Live music, new friends, great food, and weed. That's all I ever look for in events in the cannabis space, and this past weekend, that's exactly what I got. I had the opportunity to attend the Rise and Shine Elevated Brunch, where I indulged in five courses of decadent, infused dishes. It was a small, private affair at an undisclosed location here in Washington - there were about 20 attendees, two tables, bottomless (also infused) mimosas, and plenty of weed to go around, including complimentary Pax ERAs to use while we were there. Here's the rundown of our menu. TLDR; everything was fantastic.

First course: Onion, Mushroom, and Thyme Tart

When we sat down and read the menus, my first reaction was "What the hell is an amuse-bouche?" A quick google search later, I realized that that was NOT the name of the dish, and literally just means a small appetizer. The dish itself was a small tart with sauteed onion, mushroom and thyme on it, and it was divine. The tart was buttery and flakey, and the mushrooms were tender and cooked to perfection.

Second Course: Eggs Benedict with Prosciutto on a Petit Waffle

I don't mean to brag, but I go to brunch A LOT, and I almost always order the eggs benny. Now, I can never order it again, because it will never compare to the one I had at this high brunch. The egg was perfectly poached, and the hollandaise was light and airy, but what really sealed the deal for me was the prosciutto sitting between the egg and the waffle. It was sliced paper thin and folded to form a little stack on top of the waffle. If I ever have an eggs benedict with a thick slice of Canadian bacon on it again, it'll be too soon. It's just a quality of life thing at this point.  

Third Course: 14 Hour Brisket Hash with Shoestring Potatoes and Beecher's Cheese Curds

THIS DISH RIGHT HERE WAS THE BOMB.COM. There's no other way to describe it. The brisket melted in my mouth, the shoestring potatoes added some salt and texture to the dish, and the cheese curds were a nice little mellow addition to the flavor profile. But what really knocked my socks off was the spicy ketchup that went on top of the brisket. It had an amazing kick to it, and mellowed out some of the saltiness of the potatoes and the brisket. All in all, this was my favorite course of the day.

Fourth Course: Berry and Chia Parfaits

It was hot as hell outside (which is where my table was located) so these chilled chia and berry parfaits were a much-welcomed course. It was such a simple dish, but sometimes the best things in life are the most simple ones. I should probably mention that by this point, we were all pretty stoned, and pretty hot. So by the time they served a cold dish to a group of people sitting outside with napkins on their heads and frozen water balloons in their shirts, we were all ready to devour it.

Fifth Course: Boston Creme Pie Cupcakes

I'm not really a cupcake guy. so if I say a cupcake is good, it was DAMN good. These cupcakes fit that description. I will admit that by the time the cupcakes were served, we were all standing in the shade, so I didn't get to read the menu before I bit into it, and I think that was for the best, because getting the creme filling after my first bite was the best surprise I could have asked for. The cupcakes weren't dense at all either! They were light and bouncy. The icing was also light, and not too sweet. This is the first cupcake in about 3 years that I haven't had to scrape the icing off of. I don't know what chef did to these babies, but I was in heaven.  

The Best Brunch Ever

The event was a blast and I met tons of cool new people. What I attended was a soft launch of the event. We wanted to give a shoutout to all the sponsors who helped make it happen, including Vertus (used for the infused mimosas), Heylo Cannabis, and Ellementa. We'll keep everyone updated when they officially launch, and maybe I'll get to have brunch with some of you! Check out some of the other images from the brunch below!