Trumpet Blossom & Pullman Brunch
Mama Bedell came into Iowa City, so a girl's day/weekend was obviously in order. You could say I am a mini me (taller) version of my mom - taste in clothes, tv, and especially our love of food (her go to is mac n' cheese).
Our first stop was to Trumpet Blossom Cafe, which is the cutest little vegetarian & vegan restaurant downtown. We had been there one other time and now its our favorite pit stop whenever dad isn't in town.
They have a great beer selection and fun cocktails - Cindi went for a bloody mary & I had the special Wandering Sage. Since it is an organic joint they make their tomato juice in house, Cindi wasn't obsessed with the chunky freshness but still enjoyed it. My cocktail was amazing - muddled herbs, tequila, lemon, simple syrup, maple & grapefruit bitters. I'm a tequila drinker, but don't stray away if you're not, there is no tequila punch due to the citrus and sage.
We were there during their limited menu time and got the Fresh Green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and Nachos to split. The salad was simple, just very fresh and crisp and the vinaigrette was very thin and had more of a balsamic vinegar base, which I prefer. The nachos were blue corn tortilla chips with creamy cashew cheese sauce, black beans, greens & peppers, served with cilantro-lime creme & mango-habanero salsa. Having not a clue as to what "creamy cashew cheese sauce" would taste like, but I was pleasantly surprised. The nachos overall were very light, but didn't lack any flavor. The mango-habanero was a great combination of sweet & spicy - but you should take my opinion on "spicy" very loosely.
Lastly, walking out the door instead of mints they serve ginger chews. If you like ginger (sushi ginger or anything ginger) give these bad boys a try - obsessed wouldn't even begin to describe it.
Saturday morning we headed over to Pullman for breakfast. Cindi had never been and I had never tried their breaky, so we decided to give it a shot - and we were definitely not disappointed.
Mama B went with bloody round 2 and I opted for an Irish coffee. I've only had an Irish coffee one other time and that was at The Buena Vista in San Fran. It's the perfect way to warm up on a semi chili day, with a caffeine & alcohol kick, delish. In normal Bedell fashion, we scanned the menu beforehand...a few times.
I went for the Huevos: two sunny side eggs, potatoes, sofrito, black beans, avocado, house salsa, fried tortilla. We all know that sunny side eggs & avocado is my ride or die. The sofrito (a Spanish sauce used as a base - typically onions, tomatoes, garlic, and oil) brought so much flavor to the rice & beans and also made the potatoes creamier rather than the typical breakfast potato. Even though you can't see them, the deliciousness is buried under the two eggs. Lastly, the tortilla - they crumbled the second I bit down and then instantly melted in my mouth.
Mama B went for the Salmon Benedict: English muffin, smoked salmon, poached egg, hollandaise sauce (OTS), dill, served with potatoes O'Brien. I was too busy demolishing my own meal that I didn't try much of hers - but by her comments it was an A plus as well.
This was a perfect way to end a Mama Bedell weekend in IC.