Cheap Eats: Gaslight

Is it just us, or is this time of year exhausting? With all the shopping and parties, you need the right kind of fuel to get you through the day. Luckily, Gaslight, a French brasserie in the South End, is offering a filling and cheap brunch every Saturday and Sunday throughout this month.

For only $10, Gaslight's Prix Fixe brunch includes a glass of fresh-squeezed juice (orange or grapefruit), coffee or tea, a delicious pastry, and your choice of french toast, omelette, or soft baked eggs. Bostonist tried the omelette Lyonnaise - fluffy eggs surrounding sweet caramelized onions, savory cheese, and perfectly cooked potatoes. Served with crispy fries, the omelette was delicious and filling and definitely good shopping fuel. The pastry, Julia Child's spiced shortbread with raspberry jam, was a great ending to the meal - a buttery crust topped with gooey jam. You really can't beat this much well-crafted food for so little money.

Gaslight is offering this deal Saturdays (10am-3pm) and Sundays (10-11am) for the rest of December. If you have to deal with the malls or family, make sure to feed yourself well beforehand.

Originally posted on Bostonist.

The Fireplace, Brookline

I met up with a couple of my high school friends last weekend for an impromptu lunch. There aren't so many places that offer brunch on Saturdays, though, so we ended up at the Fireplace in Washington Square in Brookline. I live close by, but I've heard not such good things about the dinners there, so I was a little hesitant to try it. The more I researched, though, the more it seemed that brunch was enjoyable there, and I decided that would be fine.

First off, I have to say how entertaining our waiter was. He was joking around with us the whole time, and we made him laugh as much as he made us laugh. Also, the space was very nice with lots of natural light from the big windows. We had a corner booth that was nice and comfortable.

For my meal, I had a hard time deciding on what I wanted. I settled on the beet and orange salad over Boston lettuce with goat cheese, parsnip chips, and citrus vinaigrette. I'll admit, it was the parsnip chips that pushed me in this dish's favor. When it arrived, I was surprised at the vast expanse of beet. While everything tasted good, there were just way too many beets on the dish, overpowering everything else. There's a lot of potential with this dish, but the balance issues just threw me off. (Don't worry, the parsnip chips were delicious.)

The brunch menu has lots of other good-looking treats, so I'm sure I'll give it a try again... but not for beets.