Photography by Kathy Tran.
A brunch at José is just as colorful and vibrant as the golden booth cushions lining the restaurant’s interior.
In the huevos rancheros, sunny side up eggs are topped with chorizo, black beans and fresh avocado. Steak and eggs could be heavy, but José freshens up the dish with bell peppers, kale and tomatillo sauce.
It’s not just the food that makes a brunch at the restaurant on Lovers Lane and upbeat. It’s the loud music, too. Sometimes it’s Luis Miguel. Sometimes it’s Latin indie. And it’s the guests. They often come in larger groups, looking to reunite after a year of lockdowns, looking to celebrate postponed remembrances of birthdays and anniversaries.
“We’re pretty lively and loud and fun all the time,” says chef Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman.
When she became the chef almost three years ago, Quinones-Pittman wanted to bring back the classics, like French toast. But José’s is not the average French toast. It’s Mexican French toast. Instead of brioche, José uses a Mexican sweet bread called concha. Instead of a berry sauce, José hits the egg-soaked bread with cajeta, a Mexican caramel sauce. Instead of maple syrup, José tops the dish with piloncillo syrup, made with Mexican brown sugar.
There’s also the Mexican eggs benedict. A sope, which is like a thick tortilla, replaces the traditional English muffin as the foundation for a pile of black beans, avocado, poached eggs and chile de arbol hollandaise.
The Mexican influence on José’s brunch menu is strong. Many of the offerings — like chilaquiles and huevos rancheros — and the ingredients that form them are common in Mexican households.
Quinones-Pittman expects the menu to stay basically the same throughout the summer. The most recent addition to the menu is the watermelon frosé, which became permanent after being a popular special feature for Mother’s Day. But if that doesn’t strike a fancy, Quiñones-Pittman can vouch for the mimosas, too.
