Ok, perhaps the title is a little harsh...but, for the DC Brunch Club, if Vinoteca at 11th and U in Northwest Washington DC is going to try to play the brunch game, they need to step it up.  While, we are the first to say booze and service are big parts of the brunchin' experience, the food has to be up to snuff and Vinoteca's morning cooking crew seemed to be more of the "hungover" crew.  However, in all fairness, this was a Saturday brunch due to it being a holiday weekend (4th of July), therefore I give them some wiggle room for hungover staff and somewhat bland food.

Environment: Vinoteca is a great wine bar by night, but this doesn't translate as well for the daytime brunch club.  To their credit, they do offer outdoor seating, which I would highly recommend.  We couldn't sit outside because of the rain and were forced to sit inside, but at least they had great classic rock playing. 

They can accommodate big groups as they can pull together tables, but if their brunch fare ever improves, I can see this place filling up for brunch in the winter, similar to their night time crush of people and it may not be as easy for groups.

Service: As of right now, reservations are not needed, nor does time of day matter unlike Bourbon or Belga.

Our waitress Morgan was the perfect mix of friendly without being overly chatty or too aloof.   She also didn't mind how drunk/loud we became.  However, we were the only table besides a lame group of girls that didn't even get A drink, so it's not as if we were disturbing anyone.  Who does brunch without even one little mimosa for an entire table of women?  Who are these people?!

The kitchen crew seemed a little lackluster.  The cook was rugged-guy hot, but he looked like he would have rather been anywhere else than slavin' over the stove at Vinoteca.  (Like my apartment?  I kid, I kid)


Food: What first attracted me to Vinoteca for brunch was the menu.  They had a large selection of omelets, paninis and lots of sides.  A lot of the brunch clubbers liked the idea of all of the sides so they could "custom" make their brunch experience, which is a nice change from some of the more set entree items at most brunch places.  Unfortunately, the food turned out to be not great.

Ram and Mattie both got the Monte Cristo and both thought it was a little overdone.  Allison thought the same for the eggs and I agreed for the turkey sausage and omelet de mer, which wasn't just overdone but had a sparse amount of "de mer" (seafood). 

The only two things that got decent praise were the french toast though we agreed it doesn't hold a candle to Red Rocks' french toast and the granola yogurt plate, which had tasty homemade granola, but not enough yogurt. 

Booze: The drinks were the best part of this brunch experience - not surprisingly.   $5 drinks - say what?!  We have gotten so used to outrageously priced mimosas/drinks and those that aren't expensive aren't good, that we were pleasantly surprised and pleased by the brunch booze price tag at Vinoteca.  The Bellinis were the belles of the ball, as were the Irish coffees.  However, know that these are Jameson-only Irish coffees, so if you want Bailey's as well, you must request it (which I obviously did!). 

Mimosas and Bloodies weren't really center stage at this brunch as neither were remarkable, though neither were bad. 

Overall: As I said at the start - it was blah and would not be a first choice.  Though, if you live in the 'hood, give it a chance.  Try Sunday.  Restaurants tend to bring out the A-crew for Sunday Brunch. (At least we hope they do) Just don't go in with high expectations and be ready to drink Bellinis!

Repeat: Probably not.  I may try a Sunday or just wait for a faithful reader to try it and comment on it before this happens!