A tale of two brunches.

Who doesn't love brunch? It's a fantastic ritual with so many possibilities for variety...breakfast meats? French toast? Pancakes? Soup and salad? Steak and eggs? While for some, "brunch" means one large meal between the hours of 10am and 1pm, you know me -- it usually means a small breakfast by myself at 9, brunch with friends around 11:30, and a maybe a light lunch when I return home around 4 (another reason I love brunch days).

I had the distinct privilege of having had a couple brunch weekends lately: Aquitaine in the South End of Boston, and Founding Farmers in DC. Both included delicious (and pretty) cocktails and decadent (mostly creamy) plates.

**Momentary aside: I don't have many opportunities to write about bevs. Lots of food, not so much bev. Thank you, yet another of many opportunities provided by the institution of brunch!

Aquitaine is a French bistro-inspired place with fantastic standard brunch fare with a sophisticated bend: my fellow diners enjoyed eggs Benedict (perfect runny eggs and a velvety Hollandaise) and a spectacular "Croque Maigret," which was a dressed up take on the classic Croque Monsieur, with duck confit, gruyère, and tarragon mustard. You know how duck confit sometimes tastes a little stale, as though it was cooked a couple days ago and is now dry? Not this duck. I stuck to fluffy Belgian waffles and absolutely perfectly cooked applewood smoked bacon (both thick-cut and still crispy). Why yes, I do judge a brunch place by the crispiness of its bacon.

(Drink pictured above: a triple-berry something delicious, including Champagne and vodka.)

Founding Farmers is a great restaurant in Foggy Bottom that boasts "true food and drink," cooking from quality sustainable produce. I had been there before for dinner several times (try the fried green tomatoes sometime, or their popcorn-du-jour), but not yet brunch. The ladies brunched on FF's signature skillet cornbread (with real corn kernels and honey butter), blueberry pancakes, a pretty apple tartine, and a "Southern fried chicken" salad. I had a hand-made pasta with gouda, gruyère, ham, and apples.

(We weren't shy: my friend's Bloody Mary kept my gin fizz company)

(As though the "mac and cheese" weren't creamy enough, I found out later that my gin fizz also had cream in it. Surprise, surprise.)

Where's your favorite brunch spot? (Will you take me there sometime??)