Brunch is said to have originated in England in the late 19th century. In the 1895 article “Brunch: A Plea” in Hunter’s Weekly magazine, Guy Beringer proposed that on Sundays a meal could start later, around noon, and still have the key components of morning tea and coffee. His hope was that “brunch would make life brighter for Saturday-night carousers.”
Free Sunday morning drinks are another way to brighten the lives of those late-night carousers. “Wear pajamas to brunch and receive a complementary Mimosa or Bloody Mary” is the motto at XO Café, a hip, elegant restaurant that offers a fancy brunch for affordable prices. Affordable, that is, if you aren’t paying for the ten dollar Mimosa.
XO Café would make Beringer proud.
The restaurant is located in John Updike’s historic Providence house. Faded red brick walls in the main dining room are reminiscent of Providence's 20th century elite, but the cheery staff and fun, modern décor, creates a down-to-earth environment that any eater can get on board with. The ceilings are black and sleek, contrasting with the weathered bricks below them.
Updike might not have been impressed with the pajama-wearing eaters in his home, but he definitely would have written about the food served out of his kitchen. XO Café’s brunch menu has something for everyone—some breakfast, some lunch, and certainly something to ease any post-carousing remorse.
Arriving in pajamas earned me and my friends free drinks to start off our late Sunday morning. I chose the Sunrise Mimosa, with sparkling wine, fresh grapefruit juice, and St. Germain. Another alcoholic favorite was the Vong Mimosa, with sparkling wine, Malibu, and mango puree. Both were delicious, elegant, and—most importantly, free—ways to start off the meal.
Once the Mimosas woke us up, the main dishes started arriving. The highlight of the meal was the XO Benedict, which was an English muffin with a braised short rib, a poached egg, and a chipotle hollandaise sauce. The short rib was sweet and fell apart the second it came into contact with my metal trident; and the eggs were poached to perfection. The chipotle hollandaise sauce took an already favorite sauce of mine—the classic, mild, lemony hollandaise—and gave it a kick of spice that blended well with the sweetness of the short rib. The homefries that accompanied were crunchy on the outside, soft within, and spiced with chives, salt, and pepper—perfect to mop up the leftover yolk.
The other memorable dish was The Benefit Street, a pork belly and brussels sprout hash with two poached eggs and a Mornay sauce. The hash was brilliant. The pork belly, which tends to have a strong, fatty flavor, was diced up and cooked long enough to let the natural sugars caramelize. The result: a sweet, smoky flavor reminiscent of bacon. The pieces of belly were then tossed with crunchy, cooked brussels sprouts and caramelized onions. This sweet, savory, chewy, crunchy hash was covered with two masterfully poached eggs and topped with Mornay sauce. (A side note for the culinary-curious: Mornay sauce has a Béchamel base, the base for most white sauces, made up of butter, flour, and milk or cream. What makes it Mornay is the addition of shredded cheese—traditionally gruyere and parmesan—to spice up the sauce.) The Mornay’s savory, strong flavor balanced out the sweetness of the pork belly and the caramelized onions. The Benefit Street was served with two pieces of fresh, buttered and grilled bread, a unique take on toast.
XO Café left only a ten-dollar dent in my student wallet. For the price, I got a well-crafted, elegant brunch dish, a Mimosa, and, most importantly, the privilege of wearing my pajamas out of my room and into a historic Providence house. This fun, deceivingly relaxed brunch outlet is a gem in Providence’s East Side, and for the cheap price, more students should start making the pajama pilgrimage to celebrate Beringer’s vision.