Since moving to Fort Worth five years ago, I have always been fascinated by the city’s brunch obsession. Putting on pants on a Sunday morning seemed unnecessary, and putting on full makeup and a dress was just unfathomable. I wondered, is it a TCU thing? Are Buckeyes welcome at these mimosa establishments? At one point I came to the conclusion that it was a church routine and that sinners like me just weren’t in the know. My husband and I thought we’d try out the post church meal when we were given a gift card to Taverna a few years ago. However, our plans were hampered when we made our annual voyage to St. Patrick’s downtown, because we promptly lost the $50 card within the hour-long mass. The irony would have been amusing, but we were both too pissed off to laugh the rest of that weekend. I now choose to believe that it ended up in the collection basket and not in a parishioner’s pocket. Also, we now attend church more than once a year. The message from above was heard loud and clear.
I finally decided to put my grown-up pants on and give brunch another go at Café Modern (3200 Darnell St.) a couple of weeks ago. For grandma’s sake, I will omit whether or not we attended church, but I will say the meal was a blessing. After that day, I finally understood the mystery of brunch. We met some friends who happen to be our favorite couple in town, and relished the last day of the weekend with excellent service, laughs, a couple of Revolver Blood & Honeys ($6), and meals that beat a pants-less bowl of cereal by a mile. I ordered the Modern Grilled Cheese ($13.95), with brie, fig, and pistachios, and knew that I would be brunching every weekend for the rest of my life. After a seriously enjoyable meal, drinks, conversation, and numerous laughs, I realized it was only 11:15 a.m. We had already had so much fun and it was still technically morning. My mind was brunch blown.
My thoughts became deep as I stared at the tranquil water on the museum grounds and sipped the last of my beer. The world is my oyster. The weekend is not over. We can savor every minute of this day instead of cleaning, worrying, and preparing for the start of the week. I looked around the room and everyone was smiling, albeit they probably had just gone to church and absolved themselves of sin. But it was obvious that it wasn’t just the food and drink, it was the brunch ideology that every Horned Frog alumni around me was enjoying. They got up, showered, socialized, and enjoyed their Sundays. I totally got brunch. And then I celebrated by ordering another round of drinks for the table.
Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you.