Loews Don CeSar Hotel Sea Porch Brunch- St. Pete Beach

Last week I blogged about my incredible stay at the historic Loews Don CeSar Hotel on St. Pete Beach. That post could have gone on for days, so I decided to break it down in two. As always, I saved the best for last… FOOD! Om, nom, nom, nom.

SEA PORCH RESTAURANT

The Sea Porch Restaurant is located inside the Loews Don CeSar on the ground floor, right by the northern pool. Brunch is offered Saturday and Sunday’s from 11am – 3pm with entrees starting at only $9. You are able to make a reservation ahead of time and even though the restaurant wasn’t extremely busy while we brunched there, it’s always a great idea to book ahead to avoid disappointment.

The atmosphere at the Sea Porch is laid back casual with a cool, beachy vibe and is the perfect start to any beach or pool-side day!

{Sea Porch patio dining}

{Inside the Sea Porch Restaurant}

The entire a la carte menu is actually super affordable and steers away from the traditional, boring brunch menu that too many establishments seem to adopt. Items range from Coconut Pancakes with mango, mint, and key lime chantilly, served with a special ginger maple syrup to the Cuban Eggs Benedict (prepared sous vide style) – Cuban bread topped with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese and tasty mustard cream. There’s also the Ginger Beer Short Rib with sweet potato hash accented with shallot straws.

WHAT WE DRANK

We began with a glass of orange juice. When it comes to OJ, I’m a harsh critic. I love when it’s the perfect flavor of ripened sweetness and a little on the thicker side (pulp earns bonus points). If the oranges are sporting that bitter, non-ripened flavor, that’s a deal breaker. This orange juice however was divine. It was the perfect combination of sweet and thick and just made me so happy. Thumbs up on the OJ, guys!

Next up we changed our pace a little and made a dive into the adult brunch beverages. I went with a classic mimosa ($6) made with prosecco and freshly squeezed orange juice and Tiff went with the 1-2-3 Punch ($8) made with malibu rum, amaretto, peach schnapps, cranberry, pineapple and orange juice. The mimosa was great but went down way too quickly so for round two, I decided to get on the same page as Tiff and go with the 1-2-3 Punch.

I probably should have gone with the Punch from the very beginning because dang, that stuff was good! Kudos to our kick-ass waitress for suggesting it too. The Punch was honestly delish, and the best part, if you don’t finish it all at brunch, they give you to-go cups!!!

WHAT WE ATE

As soon as I saw that there was Cinnamon Monkey Bread ($6) on the menu, I already knew that this was going to be our communal sharing dish. Tif basically had no say in this matter (but lucky for her she agreed).

The Cinnamon Monkey Bread comes out fresh and warm in pull-apart form and is doused in warm toffee sauce with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. We wasted no time digging right in. OH MY GOD, this was the definition off scrumdiddlyumptious. It was like there was a party in my mouth and everyone was invited. We inhaled the entire serving and even wanted to lick the plate clean, but we both maintained our dignity and acted like ladies. I’m really not a big sweets/dessert person, but this definitely ranks up there as one of the best I’ve ever had.

Look at this amazing, gooey, goodness. Just look at it!!!

Next up were our entrees. I went with the bacon, egg and cheeseburger with a side of fries ($16). The burger was nomalicious, and huge – so big in fact that I could not finish it. I loved that there was a generous serving of thick-cut bacon in the burger too; I hate when burgers come with a measly tiny strip of bacon that you can barely taste.

My only complaint isn’t really a complaint, but just another one of those instances where my eyes are bigger than my stomach… if we didn’t order the Monkey Bread, I would have been able to fit my entire entree into my belly, but I was just too full. That being said, I can’t imagine going on with life without having tried that Monkey bread, so all in all, I think we made the right decision. My God, that Monkey Bread *wipes drool from bottom lip*.

Tiff ordered the traditional sous vide eggs benedict ($13) on an english muffin with Canadian bacon, hollandaise sauce and a side of breakfast potatoes. You can check out her blog review here to see what she thought of her brunch, or just admire it from the photo below.

My only brunch regret? That we didn’t order a serving of Monkey Bread to go, haha! Seriously, it’s to die for. Do yourself a favor and head down to the Sea Porch Restaurant brunch at the Loews Don CeSar on St. Pete Beach and see for yourself. If you do go, please remember who told you about this amazing piece of toffee sauce-soaked heaven and bring me back some!!!

Loews Don CeSar Hotel Sea Porch Brunch
Loews Don CeSar Hotel Sea Porch Brunch
Loews Don CeSar Hotel Sea Porch Brunch

*We brunched at the Sea Porch Restaurant as guests of the Loews Don CeSar Hotel, but all opinions are my own.

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