Brunch @ TICO

TICO
www.ticorestaurant.com
222 Berkely Strett | Boston MA
(Former location of Cottonwoods)
Sister restaurant to: Via Matta, Radius & Alta Strada

Another Sunday, another brunch.  This time I actually had a date: Roomie.  Roomie is usually a "debbie downer" about brunch.  To him, brunch = eggy casseroles, quiche, pastry, etc.  I don't know about that.  I see brunch as an infusion of the two.  TICO sees brunch as a fantastic spin on your typical breakfast and lunch items.

When you've got Vanilla French Toast w/ Strawberries and TICO's Bacon Cheese Burger on the menu, it's safe to say you wont find an egg casserole anywhere in sight.  Don't misunderstand me.  There are eggs on the menu.  But.  TICO takes their Spanish & Mexican influence out on American classics to create really fun Sunday meals.

We made a reservation for our brunch date a little before 1pm and were seated immediately.  The other patrons consisted of older couples, families straight from church, little boys in blazers playing on iPads kicking off their Sperry's under the table, young couples trying to eat away the morning hangover and tourists who were apart of the Boston Marathon frenzy. 

Our waitress was extremely wonderful. I loved her. She made fun and energetic suggestions, which included switching my Bloody Mary order to their signature Ghost Maria. This is their spin: Tequila, in place of vodka and Tomato Water in place of tomato juice. Refreshing. It was great. It pleased the bartender that I ordered this, as our waitress reported back. Apparently most people stick with the traditional Mary. But I liked the Maria. It's a lot smoother.

Ghost Maria, who won't rotate properly...

To praise our gal more, when it came time to order I just had to ask about the Spicy Duck Confit & Green Chile Hash (with 2 poached eggs & Chipotle Hollandaise).  Mentioning I never really order duck, I wanted her thoughts.  Immediately she was raving about it.  And I believed her.  I was sold.  Continuing on to some of her favorites, she subsequently influenced Roomie to order the Fried Shrimp Po'Boy with Fries.  And just for fun, we added a side order of the Potato Pancakes with sour cream and applesauce.

When the food came out, we were starving.  We'd made the usual exit at Park Street and enjoyed a sunny, but breezy stroll through the crowds of tourists and barricaded streets.  Just on presentation and aroma alone, I knew our brunch was going to be a success. 



Po'boy!  Oh boy!

Roomie was psyched with his Shrimp Po'Boy.  The bread it was served on looked and tasted so fresh and homemade.  The slaw inside was a coated with a spicy, chipotle remoulade and the fries were accompanied by a similar dipping sauce.  It was a knock out sandwich.

I was quick to snack on Roomie's fries while I had a little face off with my Spicy Duck Confit and Poached Egg hash.  The hunks of duck meat were plentiful and the poached eggs were really intriguing.  Roomie had the first bite and said, "Save me a few more bites of that, ok?". 

Spicy Duck Confit

So I finally dug in.  The duck was not so intimidating.  It tastes like dark meat chicken.  Together with the poached egg, hash and chilies, it all worked.  Every bite was creamy and spicy.  It was a very comforting dish.  The toast was delicious and added a nice option of scooping up the contests in the dish.  I really liked this and would definitely suggest it.

Our little side dish of Potato Pancakes was a nice rounding out to our meal.  They were very thin, so they cooled pretty quickly.  But they tasted great with the mixture of sour cream and applesauce.

Potato Pancakes

Having brunch is becoming a new excuse for me to get out and see the city and the people.  I really enjoyed our time at TICO and would suggest that you try it.  Next time, I will definitely look into those Vanilla Pancakes.  Or maybe even the Crunchy Chicken tacos.  Never can tell with me, 'buds.

Get out for brunch, people.  That's why God invented Sundays.