Food as well as spirits are a draw at the Midtown restaurant
This Tallahassee Table article first appeared in “Here’s Brunch” from Florida Politics.
Liberty Bar & Restaurant’s brunch is back and as popular as ever.
The restaurant, cousins to El Cocinero, The Hawthorn Bistro & Bakery, Bar 1903 and upcoming Black Radish, has seating inside and outside on the covered patio. We sat inside because of the cooler weather and thought tables were spaced out enough for us to feel comfortable. Best to arrive early before the crowd.
The menu features traditional breakfast items here but also some special options such as the tofu scramble, the shakshuka (two poached eggs in a warm African tomato sauce), or spicy fried chicken on a cathead biscuit and a cheese and charcuterie board. Liberty is known for its Scotch egg, not available on our outing, but it’s a novelty, a soft-boiled egg wrapped in housemade sausage and then fried.
Our excellent picks included the salmon benedict — with a large slab of smoked salmon on ciabatta made at adjacent Hawthorn with tomatoes, arugula and buttery rich hollandaise sauce — and the croque madame, made with Hawthorn’s delicious milk bread, Black Forest ham, Gruyere cheese and grilled tomato chutney. It’s topped with a poached egg and silky Mornay sauce, with greens on the side. There’s something about housemade bread that elevates every meal.
Brunch drink specials are $5 Bloody Marys and mimosas, $7 drinks that include Irish coffee, a couple of drinks with Yulupa Cuvee Brut, and red or white sangria.
Liberty has a lively bar scene but remember the food makes it a worthy destination as well.
Details: Liberty Bar & Restaurant, 1307 N. Monroe St.; 850-354-8277. Hours: Brunch 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 5 to midnight Sunday to Monday, 5 to 2 a.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
