Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Turning Tricks Into Brunch, SLC's Newest Brunch Spot

"Bacon" Cheese Breakfast Sandwich
Hands Down The Winner!
     It's called the Metro and Cafe 540 now, but the building has a special place in my heart. When I landed in this salty city, the old owners were the first one to give me a job slinging drinks. It's where I met a lot of awesome people and started to acclimate to the city.Then they closed while I was snowboarding (and studying) in the Andes. When they first opened as a bar (Metro), I had to sneak in and see what happened to the place. The new owners kept the charm of the old place, which way way back was a house of ill repute (a plaque outside explains the buildings' past). I was more excited to see the long dormant building vibrant again. As the bar portion, the Metro has been hosting the monthly vegan drinks, including some amazing specialty cocktails and a potluck. No pictures, but I think I had this crazy alcoholic rootbeer float thing that was surprisingly delicious. Not to mention, the vegan white Russians were always on hand! To top things off, they donate a portion of the proceeds to Ching Farm Sanctuary. So when they announced a food menu, my ears perked up.


Vanilla French Toast
Just Like Mom Used To Make!
     After returning from the desolate desert of West Wendover, the special one and I decided to sample their menu. It was only their first week with the brunch menu, so there was some bumps in the road, but the food didn't disappoint. Along with food, they have  intriguing brunch cocktails, but drinks were the farthest thing from my mind. Unto the food, the clear winner was the cheesy bacon sandwich. I'm not sure what they do to the tofu, but the special one and I were fighting over the piece sandwiched between two savory biscuits and slathered in cheese. If I had my wish, I would double or triple the "bacon" on that sandwich and then it would be outstanding. The vanilla french toast was up next. The special one said it tasted just like her grandma's world famous french toast, so I doubt you need any more validation. If you never heard of it, I guess you just ain't in the know. Either way, I won't hold it against you, but it was delicious.


Biscuits and Country Gravy 
County Gravy!
Vertical Diner got me on the biscuits and gravy kick. Up until then, I've never had them. Vertical sets a high bar with one of, if not the best, vegan gravy I've had. These were pretty good with the country gravy, but I still give the crown to vertical. My only compliant on the menu was that the menu said has browns, but they were really cut up french fries. I'm kinda serious about hash browns, so that was a disappointment, especially since we ordered so much food. Tried as I may and I couldn't finished the third plate of the french browns even with the help of sriracha. Rumor has it there was a vegan omelette but wasn't on the menu. If they iron out the hash brown and get that omelette on the menu (they would be the first to have a vegan omelette in the city!) , Cafe 540 will be a perennial brunch spot. I'll have to investigate their dinner menu. 

Vegan Menu




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