Visit the Royce for Sunday Brunch and a Show

Beginning in May the Royce Wood-fired Steakhouse at the Langham Huntington Hotel added a Sunday market brunch offering a mimosa and bloody Mary station along with fruit, bagels, pastries and lively chef-action stations inside the kitchen.

Where to start? How about at the beginning? A visit to the red wine room which is a treat in itself (it’s a gorgeous space) revealed platters of fresh fruit, bowls of granola, nuts and yogurt along with ready-made yogurt parfaits. Luxurious, smooth, rich and satisfying a bit of yogurt and fruit make the perfect prelude to a sumptuous brunch.

What better to go with your yogurt parfait than a refreshing glass of bubbly mixed with orange juice or as I had champagne and peach nectar?  I wish I liked bloody Marys because the Royce has all the fresh fixings: celery, Tabasco sauce, roasted garlic, fresh dill, green olives, and charred jalapeno peppers. Make it your way with as many or as few ingredients as you wish.

My next visit was to the bagel station. I have to admit to being a little jaded when it comes to lox and bagels. I worked on the West side for many years and I’ve had some of the best, so it was a great surprise when I found a properly stocked lox and bagel bar. The lox were delicious with a sweet-smokiness and a firm texture. Bagels were suitable chewy and the cream cheese top notch with a fine coating of fresh herbs. Perfect accompaniments of finely chopped red onion and capers finished off the presentation. All I can say is I enjoyed every single bite.

And for the show portion of our brunch was a trip to the kitchen. I know what you’re thinking “this was done special for me,” wrong! Every diner is invited into the kitchen for a cornucopia of freshly made dishes and what’s more you can talk to the cooks and they’ll talk back! A restaurant kitchen is a mysterious place for most patrons. Chefs are sequestered behind closed doors inaccessible to their admiring diners, but at the Royce the kitchen is accessible. It is no mystery how good food is prepared and the Royce “lets it all hang out”.

Plates of crab cakes, truffled potato cakes, shrimp, juicy tomatoes with micro greens, steak and eggs benedict, brioche French toast with spiced maple syrup, cote de boeuf, freshly made omelets, scrambled eggs with fresh herbs, shaved Proscuitto with fresh melon, garden vegetable frittata, etc., etc. There’s some serious eating to be had. Everything was fresh, many made-to-order and it was  just a lot of fun hanging out in the kitchen.

Chef Pollaci was a gracious host as he explained that many of the vegetables and herbs served that day where from the Langham’s own gardens. I love it when a restaurant thinks out of the box and uses available space for some of their own fresh produce.

Of course there were plenty of sweets to finish off my meal like fresh pastries, cinnamon beignets, chocolate mousse cake, muffins and creamy lemon curd and passion fruit curd. Everything was super tasty, my only regret is that I have but one stomach and I can eat only so much.

The Royce serves the Market Brunch on Sundays only from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Brunch is $85.00 per person, including unlimited Mimosas and Bloody Marys, $65.00 per person without cocktails and $35.00 for children 4-12.

The Royce is located in the Langham Pasadena Huntington Hotel, 1401 Oak Knoll Avenue, Pasadena. For reservations or more information call (626) 585-6410 or visit www.roycela.com.