Restaurant Review: Hash Kitchen Is a Bloody (Mary) Good Time. 

• Alex Springer

When I first read Kitchen Confidential—Anthony Bourdain's classic memoir about life as a professional chef—I was fascinated by the late chef and author's take on brunch. If you've followed Bourdain's work at all, you'll know that Sunday brunch occupied a place of absolute derision in his estimation—and it honestly turned me off of brunch altogether.

In the 23 years since Kitchen Confidential was published, however, brunch-specific restaurants have turned this mid-morning meal into a trendy concept, which makes me think the meal is up for a thorough reexamination. This culinary quest led me to Hash Kitchen, which recently opened in Draper thanks to the Savory Fund, a local investment firm that brought us the likes of Houston Hot Chicken and Via 313. This Arizona-based restaurant represents peak post-millennial brunch culture to a T, so it seemed like a good focal point for this important work of gastronomic anthropology.

I think it's safe to say that things have changed for brunch since Bourdain's initial skewering of the concept. His primary criticism was based on non-brunch restaurants that used Sunday brunch to peddle leftovers and break in their second-string staff. Since Hash Kitchen is all brunch, all the time, there's no concern that they're using sub-par ingredients or staff. I do sometimes wonder about how spectacle and social media-friendliness became integrated with the brunch concept; Hash Kitchen is awash in glittery decor, disco balls and witty catchphrases, which makes for a beautiful (if not somewhat contrived) space.

Spectacle carries over into Hash Kitchen's menu, which features amenities like build-your-own Bloody Marys—come in after 11 a.m. if you want yours boozy—with more than 50 toppings to choose from and a DIY doughnut bar. This flair for the dramatic also features heavily in each entree, which does make for some pretty tasty Instagram pics. If you've read my column with any degree of consistency, you'll know that bells and whistles like this automatically put my guard up. I love a place that gushes with style, but only if it tastes as good as it looks.

I was after something from both the sweet and savory sides of Hash Kitchen's menu, so I started off with the Brunch Birria Bao Buns ($19). Maybe it was the alliteration that got me, or maybe it was the idea of starting my day with some cross-continental fusion. Either way, this is a solid bet for fans of eggs Benedict, as that's where the foundation of this dish comes from. The soft, pillowy bao dough gets folded over a sizable dose of beef birria, and gets topped with an egg made-to-order, hollandaise and some pickled onion. Naturally, this dish comes with a bowl of beef cosomme, and you're welcome to try and pick these tasty bao bois up for a dip—just make sure you have your napkins handy. Overall, I liked this dish; it's a good riff on a traditional Benedict while incorporating a trendy moment like birria and bao into something cohesive and tasty.

Those who want a more traditional Benedict are in luck, as Hash Kitchen's Friends with Benedicts menu section has plenty of great options. Melina's ($14) is the most traditional, but I'd encourage Benedict fans to check out Cristina's Tamale Cakes ($15) or the Elote ($17). I can't get enough of a Benedict that swaps the English muffin out for something—anything—else, so this is one area where Hash Kitchen really brings the creativity.

On the sweeter side of things, diners can choose from pillowy Gangster Souffle Cakes, French toast or waffles. I went with the banana split French toast, and was delighted to see two enormously thick slabs of brioche topped with berries and a caramelized banana. It's quite a sight to behold on its own, but the addition of a waffle cone filled with sweet, creamy mascarpone put the presentation over the edge.

You've got to do some serious deconstruction to this monolith of sweetened brioche—the French toast itself tastes like a good cinnamon roll dough—but it's worth it. A bite with a bit of mascarpone and a bit of that caramelized banana is brunch incarnate. I found myself wanting more of the mascarpone as I devoured my way through this Arc de Triomphe of a dish, as it helped even out the sweetness of the syrup and berries.

While I think Hash Kitchen could use a bit of balance between its style and substance, this Arizona import makes a nice addition to our dining scene. You get a pretty decent bang for your buck, the service is quick and friendly, and it's got no shortage of baller backdrops for those who enjoy taking pictures of their food. It's also one of the only places where you can make a Bloody Mary that looks like a Dale Chihuly sculpture while indulging in a birria fix, so it's got curing a hangover covered. Isn't that the true objective of a good brunch, after all?