Bertrand en casa de Mister A
2550 Fifth Ave., 12th Floor (Bankers Hill)
619-239-1377
Brunch prices: Starters and salads, $10 to $21.50; main dishes, $15 to $22; sides, $5 to $7
Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review
For the first time in 48 years, diners have gained access to mid-morning views from the 12th-floor culinary landmark that is Bertrand at Mister A’s. After testing numerous menus over several months, the restaurant began offering in April what the French call “le grand petite dejeuner,” meaning “the big little lunch.”
To late-sleeping Americans who awaken to hunger pangs, the term is better known as “brunch,” which Mister A’s presents from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday to the tune of lavish bloody Marys, gorgeous meat and seafood dishes, and helium-light donuts made to order.
But keep your leisure threads at home. The dress code, which these days is a little more relaxed compared to yesteryear, still applies during brunch service, meaning no T-shirts, beach shorts, flip flops and the like.
Chef Stephane Voitzwinkler omits common egg scrambles and omelets in lieu of craftier yolky fare like duck confit frittatas and eggs benedict crowned with your choice of pork belly, lump crab or smoked salmon. Traditional blueberry pancakes and Belgian waffles appear, although the buttery crepes Suzette doused in oranges and Grand Marnier prove a more ravishing choice if only because of their scarcity. These are perfect, juicy specimens that attest to the joys of French cuisine.
The menu contains several heavyweights from the savory category—more than what you’ll find at other brunches. Thus, my companion and I eased in gently. Well sort of.
A bowl of lobster bisque with shrimp and parsley foam was robust, sweet and sinfully creamy while an appetizer of house-made gravlax paints a picture of Scandinavia with beautifully cured wild Alaskan salmon playing host to silvery sardines, teeny hard-boiled quail eggs and a couple balls of cream cheese rolled in chives.
Another starter, a puck of house-made chicken liver pate, was equally artful in its presentation. The velvety, well-spiced pâté was adorned with cubes of shimmering gelée made from the fat, along with a cascade of caper berries, cornichons and petite, edible flowers that show up often in other dishes. Served on a black marble slab with a smear of mustard, it looked like the inside of a Tiffany jewelry box.
Both the gravlax and pâté are served with toasted, house-made brioche diapered in white linens. Our waiter, an affable and highly professional Greek gent named George, took great care in assembling our first bites, making sure to lop each ingredient from each dish onto the bread. Sadly, it’s the kind of tableside service that is nearing extinction.
From the entrée selections, my companion opted for sweet potato hash enriched with pork belly. The spuds, some of them white, were strewn with crispy trimmings of the meat that delivered a nice chewy texture and bursts of salt. It was paired with a side of standard deli-style coleslaw.
I chose the croquet Madame, one of my favorite sandwiches in the world. Here, the chef serves it open-face, using a slice of brioche as the base. The bread was thicker than the sum of its toppings, which captured bubbly Gruyere cheese, prosciutto, arugula and a tangy balsamic fried egg. Though satisfying, I would have preferred it less bready.
Other mains include veal Bolognese poutine, a half-pound Wagyu beef burger, rosemary lamb chops and buttermilk-fried chicken over Gruyere waffles. Yes, you’ve come to the right brunch if your stomach growls for meat.
Fresh-made donuts were recently introduced to the menu. Two different types appear each month. They’re sold by the half or baker’s dozens. We chose the former, designating them as dessert (after our toothsome crepes Suzette) and requesting a split of both flavors.
Imagine little fried balls that are puffier and airier than beignets. The chocolate-coated donuts were hallow and comforting as they melted in our mouths. The other three were even better, rolled in cinnamon and sugar, oozing with chiffon-like pumpkin filling that tasted dreamier than any homemade pumpkin pie I’ve ever encountered. So fresh, the donuts retained their acute springiness when finishing them at home hours later.
Libations include beer cocktails, berry bellinis and several bloody Marys garnished with gourmet ingredients. The “Mister A’s classic” surprises with horseradish cream cheese-stuffed olives, pickled veggies and Old Bay Seasoning on the rim while tomato-mozzarella skewers and basil salt give rise to the “Tuscan sun.”
For those accustomed to the romantic city lights that dominate Mister A’s atmosphere at night, the brunch period is eye-awakening as the morning and midday sun afford deeper views of the surrounding landscape. Depending where you sit, staffers will deploy the window shades for blocking excess light and warmth. But the elegance of this sky perch remains, complete with super-attentive servers and meticulously conceived cuisine.
