There is no meal quite so civilized as Sunday brunch - unhurried, generous, and best enjoyed with good company and better light.
Across the Valley, brunch is less a meal than a ritual: the slow arrival, the first pour of something sparkling, the table that keeps growing as friends drift in. The finest rooms understand that the pleasure is in the pacing - a kitchen that lets you linger, a patio that catches the morning sun, a server who never once makes you feel rushed.
Whether your idea of a perfect Sunday is a quiet corner and a plate of eggs done properly, or a grand buffet that rewards a little strategy, the Valley obliges in style. The best tables pair a serious kitchen with an unserious mood - crisp linens and barefoot ease in the same breath.
Our advice: arrive with an appetite, dress for the occasion, and leave the afternoon gloriously unplanned.
Originally published in View AZ Highlife Magazine, Dec 2007 / Jan 2008.