On Sundays, Café Sparrow dishes up a delectable breakfast and brunch menu, peppered with house-made surprises in its little Aptos storefront.
We were offered a table in the sunroom where wooden chairs, sponge-painted in pastel colors somehow match the assortment of patterned tablecloths, each topped with lace and decorated with vases of zinnias and sprigs of lavender. Although fog dulled the environment outside, in the café the mood was bright and chipper.
Champagne is available with brunch specialties ($15.25 to $18.50) as single glasses ($5.50) or free-pour ($8.50). Kids’ plates ($6.50 to $8) include stuffed French toast and pancakes with sausage.
Most entrées are served with a choice of starch, which included cinnamon raisin swirl toast, sourdough baguette, blueberry muffin, and an orange walnut loaf. The large cylindrical blueberry muffin, with a flat rather than domed top and fluffy interior, was flecked with orange zest, and loaded with plump berries. The orange-walnut loaf, cooked in a mini-loaf pan and rife with walnuts was topped with orange marmalade.
From the specials board, the Seafood Scramble ($18.75) was laced with not-so-petite prawns and rock crab meat and spiked with capers, roasted garlic, tomatoes and wilted spinach. It was topped with a smooth Hollandaise sauce with a delightfully strong lemon flavor. It was plated with a stack of fresh fruit and seasoned red-skinned potato homefries.
A side order of the day’s house-made chicken sausage patties ($5.25) were dotted with jalapeños and flavored with noticeably sharp Cheddar cheese.
A thin, crisped patty of Corned Beef Hash ($17.75) included shredded meat and bits of potato and was topped with poached eggs, and pale mustard sauce.
On our way out the door, a mother sparrow, sitting by her nest, chirped her goodbye. | KP
Café Sparrow Sunday Brunch is served from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at 8042 Soquel Dr, Aptos, 688-6238.
