Earlier this month I was invited to a special event at Barnie’s CoffeeKitchen to try out some of the items on their new and improved brunch menu. I’ve been to Barnie’s a couple of times for brunch before and LOVED it, so I was looking forward to seeing what new and exciting things they’d done with their menu.
To start things off, they redid the ACTUAL menu itself. All of the menus, for breakfast, brunch, and lunch, are hand drawn. This is the first time the menu has had a complete overhaul in 5 years. For the time being their have put their dinner service on the sideline. So that folks can better enjoy the current offerings, they have extended their week day hours until 5 pm. Friday and Saturday they are open until 8 pm and their Sunday Brunch continues to be the longest running brunch in Orlando, from 7:30 am – 6:00 pm.
One of my favorite additions to the new brunch menu is their sparkling mimosa bar. They offer 4 delicious options, which will change regularly. Right now my favorite is the tart cherry. And tart cherry juice is good for you, so don’t feel bad if you go for a second (or third) one.
In addition to the new food and drink items on the brunch menu, Barnie’s announced that Blue Bird Bake Shop is now their official bakery partner. An assortment of Blue Bird’s scones, cupcakes, cookie, and cakes will be available every day at Barnie’s. I am not a huge fan of scones, but I must admit that their orange cranberry scone was AMAZING.
I had a chance to try a few of the new items on the menu and I was quite impressed. I tried the Shakshuka which was tomato ragout, poached eggs, thyme, and feta. I’d never had a poached egg before and I must say this was a pretty fabulous way to try my first one. I also had to Lamb Meatballs which were definitely my favorite. I love meatballs but try to avoid beef, so I like it when there are other options available.
In addition to being a coffee shop filled with tasty drinks and food, its a local art gallery. The walls of Barnie’s CoffeeKitchen are covered in paintings done completely in Barnie’s coffee by local artist Steven Mikel. As if painting isn’t a cool enough talent, this amazing artist does it completely with coffee. COFFEE people! They look like sepia tone photographs until you get right up on them, then you can see that they are paintings. So make sure that check out the paintings next time you are there. Tasty food, mimosas, and art are always a good way to start the day!
