Since my Favorite Daughter was in town, we decided to try the brunch at Fleming’s Steak House, one of our favorite haunts. She was here for a “girl’s get-away” and we took advantage of the time we could, after all, how much time, does she want to spend with dear old Dad, when she is planning on having fun? We also invited our Son and his charming Wife along for the event. I know that I am always trying to find independent restaurants to try, but the “bar food” at Fleming’s is always dependable, and so is the wine selections. Since we have a couple of Fleming’s near us, when we go out of town, we do not have to venture into another one for dinner, so I guess that is a good trade-off. The last time we were at the bar having a bite to eat, we saw a placard about “Sonoma Brunch” at our local establishment, and my Bride put that information aside for a possible later time.

There were five of us for the brunch, and two of us ordered the prixe-fixe brunch of three courses, and the rest of us, just ordered ala carte. The three course package started with Fresh Seasonal Fruits with Moscato d’Asti and Mint Leaves, and I have to presume that it was very good, because the dishes were finished quickly. The two people that had the special brunch pricing, and then had the French-folded Blue Crab Omelet, which consisted of whipped eggs served Crepe-style with Gruyere cheese, wilted spinach and mushrooms topped with Blue Crab, blistered tomatoes and a Dill Hollandaise sauce. My Bride was a bit disappointed, because she felt that the dish was a bit dry and very light on the crab meat. Our Son had the dish that I was considering; the Prime Rib Hash which was blended with fresh vegetables, potatoes, herbs and spices, pan crisped and served with scrambled eggs, and he said that it was a very good dish. My Favorite Daughter and I had the Filet Mignon Benedict, which was sliced Filet Mignon served on a crisp potato cake with wilted Arugula and Béarnaise sauce, and we were both happy. Since two of us had ordered the three course special, the five of us split the Beverly Hills Flourless Chocolate Cake of dark Belgian chocolate, Strawberry sauce and Chantilly cream; the two cakes were more then ample for the five of us.

While our Son was enjoying some Craft Beers, only my Bride and I opted for Mimosas. To me Mimosas are the drink of choice with brunch. As is my usual routine, I asked our waitress to bring out a bottle of the sparkling wine that was being used for the Mimosas, so that I may photograph the label. It was the same sparkling wine that we had at our last brunch in Las Vegas, so we were very happy. William Wycliff Vineyards of Modesto, California makes Wycliff Brut California Champagne NV and they are under the giant umbrella of E. & J. Gallo Winery, and it is because of the parent company, I would have to presume that they are allowed to called the wine “California Champagne” as they have been Grandfathered in with that name, as most domestic sparkling wines cannot use the term “champagne” any more. The traditional grapes used for this wine would be Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier; and this wine is produced in the more economical Charmat Method for bulk sparkling wine. Wycliff Brut California Champagne NV is basically only sold to the restaurant trade, and probably used for drinks calling for champagne in the mix, as it even comes with a screw cap. While we enjoyed the Wycliff wine the last time, this time the Mimosas were made with Passion Fruit juice and the taste was disconcerting for the most part and totally overpowered the sparkling wine and neither of us could get used to the taste. Oh well live and learn, and just perhaps if we have brunch there again, I hope that we can request our Mimosas to be made with Orange juice