Mt. Airy restaurants to feature seasonal fare in this weekend’s ‘Brunch Sessions’

Starting this weekend, seven restaurants in Mt. Airy will be presenting seasonally inspired, three-course menus for “Mt. Airy Brunch Sessions: Four Seasons of Prix-Fixe.”

The restaurants will feature off-menu dishes and signature favorites that incorporate the flavors of spring. There will be frisee salad with crispy pancetta, sliced pear, ricotta salata and mint vinaigrette; bread pudding French toast with strawberry-rhubarb compote, or corned beef hash flatbread.

Participating restaurants are Avenida Restaurant, Earth Bread + Brewery, Geechee Girl Rice Cafe, Goat Hollow, Jyoti Indian Bistro, Little Jimmie’s Bakery Cafe and Trolley Car Diner. Each prix-fixe meal is $16 per person and includes a starter, entrée, side, and choice of coffee or tea.

Mt. Airy USA, a nonprofit community development corporation, conceived of and organized the Brunch Sessions.

“There’s a brunch culture you find in Center City that hadn’t been cultivated here,” said Mt. Airy USA’s Director of Commercial Corridor Revitalization, Elizabeth Mozelle.

Though the Brunch Sessions concept draws comparisons to Center City’s popular Restaurant Week, Mt. Airy’s forthcoming series is distinctly different.

“The restaurant week model, though tried and true, didn’t work for us,” Moselle said. By choosing to focus on brunch, Mt. Airy USA can promote the series as part of the perfect day trip to those who don’t normally venture to Mt. Airy.

Moselle said the group is encouraging visitors to enjoy brunch at one of the seven participating restaurants and then take a walk along the Wissahickon or explore a Quaker safe house for runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. Go rock climbing, horseback riding, biking, fishing or bird watching.

But for the chefs at participating restaurants such as Avenida, it’s all about the brunch for the chefs

Kim Alvarez, Avenida’s co-owner and chef, said, “We want you to see what we do.”

Here’s the breakdown of when the participating restaurants are open for brunch and what items their brunch menus include:

GEECHEE GIRL RICE CAFE6825 Germantown Ave.Saturday, April 5 and Sunday April 6, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.For reservations, call (215) 843-8113. BYO.

Highlights include:

Ginger glazed grapefruit brule.
 Bread pudding French toast topped with strawberry-rhubarb compote.
Grit cake benedict with fried eggs; house smoked salmon and sautéed asparagus on herbed grit cakes; served with Hollandaise sauce.
South African ginger beer with fresh ginger, orange juice and honey topped with fresh iced tea.

TROLLEY CAR DINER7619 Germantown Ave.Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.No reservations, walk-in only. More than 200 beers available.

Highlights include:

Frisee salad with frisee, crispy pancetta, sliced pear, ricotta salata, mint vinaigrette.
Seafood crepe with shrimp, scallop, tilapia, lobster and tarragon cream sauce.
Baked asparagus with a lemon breadcrumb topping.
Spring pea soup.

AVENIDA RESTAURANT7401 Germantown Ave.Sunday, April 6, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.For reservations visit avenidarestaurant.com to reserve on-line using Open Table or call (267) 385-6857. Full bar available.

Highlights include:

Mixed greens, panko crusted goat cheese and guava lime vinaigrette.
Portuguese muffin, scrambled eggs, bacon and Chihuahua cheese.
Cava Cocktail with Juves y Camps Cava and a splash of grenadine with your choice of guava, orange, mango, blood orange or peach juice.

EARTH BREAD + BREWERY7136 Germantown Ave.Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6, 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Call (215) 242-6666 for reservations for parties of six or more. Full bar available.

Highlights include:

Breakfast Flatbread with tomato cream cheese base, eggs (scrambled or sunny side-up), cheddar cheese and bacon. Topped with scallions.
Corned Beef Hash Flatbread with cream cheese tomato base, corned beef, potatoes, roasted onions and a fried egg. Finished with fresh parsley and thyme.
Special house drafted, small-batch beer, or housemade wine.
Served with locally roasted High Point Café coffee.

JYOTI INDIAN BISTRO7220 Germantown Ave.Saturday, April 5th, 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.No reservations, walk-in only. BYO.

Highlights include:

Samosa with a savory pastry shell filled with peas and potatoes and choice of chutney.
Idli and sambar with steamed cakes made out of lentils and rice with coconut chutney and sambar (spicy yellow dal with vegetables).
Kicharee, featuring a rice and lentil stew with ginger, onions and garlic – a traditional Indian lunch/brunch item.

LITTLE JIMMIE’S BAKERY CAFE6669 Germantown Ave.Sunday, April 6, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.For reservations, call (267) 336-7139. BYO.

Highlights include:

Baked French toast topped with vanilla maple syrup with smoked bacon.
Tomato basil and garlic quiche.
Jimmie’s famous housemade cheddar biscuits.

GOAT HOLLOW300 West Mount Pleasant Ave.Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.For reservations, visit goathollow.com, use Open Table OR call (267) 428-5672. Full bar available.

Menu to be announced including the debut of a Seafood Bloody Mary.

For menus and restaurant information, visit Go Mt. Airy. The group plans to annouce similar Brunch Sessions for each season.