So last weekend, we were looking for a new brunch spot to try that we hadn’t been to yet. We threw out some ideas, but for most of them, one of us had tried for brunch before. When we got to Datz, a fan favorite, we were quickly reminded that Datz has a sister restaurant, Roux, that always slips our minds when thinking of places to go for food. Well, not anymore!
We headed over to Roux to enjoy a Nola inspired brunch for two. The only other time I had been to Roux was over a year ago when they first invited a few bloggers and friends to taste their menu before opening their doors. Well we walked in and boy had it changed since the last time I had been. The finishes on the floors, wall and ceilings (shown above) are beautiful and match perfectly with the southern inspiration reflective on the menu.
Now, of course NHIE does not know how to brunch without some bubbles, so we ordered up some champagne to start. We chose to 86 the O.J. because we felt classier than normal in the beautiful set up that Roux has created for guests and figured…Why not?
Now, onto the food! We were intrigued by many of the items because they are definitely on the more advanced palette side of menus. But, we were not scared to venture into new territory thanks to some suggestions from our awesome waitress. We went for the whackier of items and ordered a piggy full of Florida Gator Bites. Now, we were warned that they have a little kick and that the champagne would help cut them, so it was a perfect pairing. The bites were served in the coolest little piglet bowl and tasted much like a boneless chicken wing does that was drenched in great tasting cajun remoulade sauce. On the side was some pickled squash and onions that added a nice crunch to the dish.
Then, we moved on to the next bite. We had heard amazing things about the chargrilled oysters and can still remember how delicious they were on our last trip to Nola at Acme Oyster House (sorry Drago fans), so we knew we had to try some of those. What is really nice about Roux is that during Happy Hour, they offer $1 oysters. So we were able to finagle getting a pair to try and boy were we pleased! The chargrilled goodness and crispy cheese made for a yummy bite for each oyster. So good!
This is the amazing skillet meal I ordered for brunch that I clearly didn’t even put a dent in because it was so massive. The Fais Do Do includes creole red beans and rice, andouille sausage, poached eggs, and hollandaise presented in an iron skillet. It was so tasty, but I had already enjoyed so much other food that I was only able to make it through the eggs and sausage. I would highly recommend if you are extra hungry!
Ryan’s dish was delicious as well..a twist on the typical eggs benedict. Eggs Sardou is a classic eggs benedict dish served on top of an artichoke heart instead of english muffin with creamed spinach, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce on top. It was a nice play on the traditional dish and the artichoke and creamed spinach definitely added a cool new taste to the mix. Yum!
After all of the great things we tried at Roux, there was still so much more we wanted to try but had no room for. We left out the Chicken and Waffles Roux (that looked massive when it passed our table), the Roux Praline Pull-Aparts (a yummy and sweet sounding app to share with the table), and a side of Smoked Mac N’ Cheese. So we now know to keep Roux in mind when thinking about a place to go for a delicious meal in South Tampa! Oh and rumor has it, the menu for brunch is going to be changing up a bit in the coming weeks, but only for the better of course. And what does that mean? Well… looks like Ryan and I will be heading back soon to taste all of the new things added to an already killer brunch menu at Roux, not to mention maybe dabbling in some of their new signature cocktails called #Rouxtinis. Cheers!
-Nicholas
Disclosure: We received brunch through a Roux partnership in exchange for our honest review. All opinions are our own.
NHIE Guys 