The morning of the family event, I had booked Gage & Tollner brunch. I found it based on being near our hotel and by searching Open Table. The history of this restaurant, the decor, and all the reviews had me incredibly looking forward to this meal. It did not disappoint.

Note: We did not pay for this meal, although we intended to. MIL paid for it.

Gage and Tollner was opened in 1879 by Mr. Gage, and 5 years later Mr. Tollner partnered. It lasted until 2004. While the location had many other restaurants after that, it was brought back to life as Gage & Tollner in 2020 thanks to a funding campaign. They have a cool timeline and other great information on their About page.

We were a party of 5, Daniel and I, MIL, and BIL/partner. We took full advantage of the specials. We started with a cardamom rose donut and strawberry milkshake donut. I tried both. I love cardamom and it came through clearly, with the rose as a supporting character - just enough to taste. For those not in the know, rose flavoring easily overwhelms any other flavors Finding a balance is a huge skill. The strawberry milkshake donut tasted like drinking milk from a kids cereal that is strawberry flavored. But it wasn't overwhelmingly sweet - it took it to the line but did not cross it. The table decided to also try the onion rings. Everyone liked them, but I felt like they were too salty.

I don't drink a lot of tea, but I indulged in an Earl Gray. I took this video because I just love how the milk swirls when as it is poured in.

BIL's partner and I had the last duck confit hash. The hash had (obviously the duck confit), onions, peppers, and beets! (I love beets. <3) It came with two fried eggs and a slice of sourdough toast that was lightly buttered. It was so flavorful and well balanced, it was incredibly filling.

Everyone else got chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, and a salad. Everyone loved their food. MIL wasn't wrong when she said the salad was too big. :lol

Our server was great - informative, but also really amusing. He blended in well with our family humor. I joked at one point how he was replacing our silverware with each course. He quipped "This is Gage and Tollner, baby!" It was so New York. We did ask if he would be ok if we filmed him saying that, but he opted not to. Which is totally ok! I respect how doing so could impact his employment and I would not want to do that.

Before we left I used the restroom. There were some really cute touches, like there was a shelf in each stall with a rounded corner for the extra tissue. One thing that also made this a good experience was there was plenty of space to handle all the necessary actions (as a person of size.) The bathroom was impeccably clean. The stall doors were accordion style! It says something positive to me when the bathroom is cute, functional, and clean.

I strongly recommend this restaurant. You cannot beat the service and food for it's price.