Tour de Toast: Enjoy a Quiet Brunch at Atomic Cowboy

Editor's note: St. Louis has always been a brunch-loving town. Lately, though, it seems the number of places offering it have vastly expanded. In this ongoing series, food writer Ann Lemons Pollack investigates brunch options across St. Louis (and an occasional breakfast joint for good measure).

Some Sundays, a quiet brunch is just the thing.

If you visit Atomic Cowboy not long after it opens at 11 a.m., then you can probably accomplish that with ease. There’s something peaceful about a bar in the mornings. The big, north-facing windows let in just enough light. Later, things seem to pick up, but if it’s quiet and some hair of the dog is desirable, this is a good place, especially in the side room.

The menu leans toward Tex-Mex, with riffs in other directions but no flame-throwing spiciness. Huevos Benedict, for instance, is served four different ways: with smoked salmon, crab cake, carné asada, or spinach-portobella. What the menu labels simply an espiñola (pictured above) is a Spanish-style tortilla, much like a fritatta. Packed with potatoes and topped with pico de gallo and a little cheese, it is elevated by a molé sauce beneath it. The spinach-portobello combination (also pictured above) is also available as a side dish, a seemingly simple sauté. To be so tasty, it’s shockingly healthy.

That same spinach-portobello mixture also makes an appearance on the molletes, open-faced sandwiches served on an English muffin. Plenty of melted cheese and more pico create a happy combination.

The Mexican slinger (pictured above) is another first-rate choice. It begins with chilaquiles—crumbled, stale tortillas fried and cooked until softened, served in a chile sauce. The dish is topped with chili, a fried egg, cheese, chopped cilantro, and white onion. It’s a reach to call it a slinger, but who cares? It’s delicious—the spiciest of anything we tried.

The French toast can be had with apple or walnut raisin bread and served with dulce de leche ice cream (pictured). On one visit, the apple bread had chunks of apple, but the egg batter had scarcely soaked into the bread. Fruit salad, served in a separate bowl, wore a light minty syrup.

Tamales are offered with chicken or beef brisket. A pair of beef tamales had more of that wonderful molé sauce and a good ratio of masa. Biscuits and gravy showcase pulled pork, topped with chorizo gravy and a generous shower of bacon. Side orders of bacon were also generous.

There are some interesting morning cocktails, including a raspberry collins, which adds berries to the classic gin-lemon-club soda, making it less dry. Speaking of dry, the 4 Hands Chocolate Milk Stout was an eye opener; it’s perfect for folks who love dark, dark chocolate. Milk stouts don’t contain milk—just a little lactose, the sugar that’s naturally in milk, to enhance mouth feel—but this is not at all a sweet beer. It's dangerously good, especially considering the all-day drink specials on Sundays.

With pleasant and easy-going service, Atomic Cowboy provides just the right vibe for easing into the day.

Editor's note: Atomic Cowboy will be open for brunch on New Year's Day from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Check out the brunch menu here.