Grand Cafe vs. Red Stag in a French toast face-off

Lisa Gulya

Red Stag's French toast

What better for brunch on a lazy Sunday morning (or early afternoon) than a few slices of French toast? For this week's food fight, we tested the French toast at two top Minneapolis brunch spots, the Red Stag Supper Club and the Grand Café. Read on to find out which one wowed our taste buds, no stuffing or deep-frying necessary.

Red Stag
Red Stag served up two slabs of brioche French toast topped with fig jam and Chantilly cream (read: whipped + sugar), garnished with a couple of mint leaves. It also came with a small side salad. The figs and cream make the meal sweet enough that the maple syrup went untouched. The French toast is $8.

As a place to enjoy a decidedly urban outdoor brunch, Red Stag is a great pick. It is steamy in the sun, and the restaurant's lushly flowered planters have bumblebees buzzing nearby, the only sound save for the hum of the air conditioner in the building across the street or siren-blaring police cars that whiz by occasionally.

Lisa Gulya

Grand Café
Grand Café serves up French toast "suzette" for $9, three slices of brioche French toast with whipped cream, toasted pistachios, and an orange caramel sauce. Think chewy, delicious French toast paired with a subtle hint of Dreamsicle (cream + orange caramel) and crunch from the pistachios. Perfect. Plus this patio is oriented to catch shade, so diners don't roast during their meals.

Lisa Gulya

Grand Café's French toast

The winner: Grand Café. The margin of victory was slim--both breakfasts were great--but it's the nostalgia-inspiring flavors at Grand Café that won us over, along with the satisfying substance of their brioche.