Brunching, Birthdays and Twinkies

There’s nothing better than knowing that Sunday isn’t the end of the weekend. I love what I do for work, but sometimes it’s nice to have a 3 day weekend to decompress and come back fresh and recharged, or at least that’s what is supposed to happen. This weekend was not unlike many weekends, complete with brunches, overeating and friends. Saturday may have been gray and rainy, but the day was filled with good eats and good people. I met a friend for brunch at Twinkie which is like a bohemian hybrid of British, American and French breakfast/brunches spots.

Breakfast fare of bagels, muffins, fresh fruit juices, eggs, club sandwiches, savory tarts, cheesecake, scones, sausage and beans and a gluten & lactose-free menu, is served all day from 10am-6pm. The decor was minimalist yet inviting and somewhat resembled what I would imagine a Scandinavian canteen would look like. The service was efficient and pleasant and they were even accommodating, allowing me to substitute matzah for the bread basket that came with my menu. Luckily there was nutella and jam to make up for the cardboard-like consistency of the matzah. And while there were boxes of twinkies on the shelves decorating the area near the kitchen, they were fortunately absent from the menu. In a city where all this is Anglo-Saxon is embraced and appropriated into Parisian culture (not without the French touch, of course), Twinkie fits in perfectly.

Then it was off to a friend’s 30th birthday party where she had prepared authentic British scones (plain and with cheese – her mother is British so she is often influenced by traditional British fare), a copious variety of tea sandwiches and because she just loves to bake THAT much, a Victoria Sponge Cake to put all of her guests into a glorious sugar coma.

Not only was it her birthday but she is almost 7 months pregnant! When my birthday rolls around, you better believe someone else is doing the cooking, baking and cleaning (had to throw that one in there too). The cake was outstanding, with a filling of strawberries, jam and vanilla bean whipped cream. Descriptions don’t do it justice:

Layer of jam and strawberries before the whipped cream and cake top

And to wrap up Easter Sunday, a little brunch with friends. I made mushroom kugel, a giant salad, scrambled eggs, and coconut macaroons – all Passover friendly!