Eastern Market is my favorite place to stroll around in Washington, DC. Just give me a sunny Saturday and a crisp fall breeze; I could spend hours here. The houses alone are stunning; some of them remind me of dollhouses. Some are painted in vivid colors like pink or purple; some are rustic brick homes, and many houses have lovely front gardens with flowers and foliage in bloom. This neighborhood is something out of a movie.
The residential part of Eastern Market is lovely and all, but I come here to eat. The weekends host a flea and farmer’s market, where I can walk up and down the street looking at the gorgeous produce on offer. My favorite part is that the vendors have samples of their produce. Maybe $30 later, I go home with multicolored cherry tomatoes, fresh peaches, and some corn that I can’t wait to cook.
This area is also a great brunch spot, with dozens of restaurants to choose from. I want to try them all, but there’s only so much I can eat before my pants burst. With so many options, how do I choose? I guess I’m just going to have to brunch in Eastern Market any chance I get.
This time, I ventured over to Mr. Henry’s, joined by Eastern Market’s newest resident, Ashley! Lucky! The weather was perfect to explore her new neighborhood, a bit cooler than the DC summer has been.
Mr. Henry’s has a friendly, casual, and divey feel to it. We had the option for indoor or outdoor seating, and given how beautiful the weather was, we enjoyed brunch on the garden patio. It’s also a great spot to people and puppy watch, especially if you sit by the sidewalk. For the Eastern Market/Capitol Hill neighborhood, this place is close to standard pricewise, though just slightly cheaper than other venues. Food items range from $10 to $15.
First things first—mimosas. We ordered a pitcher, and had a tough time finishing it. We eventually did, because no mimosa goes undrunk, but this was a pretty large pitcher. Only $20 a pitcher, and it was definitely worth the price! Best part was their potency. Ashley and I were feeling giggly after just two glasses, and we still had halfway to go!
Mr. Henry’s brunch menu is fairly small, with a mix of breakfast and lunch items to choose from. Despite the limited choices, I still spent at least five minutes trying to figure out what I wanted. I have this problem where I’m crippled by choice when it comes to food. Honestly, I want to eat it all, but I can’t. I ended up ordering a classic breakfast: Sunny-side up eggs with bacon, potatoes, and toast. Sometimes you just crave something simple.
My favorite part about sunny-side up eggs is the runny yolk. It just makes a huge mess on the plate that I love sopping up with toast, which I had plenty of. I don’t really mind when my foods touch; that just means they combine flavors, making the meal even better. The potatoes were crispy, yet fluffy and well seasoned, though I added a bit more pepper to them. And then, the best part of any breakfast: the bacon. I don’t like overly crispy bacon that turns into shrapnel all over your plate when you bite it. Super crispy bacon just tastes burnt and you lose that delicious smoky bacon flavor that makes bacon, well, because bacon. Mr. Henry’s cooks their bacon so it has the perfect ratio of crispy to chewy. Chewy bacon that is too fatty is just too hard to eat.
Ashley opted for the Salmon Scramble, served with toast and potatoes. Adding a posh pop to your standard omelet, these eggs were fluffy and didn’t have that metallic taste that comes with overcooked eggs (did you know that the metallic tastes stems from the sulfur compounds? Science. Stuffed with tomatoes, spinach, asiago cheese, capers, and salmon, the omelet was a mix of Mediterranean flavors. The cheese added a savory element to the eggs, and who doesn’t like melty cheese in their omelet, right? The salmon was subtle and frankly slightly hard to detect, but still tasty.
Overall, Mr. Henry’s is a nice spot for brunch and breakfast fare that hits the spot while leaving your wallet marginally intact. In addition to brunch, Mr. Henry’s hosts live jazz music and jazz dinners on Fridays and Saturdays.