Let's get a couple things straight right off — $32 is a lot to pay for any meal. The price for Sunday brunch at Hacienda del Sol includes mimosas, orange juice and coffee, but $32 is an investment.
And fancy buffets present a gustatory challenge. You need a strategy to get your money's worth.
So with this in mind we approached the magnificent Sunday brunch buffet at Hacienda del Sol.
The setting, tucked in the Foothills, is elegant but relaxing. Cheerios probably taste more refined in a place like this.
Hacienda del Sol's Sunday buffet menu reads like a novel: platters of grilled vegetables, smoked seafood, sushi, meats, cheese. A made-to-order omelet and waffle station and a carving station with roasted meats. Trays of pies, cakes, tarts, cream puffs. Pans of blintzes, eggs Benedict, chicken in sauce, fish. Prepared fresh salads, couscous, a Caesar salad bar. Sausages. Bacon. Fresh fruit.
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It goes on. And on. There are plenty of options for vegetarians, and the menu items are listed with their ingredients, which is appreciated by those with dietary restrictions.
It's easy in the face of such culinary delight to scarf down too much too fast and end up sitting on the sidelines with your belt undone so you can breathe. Restraint is called for, a kind of buffet-appetite management.
If you can afford to spend $32 a person on Sunday brunch like it's no big deal, then you can enjoy Hacienda del Sol's fantastic food without a second thought.
But for many of us, a place like this is a splurge. It's reserved for a special occasion, a birthday or anniversary. And the Sunday brunch buffet is worth every penny. But such a momentous meal requires a plan.
On our first visit, one of our group started out with the eggs Benedict, bacon and sausage. All were fine, but the sausage was the true standout. There was a motion at the table to rename the resort Hacienda del Sausage.
The eggs Benedict were serviceable, but not worth the tum space the English muffin, Canadian bacon, egg and hollandaise sauce take up. The same goes for the bacon — it was fine, but in a place like this, go for the stuff you can't make at home.
The blintzes were wonderful (and filling). Creamy ricotta filling encased in a fluffy crepe and served with a cranberry-orange sauce.
The omelet bar is a revelation. The chef offers a special of the day — we tried the rock shrimp, shallots and havarti with dill — and also will prepare custom omelets while you wait. The omelets are light, fluffy and just the right size to share.
The waffles, too, are made to order. We liked that you can order a half-waffle, which lets you enjoy the crispy joy without feeling guilty for stuffing yourself or wasting food.
We loved the couscous with grilled vegetables on the first visit and looked forward to seeing it again, only to find it replaced with an appetizing salad of arugula pesto with pearl-sized Lebanese couscous. We passed on a lentil salad; there's something about lentils that don't quite translate to fancy brunch fare.
A pasta salad with kalamata olives and feta was a tangy addition and a good counterpoint for the salty rolls of smoked salmon and giant shrimp with zingy fresh cocktail sauce gleaned from the seafood platter.
Parts of the menu change according to what is fresh that week, according to the restaurant manager.
A couple things we thought weren't first-round worthy: The chicken with mole sauce was bland, and the halibut with pepper sauce was good but not a standout. But competing with those plump blintzes and that scrumptious sausage is, in our estimation, an unfair fight.
We appreciated that serving sizes were manageable; the small portions are just right for sampling.
We had trouble getting coffee refills on our first visit, but our second-visit server was much more on top of things.
By the time we made it to the dessert table we were already pretty full. We tried pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie and gingerbread with a cream cheese icing. All lived up to expectations. But a dense chocolate cake struck a chord between fudge and rich cake that we hadn't experienced before.
It's impossible to go wrong at the Hacienda del Sol's Sunday buffet. The challenge is to pace yourself and appreciate the freshness and quality of the food. This isn't a place to graze mindlessly — it's a place to try new flavors, appreciate favorites done well and enjoy a lazy Sunday.
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Review
Hacienda del Sol's Sunday brunch
5601 N. Hacienda del Sol Road
• When: 10 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. Sundays.
• Family call: Not a good fit for boisterous kids looking only for chicken nuggets, but plenty of options to keep the whole family happy.
• Noise level: Quiet, relaxed, but not hush-hush.
• Price: $32 per person; half-price for ages 12 and younger.
• Vegetarian options: Many, including grilled veggies, salads and made-to-order omelets and waffles.
• Reservations: Strongly recommended. 529-3500.