When we have out-of-town guests, after we’ve given them what we call the Fort Lauderdale/Wilton Manors experience, if they’re here long enough, we expand that to the Miami experience, which includes tours of South Beach, and MiMo, and we always end up in Wynwood.
Wynwood has changed so much in the past 10 years, it’s incredible. It is now so gentrified we can hardly remember it from its hardscrabble days. The other day we brought one of my husband Gregg’s grade school friends, Jeff, and his beautiful wife Eva, to Wynwood. We hadn’t tried R House’s drag brunch, so what better time? Jeff and Eva live a very suburban life but are very open-minded. I mentioned that the restaurant’s performers had been on “The View,” and I just assumed they had heard of it. Imagine our surprise when it turned out to be their first drag show. They loved it, and they also raved about the food.
And well they should because here’s the thing, no one goes to R House for the food, and they could get away with serving second-rate fare. The fact that they don’t is a testament to the integrity of Chef Rocco. His menu offers plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans, all while paying homage to Miami’s Latin origins.
The brunch menu is a fairly good deal for most folks. The $60 a person package includes three components. Unlimited drinks include a choice of mimosas, white wine sangria, or mojitos. For those not drinking alcohol, there are virgin mimosas, zero-proof cocktails, and soft drinks. You can upgrade to bottle service for $25 per person, which also gets you a table closer to the stage. The family style menu includes boneless cayenne-spiced fried chicken, served over a cilantro sauce, avocado toast, topped with scrambled eggs, candied bacon, a piece of cheese, pico de gallo, and tajin, grilled chicken sliders, topped with chimichurri and Swiss cheese, and French toast topped with fresh strawberries, lemon mascarpone cream, dulce de leche, and slivered almonds, and a tossed salad (seasonal, on our visit it was baby kale and garbanzo beans). Each one was perfectly prepared. Our drinks came in small carafes that held perhaps three drinks and were replenished as needed. The drinks weren’t strong, but that was fine with me. I felt it was very fairly priced.
However, the vegetarian option is limited to one of three choices: a cauliflower rice bowl, with roasted root vegetables, chickpeas, vegan feta, pepitas, and guacamole, an açai banana berry bowl with granola, or the same French toast, as on the main menu. A side salad is also served, but my husband was never given a salad plate or told that the salad for us was also for him. He also doesn’t drink alcohol, so he basically paid $60 for a bowl of cauliflower and a few glasses of cola. Not such a great deal. If R House really wants to make things equitable for vegetarians, they should offer three smaller portions of each dish, or a discount for those who don’t drink alcohol.
The show, of course, was incredible, but we didn’t expect anything else. Our friends were blown away. A word on the service. It’s flirty and fun, and the entire team works together. Expect a 20% gratuity (aka service charge) to be added to your check. Of course, you can always add more. The bottom line is, if you’re a vegetarian or a non-drinker, hold off and go to an evening show to get the best value for your dollar. For everyone else, the R House brunch is a great value for $60, plus tips (for your waiter and the performers!).
R House
2727 NW 2nd Ave., Miami
305-576-0201
rhousewynwood.com
