BY DATHAN KAZSUK
Sunday afternoons just got much more indulgent during your North Hills shopping excursion with the recent addition of Leo’s Italian Social, now open on the ground level of the Renaissance Hotel.
Filling the space of the old Mia Francesca location, Leo’s Italian Social is a plush new dining experience serving lunch, brunch, dinner and cocktails that range from arancini and cauliflower bites for starters to pasta, wood-fired pizzas and main dishes such as halibut, chicken parmesan and juicy filet cuts.
Our visit to Leo’s was to try out some items on its Sunday brunch menu. The menu features six delicious-sounding items, making it challenging to decide on only two!
Items like the Breakfast Pizza and the Blueberry Cake French Toast, with blueberry cream cheese topping, applewood smoked bacon, and maple syrup, seemed like the popular choices—and we can promise you we’ll be back to order these the next time we visit.
But we opted for the Avocado Toast, made with fresh avocado spread, grilled sourdough, feta cheese, and a soft-boiled egg. Served with a side of fresh arugula topped with radishes and heirloom tomatoes, it was one of the heartiest avocado toasts we’ve had in a while.
We also opted for the Baked Italian Eggs with roasted tomatoes, sausage, caramelized onions, zucchini and olive oil toast. You have your choice of how you want your eggs, which, for us, was over-easy so that the rich yolk could blend in with the rich tomato sauce and nicely seasoned sausage.
Be sure to say yes to the bread for your table. The Focaccia bread is perfectly paired with olive oil and balsamic topped with grated Parmesan cheese for dipping.
Also, during Leo’s Italian Social’s brunch hours, take advantage of their $5 Mimosa and Bloody Mary specials—we sure did!
Check out Leo’s website for hours, menus, upcoming events, specials, and more: https://www.leositaliansocial.com/north-hills
