When Heather Haviland added weekend brunch service to Lucky’s Café repertoire, she immediately became the queen of the breakfast circuit. Already a popular midweek coffee-and-pastry stop, Lucky’s, in Tremont, soon found itself besieged by the ravenous bridge-and-tunnel set. Things went so well so fast that the chef finally was able to replace her closet-sized kitchen with one large enough to handle a crowd.
Oh, to have that roomy kitchen at Vine & Bean, her new East Side
café. “I’m right back where I started,” sighs Haviland.
Not quite. At least the original kitchen at Lucky’s was on the main
floor. These days, Haviland is squeezing herself into a tiny basement
cook shop. Once again, she is busting out the portable gas burners,
juggling pots and pans, and generally rearranging the deck chairs on
the Titanic just to keep up.
Not that you’d ever know it upstairs. Set in a picture-perfect
Victorian century home, Vine & Bean couldn’t be any cuter without
breaking a law. Former home to Café Limbo, a well-received
vegetarian eatery, the adorable café features a tiny counter and
barista station, a fireplace, some couches and about 15 tables
scattered across three small rooms. In cold weather, the place seats
around 35. In warmer months, that number almost doubles, thanks to
porch and patio seating.
As an East Sider, I have to admit that the idea of a Lucky’s-style
brunch just half a block from the North Union Farmers Market at Shaker
Square more than piqued my interest. But would it be as good as the
original, I wondered? It’s better, considering that the drive is
shorter and the wait (at least for now) brief. In order to pull off
brunch on both sides of town simultaneously, Haviland hired chef Ky-Wai
Wong to take her place at Lucky’s while she runs the show at Vine &
Bean.
Because they share a commissary — and a conscience —
both restaurants utilize bushels of local ingredients. Haviland is a
fanatic for quality, and she is willing to go out of her way for
freshness. Eggs, cheese, milk and produce all come from Ohio farms, as
do the beef and bacon. First and foremost a pastry chef, Haviland bakes
all the breads, scones, muffins and cookies from scratch.
Swapping scones for biscuits might be considered treasonous down
South, but Haviland does it to no ill effect in her deliciously
homespun biscuits and gravy ($11.25). A split cheddar-scallion scone is
topped with gently scrambled eggs, ladlefuls of creamy sausage gravy
and a sprinkling of scallions. Hash browns here are chunky,
well-browned and substantial.
Those great potatoes are at the heart of the now-famous Shipwreck
($11.25), a dish for diners who can’t decide. Like a breakfast buffet
in a bowl, this chestnut includes fried potatoes, scrambled eggs,
bacon, white cheddar and a fistful of seasonal veggies. Two slices of
the best buttered toast in town obviate the need for a fork. If you ask
for Red Hot, like we did, you’ll be rewarded with a cruet of
smoky-sweet homemade hot sauce.
Tex-Mex in spirit, the killer breakfast-burrito plate ($11.25)
features two plump, scrambled-egg-stuffed tortillas. The burritos are
nestled into a casserole, topped with sauce and cheese, and served with
fried potatoes. That sauce, a stormy brew made with guajillo and ancho
chiles, is like the sinister twin to good-natured mole.
A word about the stiff tariffs: Granted, $12 sounds like a lot to
spend on breakfast, especially when $3 bacon-and-egg deals are
everywhere. But this isn’t breakfast — it’s brunch. Meals
are not only delicious, they are substantial enough to tide you over
until dinner — a late dinner, at that.
During the week, Vine & Bean is decidedly more low-key. Lunches
consist of salads, sandwiches and paninis, all made from the same great
local ingredients. Dinner, which is served Wednesday through Saturday
nights, adds cheese plates and a handful of entrées. Recent
options included meatloaf with mushroom gravy, and tofu and veggie
curry on naan. The Bean stocks a nice little selection of craft brews
and wines by the glass, and on weekends, there is live music. On the
fourth Saturday of each month, Haviland and Wong present a multi-course
food and wine feast.
Vine & Bean just launched the weekend brunch, and it seems word
is beginning to spread. If demand exists, a weekday breakfast may be
added to the mix. For Haviland, it’s a bit like déjà vu
all over again. If business continues to grow on the East Side like it
did on the West, she may be compelled to expand yet another
kitchen.
“But that’s putting the cart before the horse,” says the eternally
modest Haviland.
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2009.
