Boozy, Fancy, or Just Leisurely, Brunch Is an American Staple

"Brunch menus are an open invitation to the cost-conscious chef, a dumping ground for the odd bits left over from Friday and Saturday nights. How about hollandaise sauce? Not for me. Bacteria love hollandaise. And nobody I know has ever made hollandaise to order," Anthony Bourdain famously wrote in his memoir, "Kitchen Confidential," in  2000. "And how long has that Canadian bacon been festering in the walk-in? Remember, brunch is only served once a week — on the weekends. Cooks hate brunch. Brunch is punishment block for the B-Team cooks, or where the farm team of recent dishwashers learn their chops." While this predicament might still ring true, the last decade has seen brunch go, per the LA Times, "from diner food to omelets and egg sandwiches made by James Beard-caliber, white tablecloth chefs." Blame it on diners' palates being more refined courtesy of the evolution in food media (which turned from service-like into aspirational)  blame it on the competition triggered by al