5 Things Union Kitchen Is Doing Right

1. Pancakes: Did you see those things? There's another photo above in case you missed them. And there's no such thing as a "short stack" here -- you'll get seven of these fluffy, golden, nutty, buttery rounds of deliciousness and you'll like it. I only wish Union Kitchen had real, honest-to-God maple syrup to pour on top.

2. Creative breakfast dishes: Even before I got to Union Kitchen, I'd already scoped out the brunch menu and knew that I'd be ordering the Tejas Eggs Benedict. In lieu of English muffins, Union Kitchen stacks poached eggs atop soft corn masa cakes like sopes and tops it all with a chorizo-studded potato hash, chipotle hollandaise sauce and cotija cheese. All of the right elements were there to make this a stand-out brunch dish worth trekking west for -- it all just wanted for a little more oomph (and a few pinches of salt), but I think that Union Kitchen is bringing dishes like these together very nicely.

3. Burgers: I'm far from the first local food writer to be wowed by Union Kitchen's namesake Union Burger. Jack Tyler flatly called it "burger porn" in a post from March and the Chronicle's Alison Cook gave the beast a solid A in her weekly Burger Friday report. Sure, the meat is undersalted, but the rest of the burger makes up for it in ooze, crunch from those thick onion rings and crispy produce and robust, meaty flavor.

4. Bloody Marys: Made with Absolut Peppar for an extra kick, these are not wimpy brunch cocktails -- these are the real thing, thick and spicy. I only wished there were another bartender back there; the one guy on duty that Sunday seemed slammed with drink orders (and considering that we ordered several of these ourselves, I couldn't blame him for being in the weeds).

5. Atmosphere: Despite the weird (albeit friendly) service, the wait time and the underseasoned food, the half of my four-top that lives in Memorial couldn't wait to get back here. I can see why: Union Kitchen at brunch is a lot like what I wish Le Peep were still like, and what it used to be like in the '80s. It's boisterous and fun but also grown-up and tasteful at the same time; there are far more adults here than high chairs. There really aren't any brunch options like it in the area -- especially brunch options that aren't chain operations. And for that reason alone, Union Kitchen will likely thrive.