If humankind never learned to play with its food, it would never have learned to play with its ingredients, and the world would be one bereft bowl of gruel. Taste the fruits of culinary creativity with today's Groupon: for $35, you get a Sunday brunch buffet for two, including coffee and a carafe of cocktails, at The Chatham House (a $70 value). Brunch takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
With a landmark mid-19th-century hotel setting, The Chatham House submerges hungering senses in the fresh, local ingredients of its brunch menu while entertaining eyes with its historical charm. Begin a dining dissertation with the gourmet buffet’s sweet thesis of smoked salmon or fresh shrimp, followed by a delicious defense argument of sugar-spiced bacon and battered french toast. Chef-manned stations continually carve meat, fluff waffles, sauté pasta, and toss omelettes to maintain the perpetual-breakfast engine that fuels the meal. At meal's end, anchor incisors into baked goods from the Chatham Cake Shoppe and into fresh fruits bathed in the melted chocolate fountain. Lubricate courses with steamy sips of fair-trade Italian coffee or tea and a spirits-saturated carafe of mimosa, sangria, or cranberry-and-champagne-synthesizing poinsettia cocktails.