“Breakfast is a meal, but brunch is a culture” – Matt Basile
This past weekend, we were afforded the opportunity to check out the Winsor House at Island Creek Oyster Farm’s new brunch menu, and were very impressed. It was, to put bluntly – incredible.
We arrived at the Winsor House around 10:30am on a breezy, Saturday morning in September and were very, very impressed. Don’t get me wrong, we have always loved anything “Island Creek” and have been fans of Skip’s for a long time, but this experience exceeded all expectations. As we entered the historic building, which was adorned with a large pumpkin out front, as well as nautical memorabilia, with a beautiful painting of a Pilgrim ship (think the Mayflower!) by my distant relative Michael Coyne of Scituate! After a momentary chat with the bartender on duty, he recommended trying all three of their adult-beverage offerings: the boozy iced coffee, Bloody Mary, and the Strawberry-Apricot Mimosa. I quickly thanked him for his insight, and we headed outside towards the patio.
The patio area was nice, with a traditional post-and-beam structure accompanied with hanging lights and a custom see-through roof in the event of rain or excessive sun exposure. Our waitress came over and we ordered the essentials – to start off, the strawberry-apricot mimosa, a Bloody Mary, and some local oysters as well as some from Damariscotta, Maine farmed by Pete Smith. The Bloody Mary was very good and slightly spicy – the pickled pepper and freshly shucked oyster and splash of lemon was the perfect accompaniment.
We ordered several offerings, including freshly baked and crispy sourdough bread fried in olive oil, smoked salmon toast, the quintessential New England breakfast, the hazelnut pancakes – however, when you go here, there is something you must order: the Winsor House omelette which has a caviar creme fraiche – it is unbelievable, and I can’t recommend it enough.
The experience was incredibly pleasant and relaxing, and it is our new favorite brunch spot on the south shore – you seriously need to check out the Winsor House at Island Creek Oyster Farm this weekend!
Great job Skip, Jess, and the ICO team! We will be back (and frankly can’t wait)!
Cheers,
Foodies South Shore (B + L)
