning of your meal, or share it with several companions.
Of course, brunch isn’t brunch without adult beverages, and Sparrow features bottomless bubbles ($28, with a 90-minute limit) with your choice of cold-pressed juices. The cocktail program also begs for attention, particularly the Bloody Hanako-San ($13)—Haku Vodka, house-made bloody and a togarashi-spiced rim—and the Dude Abides ($12), with vodka, coconut milk and whipped coffee foam.
Sparrow + Wolf also has a rotating roster of musicians during brunch, a nice touch for a city that has sorely missed its live entertainers in 2020. The tunes pair nicely with a meal that’s delightful in so many ways.
SPARROW + WOLF 4480 Spring Mountain Road #100, 702-790-2147. Brunch served Sundays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
