One of the great things about a blog is that you can write about the same thing twice if you want to. So it is completely without shame that I write about another delicious brunch at Lilee's Public House in Brunswick, Maine. [It was also over brunch at Lilee's that this blog was born.]
Last time I was at Lilee's I had the Scotch eggs, and I was so enamored with them that I had to have more on this most recent trip to Maine. Also, poor Mw had heard about them incessantly for two months, so it was time for him to try them as well. I nearly panicked when I found out that Lilee's had taken them off of their regular brunch menu [a popular but extraordinarily labor-intensive dish], but thanks to my connections, was able to plead with the brunch chef to feature them as this Sunday's special. And I was not disappointed.
Before raving on and on about how much I loved my brunch yet again this time, I thought I would take a moment to address the question on everyone's mind: What are Scotch eggs? Good question, I didn't know this until a few months ago, either. In a nut[egg] shell, Scotch eggs are hardboiled eggs, wrapped in sausage, deep fried, and in the case of Lilee's Public House, served with very delicious Hollandaise sauce. Contrary to popular belief, Scotch eggs seem to have nothing to do with the Scottish, and were invented by a London department store. A little known fact about Scotch eggs is that they go quite well with Scotch, or so Mw reports. It's great brunching in Maine where you don't have to wait until 12:30 on a Sunday to have libations with your meal. Personally, I wasn't quite ready for Scotch with my eggs but can report that the bloody mary's at Lilee's are excellent, and go well with Scotch eggs.
I'm not convinced that the picture above really does justice to the deliciousness of my meal. It's quite hard to capture the gustatory beauty of a fried, sausage-wrapped egg. But trust me, really, really good. I will admit that there is no way that I could have eaten both eggs, which is why it is nice to have dining companions. Mg and I split the eggs and the apple and cinnamon filled crepes. The crepes were lovely, crisp apples, well spiced, with a hint of cream cheese, wrapped in a perfectly cooked crepe. A great post-egg sweet fix.
Last but not least, I would like to devote a few sentences to raving about the potatoes. The homefries were a blend of three potatoes (sweet, Russet, and one I forgot), and a perfect mix of crispy exterior and 'squishy' interior (as Mw put it). The biggest testament to their deliciousness, though, is the fact that I didn't use any ketchup. Not a drop. And I do love ketchup. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever willingly eaten potatoes without ketchup.
All in all, a solid brunch, and one I will certainly want to have again. And perhaps will even blog about again. In case you still aren't convinced, I thought you should know that the youngest member of our breakfast crew also highly recommends brunch at Lilee's.
I gave Lilee's a several chances to impress me and they never made it happen, so I don't go there any more. Every time I have gone in, the service has been slow, (it took easily 20 minutes or more for my brother and I to get 2 sandwiches at 1:30 in the afternoon when we were the only people in there.) The food has always been mediocre. (dry meat, not cooked to proper temp, received a different item than ordered.) The best think Lilee's has going for it is it's location, it's really in a great spot and the restaurant is self is really nice looking, but if you don't fill it with awesome food and excellent service, then you lose me and all my friends and family as customers.
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