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If you walk west up Baltimore Avenue up to the trendy neighborhood of Cedar Park, you’ll find The Gold Standard Café, which offers a quirky rendition on a classic comfort brunch. The restaurant takes over the whole corner of 48th Street—you can’t miss it, nor should you.
At noon on a Sunday I found the entire restaurant packed. Neighborhood locals know that a Gold Standard brunch is worth the wait. The cafe has a front room with breakfast bar seating, where patrons can get pastries and coffee from the counter. For those wanting the full brunch experience, there is a homey dining room in the back, equipped with large wooden tables, lots of natural light and art for sale on the walls.
Owner Roger Hartman explained that The Gold Standard’s premise is to give people a “third place.” We may have a place to work and to live, but healthy lifestyles incorporate a third place to hang out and seek nourishment. Hartman, a former economics professor at Penn, used to have a branch of The Gold Standard right on Locust Walk in what is now the Arch Building. He named the restaurant after the economic principle by the same name, which refers to the practice of fixing currencies to a specified amount of gold. Although it’s not steps from Huntsman any longer, the Gold Standard still gives a taste of hearty, locally–sourced brunch and a taste of the neighborhood Hartman has lived in for more than 30 years.
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We started with rich, dark coffee and fresh–squeezed orange juice while admiring the plates of those around us. We had to sample something from the tempting range of pastries in the display cases up front, and we were steered to the cinnamon donut, lightly topped with a sweet frosting glaze and crumbled brown sugar—baked on the premises during the weekend, the donuts were fresh, light and melt–in–your–mouth good. Don’t leave brunch without one.
An added bonus is Gold Standard’s BYO status—you can order Bloody Mary mix ($3), margarita mix ($3) or a pitcher of the same fresh–squeezed orange juice ($6) for mimosas. We first tried the chorizo hash ($12), a hearty potato sausage hash with a kick of jalapeño flavor, topped with two runny eggs and creamy hollandaise sauce, balanced with fresh, toasted rye bread. Next, we went for the banana walnut pancakes ($8), a huge portion of fluffy, buttery bliss that makes itself a must–have. They were not too sweet and extremely filling. To test savory lunch offerings, we tried the restaurant–recommended hand–formed turkey burger ($8.50). Boasting organic meat from Lancaster Country, the burger was fresh and flavorful, but definitely underwhelming compared to the inventive breakfast dishes.
The service was extremely attentive and friendly, despite the mad brunch rush. The range of eggs, pancakes, waffles, wraps, salads and other breakfast and lunch favorites may seem ordinary, but it will surprise you. Although a bit more of a trek than the campus brunch staples, The Gold Standard is totally worth the trip and certainly worth its weight in gold.
