All Day Brunch at Union Market

It was hard to write a light-hearted post today when all of our hearts are so heavy. I don’t know what to say other than to offer my love and positive thoughts to all those who have been affected by these tragedies around the world and pray that there will be an end to the suffering. 

For the first time in weeks, I woke up this past Saturday with almost nothing on my to-do list. On a whim, I planned a day of doing all of my favorite things: eating, drinking and shopping. Luckily, there’s a place in DC where you can do all three under one roof – Union Market, an indoor year-round market bringing some of DC’s best eats and drinks to one venue.
Tom, my friend Lauren and I spent the majority of the day on Saturday in this wonderful foodie oasis. I was ravenous when we first arrived and made a beeline straight for Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. whose wares I’ve heard much about, but had yet to experience for myself.
I was so excited to get a taste of these muffins before they sold out, as has happened every other time I’ve been to brunch at Union Market. The biscuit flavor of the day was a cornbread stuffing version, which isn’t quite my bag (I may be the only human who doesn’t like stuffing), but I was still determined to give it a go. I opted for the day’s special, which was a biscuit stuffed with turkey, kale, cranberry jam and gravy.
This was definitely a knife and fork operation, while Tom opted for a more finger-friendly bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. Surprisingly, I really liked the taste of the biscuit. I thought the stuffing flavor was very subtle and the texture was nice and soft, with just the slightest amount of crunch on outside.
The rest of it was okay. The turkey was cooked very well, but there was a big hunk of fat/skin on top that kind of diminished my excitement. I’m not a big turkey fan either. Why did I order this particular item if I didn’t like two of its elements? Who knows. I do not always make sound choices while hungry. I’m still glad I gave it a shot, even if it didn’t blow me away. It’s good to try new things.
You may (not) be wondering – Kacy, if you aren’t into turkey or stuffing, what do you eat on Thanksgiving? Easy. All of the green bean casserole and potatoes please (mashed, scalloped, sweet – I’m not picky). I’ll eat a little bit of turkey too, for the protein, but for me it’s kind of the background food. But not stuffing, which is a food I find utterly confusing.
There was little time to lament my questionable biscuit decision, as we had already bellied up to a communal table at Rappahannock Oyster Bar for round two of this all-day brunch extravaganza.
This place is pretty much a must for me every time I visit the market. The oysters are crazy fresh and the location in the center of the market makes it a great place to relax for a while and watch all of the commotion.
We shared a large raw sampler, and a bottle of rosé. Aimless Saturday perfection. My love for this local oyster company runs deep, and although it was a bit earlier than I’m accustomed to slurping, these bipeds were as delicious as ever.
We took our time during this portion of the “meal” catching up on each other’s lives and engaging in some serious people watching.
Our next stop was for, you won’t believe it, more wine. Cordial Fine Wine & Spirits was offering a free tasting of two Greek wines. Free wine? Every time.
The white, a blend of Roditis and Moschofilero reminded me of a Gewurztraminer, very floral and light. The red, a blend of 90% Aghorghitika and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon was medium in body and very fruit-forward. Neither wine blew us away, but I always enjoy trying new-to-me varietals.
We ended up buying a completely different and very affordable bottle, recommended to us by the shop owner, with big plans of a future pairing. Cordial is a great wine shop with a personal touch, I highly recommend stopping in if you’re visiting the market.
Next it was time to do some shopping, mostly window shopping, as we leisurely strolled up and down the aisles.
I wanted to buy everything, but settled on some short ribs, pickled beets and a few spices. How cute are these little Chile Bears?
While shopping at Union Market, walking around with a libation is not only acceptable, but encouraged. As such, I ordered a Bloody Mary from Red Apron to fuel my endeavors.
This bloody was very unique, with a sweet taste to it that I wasn’t expecting. It wasn’t my favorite, but the olive and pickled half smoke garnish won me over anyway.
We had time for one more snack before we left – all that shopping was a rigorous workout of course – deviled eggs from Bidwell.
I didn’t read the menu closely enough to understand that these would be fried. Deviled eggs are already so delicious, why fry them? They were good, but I only ate half of one and gave the rest to my better half, who loses weight while eating fried food, so that I could enjoy my dinner, for which I had big plans.
The BBQ Joint is still my favorite DC barbecue and since I was already at the market, I had to take some home for dinner. We grabbed half a pound of pulled pork, two buns and a large container of the best baked beans in the world (that weren’t made by my mom or grandma, that is).
And with that, our all day brunch at Union Market was over and we retired back to our apartment where the majority of the evening was spent watching football (Boomer Sooner!) and eating delicious barbecue in our sweatpants.
It was a good day with good friends and good food that filled my heart with love and happiness, something I know to hold onto as tight as I can in both good times and bad.