Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/765213
104 | MACON MAGAZINE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017 Bunch of Brunch Take your pick of local restaurants By Lisa Pritchard Mayfield A lmost 120 years ago, long before anyone waited in line to feast on eggs benedict and French toast, the word brunch appeared in print for the first time in the United States, according to The Washington Post. "The latest 'fad' is to issue invitations for a meal called 'brunch...a repast at 11 o'clock a.m.," a column in the New Oxford, an old Pennsylvania newspaper, explained in 1896. Originally conceived for the wealthy as a drawn-out, elaborate affair, brunch, like a runny egg, soon dribbled out into the mainstream. By 1939, The New York Times declared Sunday a two-meal day. By the 1960s, brunch's popularity gave rise to specific cookbooks, and by the 1990s, Americans started brunching on Saturdays too. Now, brunch has become more popular than ever. The story of brunch is the story of changing patterns in how Americans eat, live and interact. Here in the American South, we love our weekend brunch – and in Macon, several locally owned restaurants are jumping on the brunch bandwagon and serving up midday deliciousness for brunching diners. BEARFOOT TAVERN Originally opened in 2011 near the corner of Martin Luther King Jr., Boulevard and Cherry Street, Bearfoot Tavern relocated to Second Street several months ago. In its new location, Macon's "only gastropub," according to its website, is serving up brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Among the more unique items available are the "Morning Pie," a brick oven pizza topped with breakfast sausage gravy, spinach, bacon, hash browns, chopped jalapenos, mozzarella and cheddar or the grilled signature house-made bangers and bratwurst, fried eggs, mornay cheese sauce and tater tots. 468 Second Street PARISH ON CHERRY For Big Easy flavors and atmosphere, look no further than Parish on Cherry – Macon's New Orleans-style eatery located downtown. No stranger to the brunch crowd, Parish pleases palates with specialties that offer a Cajun-inspired twist, such as Crab Cakes Benedict, the traditional brunch staple with a Cajun spin. Two homemade fried crab cakes are served with sautéed spinach, a poached egg and drizzled with hollandaise sauce all atop two buttered English muffins. Or you may choose to try the uniquely Southern Fried Grits Breakfast Sandwich, with deep-fried cream cheese grits, an egg, two strips of bacon and sliced fresh tomato on a toasted brioche bun. 480 Cherry Street BACK BURNER The Back Burner has been a Macon hotspot for incredible dining in a cozy atmosphere for many years; but have you tried the restaurant's brunch menu? Shrimp and Grits is elevated to new heights here in the talented hands of Chef Julio; imagine pan-seared tiger shrimp, Louisiana sausage, green onions,