Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1112638
Chef/Owner Tamie Aceves Manager Coty Dolan he idea for brunch—a languid late-morn ing Sunday meal fit for Saturday-night revel- ers—began in England in the 19th century. But make no mistake, Americans perfected it. Brunch has become a modern-day phenomenon, with the draws of inventive food and day drinking. Yet no restaurant has gone to the lengths seen at Crema in Pacific Grove, the Peninsula's official head- quarters for brunch, that culinary mashup of breakfast and lunch. Crema offers brunch daily (8am-2 pm) at its charm- ing, converted Victorian that provides cozy nooks for dining pleasure. Crema encourages its customers (playfully called Cremlins) to "find their happy place." And they do, chowing down on unique Eggs Benedicts, calamari and eggs, huevos rancheros with a side of papas poblanos (country potatoes with char-roasted chile peppers), and the house specialty, chicken and waffles, with owner Tamie Aceves' spicy sausage gravy (or add a side of bacon-cheddar biscuits). A brunch wouldn't be brunch without liquid refreshment, and Crema obliges with fruity mimosas, bacon Micheladas, gin fizzes, and the king of brunch cocktails, Crema's spicy bacon Bloody Mary, what Aceves affectionately calls "the brunch mic drop." —Larry Harland T Photos: Kelli Uldall 214 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 9 481 Lighthouse Ave. Pacific Grove • 831/324-0347 cremapg.com good taste Crema Crema's Chicken & Waffles Award-winning Buttermilk Fried Chicken Atop a Belgium Waffle with Tamie's Sausage Gravy and Real Maple Syrup.