Orange County Register

The Ramos House Cafe serves a brunch-only menu on the weekends. I’ve always thought $30 per person (not including tax and tip) was on the steep side, considering the price doesn’t includes dessert and if I dine here on a weekday, I have a lot of the same menu choices. What makes this brunch menu so special that it’s given a prix-fix price if a lot of it is just more of the same?

Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for that. Maybe it’s easier for the staff to serve the larger weekend crowds in the tiny space if each head is charged the same price. Granted, there are more menu choices, but I still feel like the brunches are slightly overpriced, not by much, but enough for me (a person who always appreciates a deal) to raise an eyebrow. So in my curiosity, I conducted a little price experiment.

My brunch order consisted of a Blueberry Coffeecake, the fantastic Crab Hash & Eggs, and coffee. Had I ordered this during the week, my estimates conclude that this exact meal would have cost between $24-$29. On the weekday menu, drinks are normally priced between $2-$5 ($2 for lemonade and $5 for a suped-up juice) and appetizers $6-$8. The Crab Hash itself is listed on weekdays at $16. So given this range, I can conclude that the weekend brunch cost more, by $1-$6, than it would have on a weekday.

Here’s another example. My dining companion Devin ordered coffee, the Cinnamon Apple Beignets (also a favorite), and a rich and filling Chocolate-Cherry Pain Perdu. This particular pain perdu isn’t offered on the normal menu, but the Banana Maple Pain Perdu is listed on the weekdays for $11. The beignets are $6. I can estimate that the chocolate-cherry version is around $11-$16. Which means this meal was also a tad more than it should have been. Add this up with my meal, and we could have saved up to $12 if we had eaten here during the week. Sigh.

On a happier note, I had never tried the house Mac n’ Cheese, and I was able to order a small plate of it on the side ($7). Our waitress had to ask the kitchen for this permission, and after a little bit of a wait it was granted, and the hearty, tangy dish was gingerly placed on the edge of our table. I can’t imagine eating this as a main course, what with the other outstanding menu items available. It’s a little bit rich, and to me, would work best as a side.

My advice is to just pick things that are normally not on the menu to get your money’s worth on the weekends. I still see no reason for the prix fixe, but as long as it’s around and as long as it’s near impossible for me to dine there during the week, I’ll still be a weekend patron (another sigh). The price may be a little off in some cases, but the food is always good.

Information: Ramos House Cafe, 31752 Los Rios St., San Juan Capistrano. 949-443-1342.
www.ramoshouse.com Hours: Tuesdays through Sundays 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

- Cynthia Furey

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