Ever since my roommate went and raved to me about the Steak and Eggs, I have been meaning to go to J. Paul's for the longest time and finally paid a visit for Sunday morning brunch.
Located on M Street (though there is another location in Baltimore), J. Paul's is relatively affordable in terms of DC-pricing and specializes in seafood. Though the oysters looked really tempting, I wasn't too in the mood for them so early in the morning. Nonetheless, I definitely want to go back and try them out!
We arrived at 10:30 in the morning, right when it opened, so the restaurant was still relatively quiet and the service superb. Aside from my party, there were three other tables.
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| Complementary corn muffins with whipped butter |
I'm not a big sweets person when it comes to brunch, but I love my eggs, so I was torn between two things on the menu: the eggs benedict with jumbo lump crab meat and the smoked salmon frittata. After much contemplation, I went for the latter. After taking our orders, the server showed up with a complementary basket of mini corn muffins. Oh. My. Gosh. They were so good. I think I could have just had those and been completely satisfied. They had the perfect amount of crunch on the outside, but still soft and moist on the inside. I tasted a bit of a honey glaze, but that was balanced out by a slight spiciness. I could have sworn that there were jalapeños in the muffins, but I didn't see any.
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| Smoked salmon frittata $14 |
After about 10 minutes, the food arrived. My frittata was essentially an egg white omelet with tomatoes and peppers on the inside, topped with generous, thick slices of smoked salmon, and served with horseradish creama and a side of fruit. There is also supposed to be goat cheese inside the omelet, but because I am lactose intolerant, I asked for them to hold it. I was slightly disappointed because the menu said that there was supposed to be asparagus and tomatoes rather than peppers and tomatoes, but it's okay. The omelet was delicious anyways.
The eggs were very plain, but that balanced nicely with the salty, smokey salmon and spicy horseradish. The fruit wasn't anything special, but hey, melon and pineapple are always good. Portions were just right: big enough for me not to feel ripped off, but not so big that I end up in a food coma.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience at J. Paul's. It's a great place to sit, people watch, and enjoy a lazy Sunday morning. Now I really want to go back for lunch and try out the oysters and crab cakes.
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