Cheers to the ladies in our lives!

        For those of you who don't know, my mother passed away one year ago from Cancer.  As this unfortunate anniversary got closer I received a lot of well wishes from those around me.  Of course Laura and I already decided to dedicate our Sundaylicious brunch in honor of my mom, but we also had a wonderful surprise guest to grace us with her presence.  Our friend Robyn came all the way from New York City to be with us during this weekend to give love and support.   I can't tell you how excited Laura and I were to share a Sundaylicious brunch with Robyn!!  We all go way back....in fact this August will be our 15 year anniversary of meeting one another....WOW!!!!  The years have gone by with many memories and many changes, but one thing stays the same and that's our love for each other (and our love for a tasty morning cocktail).

This was a spur of the moment trip for Robyn, so the pressure was on to pick the perfect brunch spot. We chose The Plough and Stars on Mass Ave in Cambridge www.ploughandstars.com, and we were not disappointed.
        The Plough and Stars is a very cool and cozy restaurant, and we have been here before to see live music at night.  It has red walls, metal stars on the ceiling, a metal plough sculpture with star lights, and christmas lights twinkling around the ceiling which gives it a cosmic feel.  I love this place day or night!! The music that was playing while we were there was also very funky.  It was New Orleans style jazz, and it set the mood for a cool brunch.  We have never been here for brunch so we were excited to check it out.  We knew the atmosphere would blow Robyn away, and we were hoping the food would too.

As we were walking to the door, we noticed a line forming so Laura went into high gear and almost hip-checked another fellow bruncher who was blocking the doorway while looking at the menu.  Look Lady, you don't know if you wanna go in?....well get out of our way cause we are coming!!!  We aren't messing around so you snooze you lose..we want to sit down!!!  Karma hip-checked us back by greeting us with an unfriendly hostess who sat us with not so much as a hello.  But hey, we got a table!!  The Plough is small so a long wait is possible, but we went early today.  We arrived at 11:15am, and as soon as we sat down the place got full in minutes.  The three of us were squished into a two top, but luckily Robyn and I aren't too big and could sit comfortably next to each other.  If we were any bigger this would not have been possible.  They should really be careful how they seat their larger parties, but with limited space we were happy to help accommodate. 
               We ordered coffee and mimosas right off the bat, and I was blown away by the price of them....$10 each!!!!  They were also on the smaller side, but they packed a punch and weren't too much more then what we have been experiencing at other places.  However, that price point made me only want to order one.  Robyn went creative with her drink and mixed it up with pineapple juice instead of OJ, and that was a tasty treat:)  She also told us of places in NYC that have pitchers of mimosas, and that she gets at least one mimosa for free at some places in NYC...THAT'S AWESOME!!!  I want a free mimosa when I go to brunch!!!  Laura and I are on the look out now for a place that does pitchers, so if you have any suggestions please email us!!!

The Plough did not have our usual fruit and yogurt parfait even though it was on the menu online.  So Laura and I shared the oatmeal which was delicious.  It had dried fruit and brown sugar which flavored the cream at the bottom and made it scrum-dilly-umptious.  You had to get all the ingredients on the spoon to really get the full effect.  

 For the main dishes we all picked some form of an egg. I got scrambled eggs with potatoes and fruit.  I had asked to switch my toast for a bagel and cream cheese, but our waitress informed me that if I wanted it with cream cheese I could not switch out unless I paid for the one on the menu which was an extra $6 bucks.   If I just wanted a bagel with butter it would have been fine...WHAT?  Who wants a plain bagel?  Gross!!!  Of course I want cream cheese!!!  I thought that was a bit stingy on their part, so I was a bit stingy and didn't get it :(  My eggs were very tasty, and the potatoes were AMAZING!!  They had a spice rub on them that was out of this world!!!  We meant to ask what it was, but we forgot.  They were perfectly cooked and perfectly spiced, and the fruit complimented the dish by adding a freshness to my taste buds.  The toast went uneaten.

Laura ordered a build your own omelet.  The omelet cost around $7, but that was just for eggs (not even cheese included).  Every ingredient that you wanted to add in cost an additional dollar!!  That seems crazy to me, and was another "bagel/cream cheese" moment again.  Laura picked gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and bacon and said it was worth every extra penny!!  It was Delish!!  This week her omelet came with potatoes too, so she won all around.

Robyn ordered the poached eggs (which was basically eggs benedict), and this was voted as the dish of the day.   The eggs were perfectly cooked, and when she cut into the dish with her knife they ran all over her english muffin adding that much needed sauce layer to it.  It also came with a pork confit hash which she added to her eggs and that made them quite yummy.

        Over all we were very satisfied with our meal.  We gave it an 8 out of 10 eggs for food, and an 8 out of 10 eggs for atmosphere.  It was on the pricier side and the wait staff could have been a little friendlier, but the food was well portioned and very tasty.  The Plough itself sets the mood for a great meal (whether day or night), and we will certainly be back for a dinner sometime to try that.  It was tough to leave as we had to drive Robyn to the bus station after, so we lingered as long as possible.  We gave many toasts to the women we love, the women we've lost, and the women who we are blessed to have in our lives.  This weekend could have been filled with sorrow and loss, but I am so lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends and my family to support me.  As we left the Plough and Stars I looked up above the door and there was one word that says it all:

And that was what my mother was all about.  So cheers to you mom for being the most amazing woman I have ever known, and cheers to all the ladies in our lives who continue to give us the most important thing in life: LOVE!!!