Content warning: Food snobbery ahead. 

For a long, long time, Fort Wayne was a brunch wasteland. There were (and still are) a lot of breakfast joints, with massive menus offering omelets, skillets, scrambles, pancakes, waffles, bacon, and sausage. All the same basic staples in gigantic portions. 

What state do you want your eggs to be in, and what breakfast meat do you want next to them? 

A hearty breakfast has its place, but that is not brunch. 

So what is brunch? I spent a lot of time pondering this question while brunching my way around town recently, because we now live in a community where brunch is flourishing. 

I discussed it with friends who joined me for some of these brunches. We agreed brunch is a weekend thing, and it’s kind of special. Breakfast is for ordinary days. 

One thought was that brunch is determined by the inclusion of alcohol. Another is that brunch requires sweet and savory. 

Brunch, real brunch, is also not a buffet. Great food is made to order, and for me, brunch is about great food. I like a creative menu, with food I can’t make at home — I know how to scramble eggs. So I’m happy to share that not only do we have lots of eateries offering brunch, but they’re serving up delicious, inventive food. 

Proximo warms the soul

One outing took me on a friend date to Proximo, 898 S. Harrison St. 

It was a bitterly cold winter day, so it’s a testament to Proximo that the dining room was full with people who had braved the elements. 

I opted for the Salmon Cake Benedict with crispy salmon cakes served over a medley of cherry tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and shallots, topped with poached eggs, capers, and a dill Dijon hollandaise. 

It was tremendous. The roasted tomatoes were juicy, the sauce was creamy, the capers were briny and salty, the salmon cakes provided good texture, the eggs weren’t too runny, the portion was perfectly sized, and I ate every bite. 

My friend ordered Steak Shakshuka: grilled flank steak over black beans and a Latin-spiced stew of roasted onions, peppers, and tomatoes, topped with two eggs. It was a twist from other shakshuka I’ve had, where the eggs are traditionally poached in the stew, but it was undeniably yummy (my friend is fortunately a food sharer). The meat was prepared to her specifications, it was tender and flavorful, and the slightly spicy stew was well-seasoned. It all played well together. 

My friend also has some significant food allergies, and Proximo is one of the most-accommodating restaurants in town in that regard. 

Reserve spot at Black Canyon

Another weekend, my boyfriend and I ventured with another couple to Black Canyon Restaurant, 1509 W. Dupont Road, in the shopping plaza at Lima and Dupont roads. It was another packed house, and reservations would be in your best interest. 

I had the Chicken & Waffles, featuring buttermilk marinated boneless fried chicken thighs served atop Belgian pearl sugar waffles with thyme-infused maple syrup. The chicken was crispy and abundant, and the thyme in the real maple syrup was interesting and tasty, but the real star was the waffle. It was sweet and slightly caramelized and crunchy at the edges from the pearl sugar. It was scrumptious and barely needed the syrup. 

The rest of the party had the Prime Rib Hash (slow roasted prime rib sautéed with fried potatoes, onions, and peppers, topped with two eggs and creamy chipotle sauce), the BC Breakfast Sandwich (house-made chicken apple sausage and two over-easy eggs, open face on a toasted English muffin finished with a smoked Gouda fondue, with breakfast potatoes), and the BC Avocado Benedict (two crispy English muffins topped with fresh avocado, heirloom tomatoes, poached eggs, and hollandaise). 

Everything was beautifully presented, and from the bites I was able to sneak, quite tasty. The proportion of meat and potatoes in relation to onions and peppers in the hash could have been a bit more balanced, but it was lovely when you got a bite with all the flavors. 

Tolon’s attention to detail

So remember when I said I love an innovative brunch menu? Let’s talk about Tolon, 614 S. Harrison St., the farm-to-table restaurant where I had a truly unique meal that has left me craving more ever since my boyfriend and I brunched there. 

I ordered the Breakfast Pot Pie with local brie cheese bechamel, breakfast sausage, potatoes, carrots, kale, and a 63-degree egg topped with puff pastry, and all I can say is y’all go get it right now. 

Actually, I can say a lot more than that. It was creamy, rich, hearty, and very brie-forward, which I loved. There was a great mix of all the filling components, and the potatoes and carrots still had some appropriate firmness to them. You can’t be delicate; you really have to smash the pastry “hat” into the dish. I had never had anything like this. Because it was so rich (and abundant) I couldn’t finish it, which made my boyfriend quite happy. 

That’s not intended to give short shrift to his meal. He had the Caramel Apple Dutch Baby, with honey crisp apple, salted caramel, local maple syrup, pecan streusel, and Chantilly cream. If you’re not familiar with a Dutch Baby, it’s a kind of pancake that puffs up while being baked in a skillet. When my pot pie was brought to the table, we found out the Dutch Baby was being remade because it hadn’t properly puffed. How can you not love that attention to detail? When it came out a few minutes later, it was massive, beautiful, and delicious. How can you go wrong with apples, cinnamon, and maple? This was again more creative than the usual sweet breakfast fare. 

More to experience

As we were leaving Tolon, we asked ourselves how soon we could go back. But I keep discovering more brunch options I want to explore. 

BakerStreet Steakhouse, 4820 N. Clinton St., recently announced they’re serving brunch, as did Acme by Full Circle, 1105 E. State Blvd. I’m super intrigued by the idea of the latter’s breakfast pizza! 

I haven’t yet been to Ophelia’s, 1603 N. Wells St., or gotten back to Solbird, 1824 W. Dupont Road; Bistro Nota, 620 S. Calhoun St.; or Bravas, 3416 Fairfield Ave., to try their brunch menus. 

The list keeps growing, and I am here for all of it! Brunch used to be something I got to experience only when traveling, and I had restaurant envy of other communities. I’m so happy those days are behind me! 

Did I miss your personal favorite? Let me know where I need to go. Drop me a line at WendyEatsFW@gmail.com.