Walk into the Brass Key Restaurant & Lounge (4952 W. Forest Home Ave.) and you enter what looks like a dark tavern. But once inside and several steps to the right, you discover a family style eatery with abundant lighting—all the better to see its extensive menus of American, Greek, Italian and Asian lunch and dinner selections. However, as is so often the case at establishments offering such wide variety as the Brass Key, the place to find unexpected treats is among its breakfast offerings. This holds true here as well, with a morning meal taking inspiration from Massachusetts, perhaps by way of Britain.
The Boston Breakfast features baked beans in a brown sugar base and a buttery English muffin accompanying your choice of pork (ham steak suited me on a recent visit, but bacon and sausage are the other options), two eggs and a small fruit plate; that last course was a balanced array of sweet and tart, as a rind-on pink grapefruit slice joined by a wedge of watermelon and pineapple chunk. Diners seeking heavier fare may opt for an Egg Benedict made with crab cakes. As for the rest of the Brass Key’s generous bill of fare, Greek food looks to get the most attention. Not only is its banquet space grandly named The Ioenian Sea Room, a list of healthy Mediterranean entrées include five different fish and chicken options prepared with tomatoes, green onions fresh garlic, lemon, olive oil, white wine and feta cheese.
