These days, it's way too easy to get buried by our commitments and our responsibilities. We're so over-extended that balancing work and life becomes overwhelming, and there are just some days when you find yourself struggling to find a starting point. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a good number of you reading this were nodding in agreement right now. And, I'm willing to bet that there are even more of you silently chastising yourselves for spending time staring at the computer screen rather than tackling the items on your seemingly endless to-do list.
To those in the “yeah, I really should get to that list” camp, you're already this far in, so why not stick with me for a few more minutes?
I have a point, I promise.
This is going to sound counter-intuitive, but one of the best ways to combat feeling overwhelmed and to ensure that you have time enough to do the things you need to do and the things you want to do is to carve out time for yourself. My husband and I have discovered that making a point of setting aside some time each weekend for an activity that we find enjoyable actually helps us to stay focused on our respective to-do lists during the week and improves our overall mood. That's why, no matter what else we have going on, we reserve time every Sunday to go for brunch.
Brunch is our favorite meal, so much so that it inspired the dishes we served at our wedding reception. While we typically bounce back and forth between our mainstay restaurants in Bethlehem (Blue Sky Café on West Fourth Street and Jumbars on Chelsea Avenue), the foodie in me likes to mix it up every now and then. The last time I felt the need for a change in dining scenery, I hit the web to see what other restaurants in the Lehigh Valley offered brunch on Sunday. Not surprisingly, we had plenty of potential options to consider.
What sold me was the advertised Sunday Jazz Brunch at Sette Luna, located on Ferry Street in the heart of Easton's historic district. This Tuscan trattoria has received numerous accolades for the intimate and romantic atmosphere it creates for its diners as they enthusiastically dig into the restaurant's rustic-yet-artistically-prepared dishes. While the setting they provide is powerful enough to transport diners to Italy during the evening hours, I wanted to know whether it could do the same during the peak brunch hours.
When we walked through the door, I instantly fell in love with the rich shades of red and yellow used in the restaurant's décor. They reminded me so much of the vibrant colors that my husband and I encountered while on our honeymoon in Tuscany last September.
To truly celebrate the sentimentality of the moment, I didn't hesitate to order a Bellini ($8) to go along with my usual coffee and water. If you like to pair your meal with a beverage that's alcoholic in nature, then you'll be pleased by the drink menu at Sette Luna. You'll be able to choose from an extensive list of brunch cocktails as well as an impressive number of Belgian beers.
Settling on our entrees was a bit of a chore because there were so many items we wanted to try, including the Breakfast Pizza from the Special Menu and the Eggs in Purgatory ($11). I mean, what about poached eggs served in a spicy marinara sauce with home fries and sliced Ciabatta for dipping doesn't sound intriguing? While the temptation was strong to go with those options, we ultimately ordered two totally different things.
My husband chose the Tuscan Benedict ($12, not pictured) made with poached eggs, house-cured pancetta, and sautéed Swiss chard atop Wolferman's muffins. All of this is served with a side of “Dad's home fries” and half of a grapefruit that's been roasted to bring out some of its sweetness. I was only able to steal a bite of the Benedict, but that's all I needed to be able to agree with my husband's assertion that the pancetta was the star on the plate. Thinly sliced and crisped to perfection, it provided just the right amount of saltiness to balance out the richness of the rest of the dish.
As for me, I took a complete departure from my traditional brunch order (usually something egg-related) and selected the Bologna ($10). A link of LaJo's spicy Italian sausage is split lengthwise before being grilled and served alongside broccoli rabe that's been sautéed with sliced garlic and seasoned with crushed red pepper flakes. That alone would've been plenty of food for me, but I, too, got some of “Dad's home fries” and half of a roasted grapefruit.
Quite frankly, I'm not sure there are words enough to describe how blown away I was by this intensely-flavored, insanely-satisfying meal. And, because the portion size was so generous, I was able to wrap up half of it to bring home to enjoy later.
We enjoyed our experience at Sette Luna so much that we're already talking about going back, which means we've added a new restaurant to our regular brunch rotation. More importantly, though, we're guaranteeing that we'll continue setting aside some time for us to take a step back and focus on something other than our to-do lists.
By Michelle Rittler | Photos courtesy of Michelle Rittler
