4308 North Western Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK (405) 525-6682

Without a doubt, brunch has got to be one of my favorite meals of the day. It's delicious, its a good excuse to be able to order whatever the heck you want ("burger at 10am? Of course"). And  it's a wonderful time to spend with friends and family.

Ok, let's be honest, any excuse to start drinking adult beverages before noon is really what makes me love brunch.

So with that being said, who could say no to any restaurant that offers unlimited mimosas? My friends, I give you Cafe Nova (www.cafenovaokc.com).

I think that everyone has their own version of Cafe Nova - casual happy hour on the patio, late night place to see and be seen, maybe even a place for a nice business lunch. But I tell you, if you haven't tried their weekend brunch, you are missing out. $18. Any brunch item off the menu. All-you-can-drink mimosas. SOLD.

First off, we were one of the first patrons on Saturday morning. The staff was bright, alert and attentive (I was none of those things at that point in time). Jose, our server, was delightful. He even brought our table some gourmet tater tots that were very, very yummy. Our mimosa glasses never even reached the half-empty stage before Jose was there with a refill. The ambiance was very different than what I've come to know during the evening at Cafe Nova - casual, friendly, and not-at-all pretentious.

There were several items on the menu that sounded fantastic as I sipped on my first mimosa - several different omelet options (The SXSW almost had me - sausage, pico de gallo, Poblano peppers and pepper jack cheese with home fries), as well as some not-so-typical brunch choices like Ocean Tacos (Blackened Tilapia topped with pico de gallo and housemade slaw on corn tortillas served with black beans). My husband ordered the pan-seared Norwegian salmon with Parmesan risotto and I - after a lengthy decision process - decided on the Crab Benny - two New England crab cakes on an English muffin with Bearnaise sauce.



Before we get to my meal, let's address the fact that the portion size on my husband's salmon was absolutely ginormous. I swear, that salmon filet had to be as big as my face. I was diving face-first into my Crab Benny, so I didn't snag a bite. But he said it was absolutely delicious.

Alright, Crab Benny. First off, the crab cake itself was scrumptious. I think the thing I liked best was that it was a little more lemony than your normal crab cake and that citrus flavor was a very nice contrast to the rich Bearnaise sauce. The eggs on top were perfectly poached and the bacon was perfectly crisp - both things I'm VERY particular about, so that was a very pleasant surprise. I wasn't a huge fan of the hash browns that were served on the side, they were a little mushy for my taste, but the portion size on the Benny's was enough so that I didn't really miss the potatoes. All in all, a delicious meal that I will definitely order again.

If you haven't made it to brunch at Cafe Nova - go ahead and plan on it for this weekend. You won't be disappointed.