In December, my Seattle Foodie Podcast co-host Nelson Lau and I had a chance to visit The Bookstore Bar & Café for a Build Your Own Brunch Party, a seasonal event to launch a new brunch and cocktail menu from Chef Aaron Leopold.

The day began with a DIY bloody mary and mimosa station. Diners can get their cocktails exactly the way they want by building their own. I chose to build a bloody mary using a tomatillo base. Honestly, my bloody mary turned into a meal since I had so many great additions to choose from like pepperoni sticks, candied bacon, pickled beans, peppers, pickle spears, and more!

The substantial buffet included corned beef hash, vegetable frittata, herb roasted potatoes, and chilaquiles. Other stations included a bagel station, seasonal fruit platter, chicory salad, and chicken and waffle skewers.

Since we were having brunch in December, I didn’t have a lot of expectations about seasonal fruit. I stand corrected. The seasonal fruit was excellent! The blackberries were plump and juicy! Strawberries, figs, and pineapple were equally scrumptious!

I’m a fan of easy to eat food and the chicken and waffle skewers fit the bill. As if that weren’t enough, they had a maple syrup fountain to dip skewers in. Fun and tasty!

Herb roasted potatoes and corned beef hash rounded out my list of favorites for the day. Potatoes were well seasoned and well cooked. I can never say no to the savory deliciousness of corned beef hash.

The best station that day was the cookie decorating station for the holidays. Nelson and I had an impromptu cookie decorating contest. Staff voted on their favorites and I’m sure you can tell who the winner was. 🙂

The Bookstore Bar & Café offers seasonal brunches from time to time. They also offer a regular brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.