Photo by Emily Featherston.
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SoHo Social uses an “easy” Benedict, which uses a food processor or blender rather than intensive labor, to top its soft-shell crab Benedict.
For SoHo Social executive chef Taylor Hughes, brunch is a meal he thinks is uniquely fun.
“It’s always crazy to work brunch,” Hughes said, “but it’s a lot of fun.”
SoHo Social opened in downtown Homewood in February, and in addition to a steady lunch crowd and hopping happy hour scene, it has seen regularly packed-out brunches on the weekends.
Some items on the menu, such as soft-shell crab, are only available on the weekends, making each brunch service special.
“There’s really no limits or no rules with brunch,” Hughes said, describing SoHo’s takes on classic brunch dishes such as eggs Benedict and Belgian waffles. For those looking to get even more adventurous, the restaurant offers a bloody mary bar along with several specialty brunch cocktails.
And the breakfast side of the meal in particular has a special connection for Hughes.
“Breakfast food is the first thing I can remember cooking growing up,” he said, so making a meal where a favorite food gets a breakfast spin is a natural favorite for him.
For Mother’s Day brunch, Hughes said SoHo Social will be taking reservations — a practice the establishment never does regularly.
Hughes said they also hope to have fresh flowers for each guest who is a mother, as a special expression and celebration.
“Mothers appreciate a thank you every day, and it’s easy to forget that, but just a little something extra we can do for them to let them know how great they are,” he said.
For those who may want to treat Mom to brunch at home, Hughes had a “kitchen hack” to make preparing classic dishes simpler: an easy blender hollandaise sauce.
Instead of requiring a double boiler, constant whisking and a lot of time, Hughes suggested cooks make use of some of their kitchen gadgets.
Hollandaise sauce can top a variety of dishes but is most common on eggs Benedict, which SoHo Social transforms by using fresh soft-shell crab.
“If you just have a blender … [hollandaise] is easy,” he said.
SoHo Social is open for brunch Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.