Splurge-Worthy Gravitas Introduces Brunch With Soy-Glazed Pork Belly

Since bringing Ivy City its first tasting menu restaurant last June, Gravitas has built a name on scene-stealing salads and luxurious dinners that start at $78. Starting Saturday, chef-owner Matt Baker will begin serving an a la carte brunch that will make his modern American plates available to diners with smaller budgets.

Baker says brunch will be a more “rustic” and “whimsical” experience than guests get at dinner.

“For me, brunch is something I always enjoy cooking,” he says. “I think it gives me an opportunity to cook different cuisines than I normally do on the dinner menu.”

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Under a section of brunch favorites, Baker is selling $14 sourdough pancakes with glazed blueberries, maple syrup and citrus zest. There’s also braised beef short rib with a poached egg ($21).

Appetizers include a sweet soy-glazed pork belly ($16) with egg yolk sauce and top out at $26 for a brioche-crusted Maryland crab cake.

Breakfast pastries like cornbread, croissants and biscuits come in combinations of one for $4, three for $12 or five for $18.

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Cocktails, including Baker’s riff on a Bloody Mary, are priced from $9 to $14.

The brunch’s lower price points may be more palatable to diners than forking over $90 for Gravitas’ five-course tasting menu, or $115 for the one with seven courses.

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Baker says business has been good, but he’s using brunch to lure customers in without the dinners’ sticker shock.

“We understand that our price point is what it is and we know that’s something people can’t afford every day,” Baker says. “Our goal is to bring them in for brunch, blow their socks off, and show them what we can do for dinner, hopefully.”

More than 300 people live across the street from the restaurant in a luxury apartment building, and the arrival of spring will ramp up the number of people flocking to the distillery-heavy neighborhood for tastings.

With that in mind, Baker says Ivy City has a built-in brunch crowd. And he’s ready to serve it.

• Look at the Self-Styled Paradise Matt Baker Has Spent Years Bringing to Life [EDC]
• Salads Take Center Stage At This New Fine Dining Restaurant [EDC]