My food and drink picks from a Saturday squad brunch at Liberty Kitchen
This past Saturday, I visited Liberty Kitchen for a brunch feast with some of my fellow Houston Food Blogger Collective members. When I say feast I'm not exaggerating. I was. not. ready. for all the food and libations. An itis nap may or may not have followed this outing. Let's start with the drinks.
The full brunch drink lineup was up for grabs. L to R: Liberty Manhattan, Liberty Mimosa, West Candlelight, Bloody Mary, Portofino
My favorite was the West Candlelight, which is made with Dripping Springs vodka, crushed raspberries, St. Germain, and GF. Vodka made an appearance in all of the brunch drinks we tried--from pineapple-infused in the Liberty Mimosa, to Tito's in the Portofino, and pepper-infused in the Bloody Mary--with the exception of the Liberty Manhattan, which is comprised of small batch whiskey, angostura bitters, and sweet vermouth.
If Bloody Marys are your thing, hit up the [super cute] Bloody Mary bar cart in the main dining room! You can choose from fixins like fried oysters and pickled cauliflower. As the drinks were flowing, we tried some brunch starters, aka "Simple Things" family style.
Chesapeake Crab balls were the most popular with our group (the sauce was fantastic) but my favorite simple thing is coming up just below.
This is the Costa Brava Cocktail of Shrimp & Fried Oysters. Shrimp cocktail is not usually among my favorite appetizer choices but this one was perfect, in my opinion. The cocktail sauce was chunky and well-spiced and I used the crisp cucumber slices to scoop out the extra. The shrimp, fried oysters, and avocado were as delicious as you would expect.
In the trio of deviled eggs, we appreciated the toppings more than the eggs themselves. Everyone has their own family ways of making deviled eggs and nothing quite stacks up, however, the toppings were on point: smoked salmon, fried oysters, and sweet bacon jam. I was already halfway full after sharing all these starters but there was more.
More = cheddar mac & cheese! I indulged and wasn't sure how I'd go on to eat anything else but, somehow, I managed. 🙂
After a bunch of savory starters and more than one a single visit to the mac & cheese bowl, my sweet tooth was like "Umm, hello?!" So, I chose Frosted Flake French Toast for my main thang. It's served with bacon, blueberries, Mexican coffee creme anglaise, and Vermont maple syrup. I ate all of it, which put the nail in the coffin on my itis.
Liberty Kitchen Garden Oaks looks like a little house on the outside and has a homey feel on the inside. There's parallel parking in front as well as a small adjacent lot. Right on the other side of the lot is a beer garden surrounded by greenery and fans, which are absolutely necessary in Houston almost year round.
And here we are, full and happy! L to R: Jasmene, Erika, me, and Renia. I've linked to their blogs in case you want to check out their perspectives on the meal. At the time of this time of this post, there are four Liberty Kitchen locations. We visited the one in Garden Oaks.
Which of these dishes would you let induce your post-brunch nap? Thanks for reading!
Lisa says
Oh my that looks fantastic!!
fromnothingtonovel says
I LOVE deviled eggs, and those look absolutely delish! Also the French toast. Also the crab rolls... also... everything...
sofieyah says
woah, those brunch food is making me hungry... and I just ate! plus the presentation looks amazing too!
Brit Strawbridge says
Oh my goodness, girl! These photos are amazing! I tried to pick a favourite food photo but they all look sooo good!
taylordavis71 says
this looks unreal!! those dishes and those cocktails are making me crave brunch and a patio!
Mariana says
Good to see you all there, nice pictures!
Jazz says
Thanks, Mariana! Good to see you as well.
bcanfield1 says
Oh my gosh... I'm drooling... haha! Everything looks so good! I'm going to remember this for the next time I pass through that way. That frosted flake french toast is calling me.
William Lewis says
WOW! Those brunch foods are making me avaricious…lol! Their garnished food makes us hungry more! That looks fantastic! I LOVE deviled eggs, and those look fully delicious! Also the French toast...Also the crab rolls… also everything…lol!
Jazz says
Everything was delicious! Thanks for stopping by!