THE BRUNCH BEAT

Enlightened as we are about the order and symmetry of the universe, we know that Tuesday morning’s sunrise is inherently no less grand than Sunday’s and that Monday morning’s breezes are no less sweet. But enlightened or not, we can’t be persuaded that there’s nothing magical about Sunday. We won’t believe that the first day of the week-the day God Himself set aside to kick back and rest-is not a special one.

Dry cleaners, banks and department stores are closed on Sunday, giving us no choice but to neglect certain chores until Monday. The clock/radio remains silent well past dawn-the only alarm is the thump of the bulky Sunday paper as it hits the front steps. And for all but the most compulsive of us, office work is taboo. Sundays are good days for going to church or visiting duck ponds and parks. For playing softball. For sipping champagne.

One of Sunday’s most pleasant traditions comes when the best of breakfast meets the best of lunch, resulting in “brunch.” It’s certainly the perfect way to celebrate a new week. We spent countless Sundays sampling Dallas brunches. During that time, we encountered no real disasters-it’s hard to go wrong with brunch as long as the coffee is hot and the o.j. is cold. Anything is kosher between 10:30 and 2, and the variables-expense, atmosphere, extravagance, variety-are strictly matters of taste.

Sunday morning is not the best time for heavy decision-making, so we’ll try to outline some brunch choices in the pages that follow. First, decide whether you’re in the mood for continental food or something exotic. Ethnic brunches are in a class by themselves, so we’ll tackle a few of those at the end of this story. We suggest you call your favorite Chinese, Mexican or Indian restaurant and ask if it offers something special for weekend lunches. The continental possibilities range from fancy hotel brunches with ice sculptures, three-tiered salad bars and standing beef to quieter, less extravagant and possibly less-filling midday meals.

Virtually every hotel in Dallas offers something it calls brunch; many of the meals are incredibly lavish. Brunches like those we sampled at the Summit, the Hyatt and the Loews Anatole were practically edible amusement parks.

At those food orgies, we got our money’s worth and tried everything: meats, salads, vegetables, desserts, breads. Too much food is offered for anyone’s best interest, so if you lack wisdom, as we did, expect to spend the afternoon with a long, cool glass full of Alka Seltzer.

Sampling the Summit Hotel (2645 LBJ Freeway, 243-3363) and the Loews Anatole (220 Stemmons Freeway, 748-1200), we found that the brunch at the Summit (10:30 until 2) was the more extravagant. The lard-sculptured sea horses and owls that adorned the tables at the Summit were more ostentatious than the attractive bread sculptures at the Anatole. Brunch at the Anatole (11 until 2) was quite a spread-we sampled fluffy spinach and mushroom omelets made to order; fresh, hot bagels; smoked salmon; and delicious apple crepes. The desserts, while lovely to look at, didn’t fare as well as the entrees. Service here is friendly and efficient. At the Summit, the entrees were exceptionally good, especially the coq au vin. But the best part of our feast was the pancakes with hot syrup and a choice of strawberries or blueberries. The eggs Benedict had a wonderfully mellow hollandaise sauce. Overall, we’d say the Summit is a bit better than typical hotel brunch fare, but we missed the piano music we found at most other hotels. The price at both the Summit and the Anatole is $15 for all you can eat.

The Hyatt Regency (300 Reunion, 651-1234) also goes all-out for brunch. The main courses were very good; the cheese blintzes were top-notch and tasted as if they had come straight from the pan. Desserts were excellent and widely varied – everything from gingerbread cookies to pecan pie and tarts to tortes. The Hyatt brunch is $14.50 and is offered from 10:30 until 2:30.

Similar brunches are offered at hotels all across town. The Spinnaker at the Lincoln Raddison (Lincoln Center, 934-8400) has a $15 buffet brunch from 11 until 3 that includes a wok station. The Grenelefe (1011 S. Akard, 421-1083) serves a Sunday brunch for $7.95 from 11 until 2, and if you tell the waiter the name of your church, the Grenelefe managers say the hotel will send the church a dollar from the price of your meal.

The Mansion (2821 Turtle Creek, 559-2100) offers an elegant brunch on Saturdays from noon until 2:30 and Sundays from 11 until 2:30. Diners may either order a la carte or order the complete meal for $17. Twelve entr坢es are offered, including eggs Florentine, fettuccine and huevos rancheros.

The Fairmont Hotel (Ross at Akard, 748-5459) has seatings for Sunday brunch at 11 and 1. The cost is $14.50. The Man-dalay Four Seasons (201 E. John Carpenter in Las Colinas, 556-0800) offers brunch in either Caf坢 D’Or or the Rhapsody Lounge. In Caf坢 D’Or, an a la carte brunch is served from 10 until 2:30; the Rhapsody serves brunch from 10:30 until 2:30 for $9.50. The Plaza of the Americas (650 N. Pearl, 747-7222) serves an a la carte buffet brunch from 11 until 3. It also offers veal and seafood.

Our favorite alternatives to overwhelming hotel brunches are the quieter meals served at smaller restaurants. Caf坢 Pacific (21 Highland Park Shopping Village, 526-1170) offers its regular luncheon menu on Sundays from 11 until 2:30, but you might feel less guilty for taking the traditional three hours to enjoy it. The prices aren’t exorbitant; you can eat well for much less than the standard $15 you’ll pay at most hotels. At Cafe Pacific we enjoyed some smooth clam chowder and fruits de mer (scallops, shrimp and mushrooms in a white wine sauce). The rum cake was heavenly, and the cheesecake was smooth and light.

Champagne Johnny’s (2905 Greenville, 823-5800) serves a very good Sunday brunch from 11 until 3. The service is friendly, and the room is large and bright – neither too fancy nor too casual. Entr坢es include eggs Benedict, seafood quiche, ham and cheese omelets, ham and spinach quiche, seafood crepes, eggs Champagne, eggs sardou and “everything that comes on an English muffin.” The best part of Champagne Johnny’s is the price -$5.95 for brunch, including complimentary champagne.

Andrew’s (3301 McKinney, 521-6535 and 14930 Midway, 385-1613) offers four entrees for brunch from 11:15 until 3 on Sundays. The atmosphere is soothing, and the place is usually not too crowded. In addition to the regular brunch offerings, Andrew’s also has fun drinks and great desserts.

Francis Simun’s (6922 Snider Plaza, 368-7789) serves Sunday brunch from 11:30 until 2. It offers five selections: huevos rancheros, buckwheat pancakes with fresh fruit, quiche, crepes and French toast. All cost $7.95 and include a fruit or a green salad, drink and dessert.

Les Saisons (165 Turtle Creek, 528-1102) serves more of a lunch than a breakfast. The only egg offering is eggs Benedict, which comes with thin slivers of French fries. Other good choices here are the hefty spinach salad (with lots of egg, fresh mushrooms and chunks of bacon) and the seafood crepes in mushroom sauce. The beef stroganoff and cordon bleu are noteworthy; so is the quiche. All entr坢es come with fresh vegetables.

St. Martin’s (3022 Greenville, 826-0940) serves all the champagne you can drink with brunch, from 11:30 until 3 for $8.95. The menu includes tenderloin, crepes, eggs Benedict and quiche. All are served with orange juice, coffee, croissants and a fruit cup.

Maple Street East (2508 Maple, 698-0345) serves Sunday brunch from 11:30 until 2; prices range from $6.95 to $8.50. Shirred eggs, eggs Benedict, eggs royale, chicken enchiladas and seafood dishes are among the seven entrees offered.

Taiwan (6111 Greenville, 369-8902) offers something different for the more adventuresome diner. If you’re craving Oriental cuisine on a Saturday or Sunday morning, try dim sum, which is Cantonese for “heart’s delight.” The trays of assorted appetizers are served from carts. After you’ve ordered a steaming pot of tea and have settled back in your chair, choose whatever Oriental tidbits look interesting. You’ll be billed according to the number of dishes you’ve accumulated by the end of the meal. Dim sum is served at Taiwan between 10 and 3; most dishes cost only $1.45. However, by the time two of us were full, we’d run up an $18 tab. Taiwan serves wonderful, greaseless dumplings-buns and cakes stuffed with pork, shrimp, chicken, beef and vegetables. Our only critical word concerns the desserts: Our American taste buds just couldn’t appreciate the black, gelatinous sesame rolls we sampled. We longed for the simple fortune cookie.

Ho Wa (10601 Church Road, 341-5945) serves dim sum on Saturdays as well as Sundays from 10 until 3. Their dim sum carts offer more than 50 different items, among them shrimp buns, steamed beef balls, spare ribs in soybean sauce, turnip cakes, steamed or baked pork buns, stuffed shrimp tofu, rice cakes and sweet rice balls with coconut.

Caf坢 Cancun (4131 Lomo Alto, 559-4011 and North Central Expressway at Park Lane in Caruth Plaza) serves a good, reasonably priced Mexican brunch from noon until 2:30 on Sundays. All eight of the items offered are $3.95; they range from egg dishes to enchiladas and burri-tos. The Cancun omelet consists of three eggs, sour cream, ranchera sauce and sliced avocados. It’s served with black beans and rice and goes well with orange juice -but it tastes even better with a margarita.

On the Border (3304 Knox at Travis, 528-5900) serves Mexican brunch Saturdays and Sundays from 11 until 2:30. Usually, 10 items are listed on the menu including eggs sardou and eggs Benedict with brunch potatoes (similar to potatoes au gratin). The four-egg omelettes are the most expensive item on the menu at $4.75. Mexican offerings are migas (scrambled eggs with Mexican sausage), Mexican (rib-eye) steak and eggs, and the good ol’ standard: huevos rancheros.

Kebab-N-Kurry (401 N. Central Expressway, 231-5556) will satisfy your cravings for Indian food with a full buffet, including dessert, for $4.75. Selections include tandoori chicken, Indian bread, rice, a beef dish, two vegetables and salad. The buffet is available on Sundays from 11:30 until 2:30.

Sahib (9100 N. Central Expressway inCaruth Plaza, 987-2301) also serves an Indian buffet on Saturdays and Sundays.For $6.95 ($9.95 with champagne), youmay choose from a cold line offeringsalads and soups or from a hot line withitems such as curried lamb, chicken andvegetable dishes, eggs, seafood, tandoorichicken and hot Indian bread. The buffetis open from 11:30 until 2:30.