There is a quaint local bar on the main street in Winter Haven, Florida called Central Tavern. While visiting them one evening I got to talking with the manager and he mentioned that the first Sunday of every month they do a special brunch. They offer a Bloody Mary and Mimosa bar along with some homemade food. It sounded like a fun time so I made sure to put it on my calendar for the next month.
So Sunday rolled around and I made sure to get to Central Tavern when they opened up. There was already a line when I arrived. It turns out that the brunch buffet is actually free. I was shocked. It was an assortment of homemade breakfast dishes and fresh fruit prepared by the management team. It is all first come first serve, so when they are out, they are out. It allows customers to enjoy a bite to eat while ordering a few custom made cocktails.
Naturally the menu of food items changes each month. This visit I got to enjoy:
- Veggie quiche – The fluffy eggs were filled with fresh vegetables.
- Sausage Balls – Spicy ground sausage was loaded with cheddar cheese.
- Sausage & Cheese Hash Browns – The crunchy potatoes were topped with a ton of cheese. This was my favorite dish.
- Shrimp & Grits – This was both creamy and cheesy. The shrimp were fresh and tender.
They also offered up some fresh fruit. It was the perfect blend of peaches, pineapple, and mango. I even put a few pieces in the mimosas I ordered.
The star of this Sunday brunch is the Mimosa and Bloody Mary Bar. They give you a menu and you get to select every aspect of your drink.
For the Bloody Mary, I picked spicy Old Bay on the rim for a little kick. For the ingredients I went for the classic – Worcestershire, celery salt, horseradish, and Tabasco. When it came to the garnish, I went a little safe – celery, bacon, bleu cheese olives, and pepperoni. I could have gone wild and add a pork rib but I passed. The flavor was just the way I like it with a hint of spicy.
The mimosas were a lot of fun to get to put together. Since they were not huge I was able to try three different versions.
The first I ordered was Peach. The peach juice came with fresh peach garnish. This was my favorite because it had such a fresh taste.
Up next was the Raspberry Lemonade. There was fresh raspberry garnish that gave this a great sour taste that made my lips pucker a little.
Finally I tried the Blackberry. The blackberry juice was accented with fresh blueberries. There was a slight tang from the juice but the blueberries were sweet.
Central Tavern was a really fun place to hang out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Check them out on Facebook at www.linksterstaproom.com
Enjoy!
T
