It’s been no secret that I am a big fan of Paul Martin’s American Grill. I have written about their delicious burgers and waxed poetic about their martinis.  When I recently had the opportunity to try out their summer weekend brunch, I knew I’d be in for something good.  And good it most certainly was.

Paul Martin’s just started introducing their weekend summer brunch (10am-2pm on Sat/Sun) so I was excited to give it a try.  The Englishman and my parents also accompanied me to brunch since they are big fans of Paul Martin’s as well.  The brunch prixe fixe menu includes a beverage (cocktails included) an entrée, fruit and bread all for just $19!  Considering most restaurants charge an arm and a leg for brunch, this is an incredible steal.  We decided to kick off our brunch experience with some Bloody Marys and Peach Bellinis.

Paul Martin’s Bloody Mary isn’t your standard Bloody Mary since it comes with bacon.  Yep, bacon.  And you know what?  The bacon is a nice component to the drink.  I’m not the biggest Bloody Mary fan, but I did enjoy sips of this one, bacon and all.

The Peach Bellini was light and refreshing and was made with peach, honey syrup and sparkling wine and garnished with raspberries.

If you are looking for something different from your standard mimosa at brunch, I highly recommend the Peach Bellini.

While waiting for our food, we had the opportunity to chat with Chef Partner Jorge Estrada who told us some of his favorites off the brunch menu (the Shrimp Omelet and the French Toast with Maple Bourbon syrup) and gave us a sneak peek at Paul Martin’s Summer Menu which will be debuting in a few weeks (it’s going to be quite good with nice summer flavors).  It was nice to chat with Jorge, especially since you can tell he puts a lot of pride into all of his dishes at Paul Martin’s.

Then it was time for the food. Everyone decided to order something different so we could share and try a little bit of everything.  I decided to go with the Cheddar and Applewood Smoked Bacon Omelet, but ordered it with egg whites.

One of my biggest gripes is that many restaurants  put the omelet fillings on top of the omelet, which in my opinion makes it no longer an omelet, but this one had the melted cheddar cheese, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes all nicely folded inside and tasted excellent.  The roasted potatoes were also nice and not greasy at all.

The Englishman ordered the Eggs Benedict which came on an English Muffin and a side of roasted potatoes.

The Englishman is very particular about his poached eggs and thought these were cooked perfectly – just the right amount of runny yolk and not rubbery at all.  The Hollandaise on top had a nice lemon zing to it as well.

My mom and dad decided to go with Chef Jorge’s recommendations and got the French Toast and Shrimp Omelet and raved about them both.

The shrimp omelet my dad ordered had avocado, shrimp, and jack cheese.  If you are a seafood omelet fan, this is definitely the omelet for you.  This also came with roasted potatoes.

My mom decided against eggs and ordered the french toast.  I must say it was an excellent choice on her part because this french toast was pretty fantastic.  I think I’ll be ordering it next time when I return for brunch.

Chef Jorge was right on the money when it came to the maple bourbon syrup that came on the side – the bourbon flavor blended nicely with the maple and was not overpowering at all.

In addition to our entrees we were served a plate of fresh fruit and warm rolls from Sadie Rose bakery, which were promptly devoured as well.

In all honesty, this brunch at Paul Martin’s was one of the best brunches I’ve had (and I have been to a lot of brunches).  The food tasted great, the service was excellent and the price really cannot be beat.  I’ll definitely be coming back.

Thanks for bringing a delicious brunch to Irvine Paul Martin’s!