V-DAY BRUNCH AT GRAM AND DUN

When the weather is beyond perfect at the weekend, you make sure to reserve a spot on some patio in town. We always do a dinner on Valentine's Day. But this year, we decided to postpone the celebrations to the weekend. When the temperature of your city, ties up to Highs , which were in 1930s, it is special . Brunch it was. If you know me, long enough, you know I have a special thing for Brunches. I find them so ever so romantic, and even therapeutic to a certain extent , after a hectic week.

We headed to Gram and Dun, on the Country Club Plaza, in Kansas City. Its always a good idea to go to Plaza when the weather is so perfect. After months and months of grey, clammy weather , it was bright and sunny. Patio seating is first come, first serve, at Gram and Dun . We  had a wait of around 20 minutes, as we had called in earlier. We got a beautiful table , on the patio(one of the best). It was with a street view of the Plaza. The sun was on our shoulders and we were smiling. Gram and Dun claims to create a neighborhood vibe and bring in their signature touch to classic dishes. At first sight, they didnt disappoint.

We have a three year old, who is a picky eater. As the restaurant didn't have anything special in a kids portion, and my daughter was not too keen on a full size Brunch entree, we had to get creative. She had had a snack before we started off, and mentioned that she would like some chips or fries. Before any of you health freaks, start rolling your eyes, about how unhealthy, it is, let me remind you, that its a 3 year old, on a celebratory meal with her parents. We ordered the Not - SO -Standard -Potato Chips with Parmesan Cheese. It came with a Sauce Fight featuring Gochu-Jang Mayo, Gold Sauce, Romesco Sauce. We all started nibbling in.

If you are in the Patio and its Brunch, then it calls for cocktails. I usually settle for a Mimosa, but the Brunch Punch looked promising. I loved the fact that it was poured and mixed Table Side. I could get used to this kind of drink service. It was not too sweet and was pretty smooth. It was a mix of Bourbon, White Wine, Apple Cider, Bitters, Orange Licquer.

Time for the main course. Me and my husband are big fans of Shrimp and Grits for Brunch,no matter how highly priced they are on the menu. We could have settled in for a Biscuits and Gravy and kept the tab lower, but aren't we always in a mood to splurge, when we are eating out. Need to change that habit, I keep telling myself, for the past decade.

Shrimp and Grits it was. Gram Dun 's version is with Blackened Shrimp and an Avocado Gravy . Our first look at the portion size, and my husband remarked that we might have to order something else. But we were wrong. The Grits was so loaded, that we were

full . The shrimps had a nice color and texture and good kick of spice. The grits were creamy and felt like they almost had a stick of butter in every portion.

Gram and Dun is clearly not a budget brunch place. And I know of many budget options for brunch, on the Plaza itself. But I feel its value for money, if its a special occassion. I loved the ambience, the service and the food . The servers were not over bearing with their presence ,which can often be a problem. Now the question is, will I be going back? I will surely be going back and try and explore the other options on the menu.

Hoping all of you had a great Valentine's Week with your loved ones.