Chef Graeme Blair w/ Jody Sullins (left), Carol, and Don Sullins

As we were giving consideration to which destinations would appear on our Top 10 Sunday Brunch List, we wanted to make certain that we included spots that would appeal to our luxury baby boomer audience, but would also provide for something perhaps a little out of the ordinary.

We fell in love with the AAA Four-Diamond Westin Kierland Resort and Spa when we visited a year ago (here’s our video), and we thought Chef Graeme Blair’s gastropub cuisine would fit the bill very nicely.

The Brittlebush Bar & Grill features an innovative gastropub experience with a Scottish influence.  The menu, developed by Chef Graeme Blair, offers traditional breakfast items with a modern twist along with Scottish-inspired dishes for the more adventurous (think Haggis).

A Gastropub is a British term for a public house (“pub”) which specializes in high-quality food a step above the more basic “pub grub.”

The Brittlebush breakfast experience also includes available dog-friendly patio dining, lawn activities, and a build-your-own Bloody Mary Bar with all the fixings and add-ins for the perfect tasting drink. With breakfast being served all day, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.,  you can come early to relax and read the newspaper, or sleep in and spend the afternoon tasting and playing croquet on the lawn.

Sunday Brunch Week #2 ~ Brittlebush Bar & Grill, Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Scottsdale

We arrived at Brittlebush after our Sunday church services and brought along friends Don and Jody Sullins.  Three of us decided to try out the Create-Your-Own Bloody Mary (very yummy, by the way), and all of us toasted to a wonderful meal with a Daily SuperFood Smoothie Shooter, a delightful blend of carrots and other nutrient rich super-foods.  It was so healthy, I kind of felt a little bit like Popeye the Sailor Man after he “ates me spinach”.

While we visited around the table, our waitress appeared with two cast-iron skillets filled with Sweet & Savory Scones (traditional scottish scones.  one with bacon and aged cheddar and one with orange honey).  Piping hot and absolutely delish!

As we were finishing up the last tasty morsels, Chef Graeme Blair sent out Un-Fondue (his take on a fondue, but without all the hard work.  rustic country bread, artisanal sausage and dried fruit smothered in a decadent cheese fondue).  The four of us were picking away at the large cast-iron skillet in the middle of the table with a lot of oohs, aahs, yumms, and smiles.  What a wonderful twist on a classic dish.

For our entrées, we noshed on Steak & Oatmeal Stout Pie (slow-braised stew of beef, carrots and potatoes in a rich oatmeal stout sauce; topped with puff pastry), Mac & Cheese with a Twist (lobster claw, sharp scottish cheddar and roasted tomato; finished with goat cheese panko crust and crunchy rock shrimp), Cornbread French Toast (a twist on traditional french toast with prickly pear syrup, whipped cream and fruit compote), Short Rib Hash (braise short ribs, sweet potato and chayote squash served with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce), and finally, a Trio of Scottish Breakfast Sliders with Quail Eggs (house made “haggis” sausage with cherry tomato; black pudding with branston pickle, crisp pancetta with sautéed mushrooms).

Note:  click photographs for large view

Forks seemed to be flying everywhere as we shared each other entrées and as each of us poked at the Mac & Cheese in the middle of the table.  However, our less adventurous wives were completely unwilling to sample the haggis or the black pudding.  It was their loss!  Don and I enjoyed it greatly.

Chef Blair came out to check on us as we were just finishing our entrées and wondered if we had a little room left for his grandmother’s Sticky Toffee Pudding (bread pudding with dates, mascarpone cheese, and caramel sauce).  I very quickly popped up my thumb with a clear affirmative message, and it wasn’t long before we were greatly enjoying piping-hot bread pudding drizzled in caramel.  Oooooh!  That was good!

If you’re tired of the same ole items for your Sunday Brunch, we highly recommend a sampling of Chef Graeme Blair’s Scottish cuisine at the Brittlebush Bar and Grill.  The atmosphere is relaxed, the staff friendly, and the food is out of this world.

And, don’t be a big chicken (like our wives) and skip out on the haggis.  I promise, a little haggis with a piping-hot quail egg atop is a thing of wonder. You simply must try it!

Four people, eight thumbs up!

:Approve:

Disclosure:  our wonderful Sunday Brunch was provided by the kind folks at Brittlebush Bar & Grill.  Thanks!

Note: don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll whisk you off to another exciting and mouthwatering Sunday Brunch experience.