Milan Brunch-It's not cheap and not chic...

I heart Denny's

The other day I joined a group for brunch, which is the trendy Sunday outing when everything else is closed.  I was pumped up to eat American bacon and eggs.  And you cant imagine how much more thrilled I was to see Eggs Benedict on the menu. 

Let's talk about the ingredients in Eggs Benedict?  The menu listed Hollandaise sauce, bacon, sausage, English toast, and a poached egg.  Before I tell you what I got…Let me preface my horror story with Denny's Grand Slam would have blown this meal to bits.

So my Eggs Beny arrived.....

• poached egg-check!
• slice of ham-not Canadian bacon, but ok. 
• hamburger bun with sesame seeds-what?  I guess I can deal
• Hollandaise sauce with contain herbs-very suspect

Note to the chef at Indian Post: Hollandaise is NOT Tartar sauce. EWWWWWW!!!

 I would gladly eat Italian food which I often do, but when I’m with a group of expats craving home-style meals, what can you do?  I did manage to find my gem of a lunchtime spot on nearby Via Bonghi-my tavolo caldo. For 3 euros, I can have a delicious bowl of pasta.  For 6.50 euros, I can have a second course of meat in addition to the pasta.  The food is not fancy but very pleasant. And the staff speaks no English, so I often eyeball the table of food and interpreting the menu accordingly.

So far I've had paparadelle with meat, roasted hen, rolled beef, pasta with chickpeas.  The menu changes daily but not the price.  This has been my best find yet.

Apertivo 

In Milano, you get by for dinner economically on the “Aperitivo” aka Happy hours.  You pay 7-10 euros for a drink and there is a light buffet of pasta, salad, and little bites.  Im still evaluating them so hopefully by the time I have some guests, I will have staked out the good ones.