Marcus Samuelsson fundraiser brunch

Occasion: Fundraiser for his charity, Horn of Africa
Location: Marcus Samuelsson's apartment in Harlem
Edibles: some kind of spiced rice with bay; spicy stewed chicken legs; mashed lentils; lamb shank stew; collard greens; bread and crèpes and little corn muffins

Musings: I quite liked Swedish-Ethiopian chef Marcus Samuelsson from Top Chef Masters, so I signed up for this brunch.

Marcus' apartment is fairly normal, the most striking feature being the enormous outdoor patio space, perfect for entertaining. The people at the party were the New York-iest people I've ever seen. It looked the way New York parties do in the movies - lots of hipsters and models and artists, people dressed in clothes that are retro or futuristic or both.

Mark and I mostly tucked ourselves in a corner, chowing down and people-watching. Marcus eventually came over to shake our hands and thank us for coming. Really classy guy.

The food was really hearty and filling. My favorite was the lamb shanks, which were made by Maya Samuelsson. Who, by the way, is a gorgeous Amazon of a woman who towers over her husband when she's in heels. She's the one going to Africa to distribute the food and other supplies funded by the donations. Hope her trip goes smoothly!

Markt

Occasion: Brunch with Abby, Elizabeth, Jill and Katie
Location: Markt on 6th and 21st (marktrestaurant.com)
Edibles: croque-monsieur with a side of bacon

Musing: Yeah, don't get the croque-monsieur here. Their version is thin, dry and Béchamel sauce-less. On the bright side, it was surprisingly uncrowded for a weekend and they made the best coffee I've had in ages. (French press, in case you're wondering. Only $3.) Also, they only charged a moderately exorbitant $4 for a side of bacon.

I'd try it again - I'm sure there's something on this menu I'd like, though it for sure wasn't what I ordered today. Maybe the Benedict. The pain perdu that Abby had looked promising as well.

Ted's Bulletin

Occasion: Brunch with Sylvia
Location: Ted's Bulletin on 8th St SE in Washington, DC
Edibles: I had the biscuit with sausage gravy and Sylvia had the French toast

Musings: Ted's Bulletin is a cute place for brunch. The décor has a sort of retro, deco thing going on but not in a fussy or pretentious way. As you can see from the pictures, they serve extremely generous plates of hearty food. Prices are reasonable too. A place like this would be mobbed in New York.

Biscuits and sausage gravy - when it's on the menu, I pretty much have to order it. Ted's Bulletin's version of it involves a beer biscuit. Great in theory, but in practice it gave the biscuit an unfortunate bitter aftertaste. The sausage gravy was excellent, though, and I scraped up every little bit of it.

The French toast was tasty too.

For next time: I noticed they had homemade Pop-Tarts on the menu. I was intrigued but - alas - didn't have the room to try them.

Sylvia - great catching up with you!

Northern Spy, part II

Occasion: Pre-movie (Cinema Komunisto at TFF) brunch with Josh
Location: Northern Spy Food Co. on 12th between A and B (northernspyfoodco.com)
Edibles: I had the biscuit and sausage gravy, with two baked eggs; Josh had the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich.

Musings: I've been wanting to come back here, ever since that first dinner with Winnie and Gabrielle - gosh - a year ago. Not too much to add. The décor is as charming as ever, and the food is hearty and unfussy. My gravy was good, the biscuit was nice and fluffy, and the egg yolk provided the perfect amount of unctuous ooze over everything.

One niggle. They did seat their dining room sort of awkwardly, i.e too many people at once. The kitchen got slammed and our food took ages to come out.

Cafe Orlin

Occasion: Post-movie (Battle LA - absolutely execrable) brunch
Location: Cafe Orlin on St Marks between 1st and 2nd (cafeorlin.com)
Edibles: salmon omelet with dill, cream cheese, cucumber and red onions - came with salad, home fries and toast

Musings. In short - long wait; close quarters; exotic menu; great coffee.

My omelet had WAY too many onions, but it was fine after I removed them. In retrospect, I should have ordered something more adventurous. I'm sure there's something amazing on the menu that they don't serve anywhere else. Like maybe the Middle Eastern Eggs? The Tunisian Eggs? It's worth a few more exploratory visits.

[Side story: Josh brought me some layered marzipan squares from his favorite bakery. I gamely tried one, even though sweets like that aren't really my thing. I should probably have been more diplomatic - still, he seemed to take it pretty well when I told him I thought it tasted like toothpaste. Something like 30 seconds later, he had inhaled the three remaining pieces in the box - and those things were not small. It was very cute. I don't think I've ever met anyone who likes marzipan quite so much.]

Le Grainne Cafe

Occasion: Brunch with Morgan (former Death Star co-worker)

Location: Le Grainne Cafe on 21st and 9th (legrainnecafe.com)
Edibles: I had the croque-madame; Morgan had some poached eggs with a side of fruit salad

Musings: I often find myself meeting people in Chelsea; for my UWS-dwelling friends, it's a nice locational compromise. (Just one direction of travel for each of us - south for them and west for me.) But I'm usually hard-pressed to suggest a place to eat, other than Tia Pol. So Le Grainne is a nice discovery. The brunch was casual and cosy, with solid, comforting food at a decent price. I'd guess they serve a decent dinner too.

Morgan, great catching up! Don't be a stranger.

[Postscript: Went to Billy's after for some yummy baked goods - it's conveniently right across the street.]

Resto, part II

Occasion: Procrastination / cabin fever brunch (the former being Yining's reason and the latter, mine)
Location: Resto on 29th between Park and Lex (restonyc.com)
Edibles: we split the gruyère frittata with argula and the eggs Benedict

Musings: Jinkies! We went to Penelope at 11:00, and there was already a 1-hour wait! Man, we seriously need more brunch options in the neighborhood. We bailed, and decided to see if Resto served brunch. And they do! (And may I say, the place looks really different in daytime.)

Unfortunately, the food could use some work. The foundation's there; it just needs fine-tuning. Take the frittata. Thin and rubbery, and really unevenly seasoned - I took a crazy-salty bite, just as Yining was complaining that it was too bland. This one's easily fixed by using more eggs (so the frittata doesn't get overcooked so quickly) and salting the eggs before beating them.

The Benedict dish was great in concept - I mean, a bacon waffle eggs Benedict!! - but the waffle was WAY too sweet. I frequently encountered giant clumps of undissolved brown sugar. The effect was like eggs and hollandaise on top of a doughnut. Which is gross. Had they cut the sugar in half, and mixed it into the waffle batter properly, it would have been a stunner.

You can do it, Resto!

[After brunch we stopped by Fishs Eddy, one of my New York happy places. Of course, I could not resist picking up a few things. How wonderful is this: a sauce dish set with a green one that says Great Lawn, a black one that says Livery Cab, and a grey one - Pigeon. Love it!]

Afternoon tea at Hotel Vancouver

Occasion: My Christmas present to my mother - a girls' catch-up over tea (my sister was an extra beneficiary)
Location: Hotel Vancouver on West Georgia St in Vancouver
Edibles: chicken salad on toast; smoked salmon and caviar on toast; a ham, blue cheese and pear croissant; cucumber sandwiches; cinnamon scones; mincemeat pies; gingerbread stars with M&Ms; strawberries and clotted cream; Yule log chocolate cake

(pictured borrowed from Jess Q until I can upload my own)

Musings: It's been more than 10 years since we've had tea together, just the girls. The last time was at the Savoy in London; it was my mom's first time in Europe. Fond memories - we munched on sandwiches and sipped tea for almost four hours, chatting and soaking up the wonderful Englishness of it all.

The Hotel Vancouver's no Savoy, but they put on a nice tea. The room was very festively decorated, and they hired a live harpist to play Christmas carols.

The food was pretty good. I liked most of the savory choices, particularly the ham. The least successful was the cucumber - the bread was pretty dessicated, like they'd made them the day before and failed to keep them properly covered. My sister, a more forgiving soul, suggested they might have done it on purpose to better accompany the tea. My mom's favorite was the salmon. (Incidentally, I discovered that Allie has an absolutely dreadful palate, after she mistook the chicken salad for tuna, and the pear in the ham sandwich for a pickle.)

They provide one extra plate free of charge, so we got an extra of each of those four to share. I think that's a bit stingy as refills go, considering the tea costs some $50 per person. (At the Savoy, you can ask for as many extras as you like. It's not very classy but you can - as we did - skip breakfast and lunch and really tuck in.)

They gave a generous two scones per person, but I could only choke down half of one as they were cinnamon scones and that spice makes me gag. I liked the gingerbread cookie, but found the cake was cloyingly sweet. I was, in general, less enchanted by the sweets than the savories. But then again, I don't have much of a sweet tooth; you might feel differently.

As for the tea, we got two pots of a strawberry tea and it turned out to be a good primary choice - it was very delicate and did not interfere with the flavors of the food. Towards the end, we got a third pot of maple black. The maple was very interesting - it was smelled syrupy, but had no sweetness at all when tasted. Instead, it was dark and smoky.

Merry Christmas, and I hope you're all getting to spend some quality time with your family in the holiday rush!

Popover Cafe

Occasion: Post-movie (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 1) brunch with Robert
Location: Popover Cafe on Amsterdam at 87th (popovercafe.com)
Edibles: I had the Kobe corned beef hash; Robert had the smoked salmon scramble

Musings: I've heard some rave reviews about this place and have been wanting to come for a while. How did it measure up to expectations? Well, let's just say that my old UWS favorites Kitchenette and Good Enough to Eat should not be too worried.

We had a 45-minute wait, but that's pretty much the case for any half decent brunch place on the weekend.

I must say I was disappointed with the food. Their eponymous popover was stone cold and kind of rubbery. I'm not a popover connoisseur or anything, but I think BLT Steak's are better. The fancy $15 Kobe corned beef hash wasn't even as good as the stuff they service in my office canteen, and I'm pretty sure that stuff comes frozen in giant sacks from Costco. The eggs were dry. My hot cider had a ton of cinnamon sprinkled on top and all over the rim of the glass, giving you a mouthful of dust every sip.

Which is all a pity, because Popover Cafe's a cute place - homey and unpretentious. Anyone out there want to talk me into a second visit?

Colicchio and Sons

Occasion: Brunch with Karen, Josie and Jana
Location: Colicchio & Sons on 10th Ave at 15th (colicchioandsons.com)
Edibles: I had the eggs with crispy prosciutto and mushroom ragout; Josie had the burger; Karen had the ricotta and veggie fritata; Jana had the poached eggs with red-eye gravy (I think)

Musings: I wasn't crazy about my dish. It was very soupy, very salty, and the chef inexplicably decided to use whole peppercorns in the mushroom ragout. I encountered quite a few and was forced to be very uncouth and spit them out. Everything else looked fine and tasted fine (I cadged a bite from Karen and Josie) but nothing was mind-blowing.

The dining room is very sleek and spacious, with fantastically high ceilings. I appreciated that they weren't stingy with the AC on a day when it was hot as balls. It's also worth noting that they let us sit around and chat undisturbed for a good long while after we finished eating. (No one was waiting for a table - we're not jerks.)

Still, I suspect it will be quite a while before I come back - partly because of the ho-hum food, but mostly because 10th Ave is SO far west and is a huge pain to get to from where I live. You forgot the cardinal rule of real estate, Tom! Location is everything!

Kitchenette

Occasion: Brunch with Ben and Rebecca in our old law school stomping grounds
Location: Kitchenette on Amsterdam between 122nd and 123rd (kitchenetterestaurant.com) [Note: another location downtown on Chambers]
Edibles: lumberjack breakfast for me, with berry pancakes, eggs, turkey sausage; omelet for Rebecca; blueberry French toast and a Bloody Mary (an unusual one made with white wine and wasabi) for Ben

Musings: Usually crazy crowded, we inadvertently hit the sweet spot after the regular semester but before summer session when Columbia is deserted.

Kitchenette's food appeals to that inexplicable Southern belle in me. (Also the lumberjack in me, I guess.) This plate made me SO happy when it arrived:

The pancakes were thick and fluffy and the turkey sausage was a nice departure from the usual breakfast meats. Two minor dings: Ben's French toast was too dense and cake-y for my taste, and the cheese grits that came with Rebecca's omelet were deemed too salty by her and too thick by me.

The bakery case is worth a look-see. While waiting for Ben and Rebecca to arrive, it took everything I had not to buy a whole pie to take home (knowing from experience that I would not have the room to eat any dessert). Dinner here is likewise excellent. I'm particularly fond of the turkey meatloaf, buttermilk-honey fried chicken and mac and cheese.

Veselka

Occasion: Post-movie (Iron Man 2) brunch
Location: Veselka on 2nd Ave between 9th and St Marks (veselka.com)
Edibles: mushroom, spinch, cheddar omelet with potato pancake for me; French toast for Robert

Musings: Veselka has long been one of my favorite places to go after karaoke on St Marks, when the midnight munchies strike. They're more interesting than your standard diner, and the pierogies and potato pancakes really hit the spot.

I had never been here during the day before but it turns out their potato pancakes, heaped with applesauce and sour cream, are just as good in daylight when you're sober as they are in the wee hours when you're pretty buzzed (and hoarse from screaming "Livin' on a Prayer" multiple times at the top of your lungs).

Artisanal

Occasion: Drinks and fondue to celebrate Michael's new job!
Location: Artisanal at 32nd and Park (artisanalbistro.com)
Edibles: Artisanal blend fondue with fingerling potatoes and kielbasa

Musings: A cheese-lover's heaven. Artisanal has a similar vibe to Balthazar, but it's not nearly as much of a pain to get into. There's a cheese cave with a single table inside - I've never reserved it, but it looks really fun for a special occasion.

The fondue is great for brunch or dinner. Besides the basket of bread cubes it comes with, I love to get the fingerling potatoes and the apples. Wasn't crazy about the Spam-like kielbasa we ordered this time. (You can get a salad to share if you're feeling guilty about the complete lack of vegetables. I promise I'll still respect you.)

Almond

Occasion: Brunch with James, pre-opera matinee (Madama Butterfly)
Location: Almond on 22nd between B'way and Park Ave S, the site of the old Borough Food and Drink (almondnyc.com) [Note: sister restaurant to Almond in Bridgehampton]
Edibles: I had the duck hash with poached egg; James had the Nutella waffles and a side of bacon

Musings: Not as close or as cosy as Penelope, but Almond gets added to the list of decent brunch places in the neighborhood.

The hash was SPECTACULAR. Gourmet but not fussy, it was a generous lumberjack plateful of fried potatoes with delicious shreds of duck and crispy nuggets of crackling, presided over by a silky poached egg. If you would normally dismiss this dish because you think duck is too heavy for brunch, I urge you to reconsider. It's heaven!

James' waffle was good too, though a little too dessert-y for my personal brunch tastes. The bacon, always horribly, inexplicably expensive at brunch, tasted like it had been cooked in the deep fryer - a slight ding for that.

Another slight ding for the stingy cup of coffee, which the waiter was asked to refill but forgot, and cold milk, which made my drink lukewarm from the get-go. (If you're thinking, "She's asking a lot - hot milk for coffee," I clarify that I asked for my coffee to be filled just three-quarters of the way to leave room for a lot of milk. A smart waiter would have figured it out.)

I'll be back for the hash, for sure. May bring my own mug next time.

JoJo

Occasion: Brunch with Sylvia
Location: JoJo on 64th between 3rd and Lex (jean-georges.com)
Edibles: 3-course prix fixe - butternut squash soup with trumpet mushrooms and chives, salmon with truffled mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts, and molten chocolate cake for me; Sylvia had the same, except tuna tartare for her first course

Musings: The hidden gem of Jean-Georges' empire. (I find the food at Jean-Georges' eponymous restaurant, the one just off Columbus Circle, to be too gimicky and fussy.) JoJo has a nice cozy space, elegant food, very reasonable prices, and you can always get a reservation.

I usually get the crab for my first course, but this cold winter afternoon I just couldn't pass up the butternut squash soup. It was perfect - piping hot, velvety and rich (though I barely tasted any cream), with a bit of texture from the mushroom. For the second course, I find their chicken to be a bit olive-heavy; the salmon is my go-to. They source some nice fish so you can get it cooked rare.

I believe the pure bliss of an expertly crafted molten chocolate cake needs no further elaboration.

[Note: I had gone to Carnegie Hall with Amy the night before to see him, and was stunned when Yo-Yo Ma turned up at the restaurant and sat down at the table behind us. He was very nice and gracious when I stopped him on his way out, even though he was obviously in a hurry and loath to attract attention. Luckily, I still had the playbill in my purse - which he autographed!]

Cookshop

Occasion: Brunch with Amy
Location: Cookshop on 10th Ave at 20th (cookshopny.com)
Edibles: 3-egg scramble with bacon, caramelized onions, chives and crème fraîche, with a side of white cheddar grits; Amy had the chicken salad

Musings: A charming place to have brunch - if only it weren't so difficult to get to from where I live! Seriously, the trip on public buses took an hour and fifteen minutes. Major bonus points to the restaurant for still having a table for us when I finally charged in, wild-eyed.

The food arrived quickly and tasted great, just the thing to jolly me out of my transit grumpiness (and hopefully, Amy as well, with my lateness). As I've said before, I just have to order eggs at brunch and Cookshop's scramble is built to please, generously studded with fabulous, flavorful (if fattening) tidbits. It came with a side of flaky, buttery biscuits. Divine.

After all that, my only wish was that I'd had the room to finish the large bowl of grits, which were creamy and cheesy - the sort of stick-to-your-ribs hearty grub to really fuel your furnace for a cold winter's day.

[Note: Thanks to Amy for the treat - and for sharing some of her fruit of the month!]

Penelope

Occasion: Combined review - brunch with my Penn girls, Kathy, Yining and Huijin (in town from Hong Kong) on 12/12, and brunch with Sylvia a week later (12/19)
Location: Penelope on Lex at 30th (penelopenyc.com)
Edibles: 12/12 - omelet for me; pumpkin waffles with dried cranberries and pecans for Huijin; egg sandwich with pesto for Kathy; a Benedict-eque egg dish with smoked salmon for Yining; 12/19 - we shared a spinach and cheese omelet and the Nutella French toast

Musings: Penelope is the sort of charming little place you'd find in abundance on the westside. Given that it's located in the dead zone of midtown east, you can imagine the locals are nuts about it. Be prepared to wait an hour for a table at brunch.

The food is worth the wait, though. I'm basically incapable of going to brunch and not ordering eggs. In that sense, Penelope's menu works against me. Their savory brunch options are solid, but it's their sweet dishes that are truly outstanding. The waffles were great on 12/12 and the Nutella French toast was the best dish I tasted, period. They also make good coffee and are diligent about refilling your cup.

If you want to avoid the crowds, Penelope's is also a good place for a regular weekday lunch or dinner.

Gina La Fornarina

Occasion: Post-marathon cheering (Go Amy!) brunch with Abby, Jill and Chrissy

Location: Gina La Fornarina on 2nd between 81st and 82nd - just look for the fuchsia awning (gina-lafornarina.com)
Edibles: the Gina frittata with sweet Italian sausage, potato and onion for me; focaccia with robiola cheese and prosciutto for Abby; focaccia with scrambled eggs and truffle oil for Jill and Chrissy

Musings: Gina is just a few months old - and evidently still working out a few kinks in their service and supply. (What brunch place doesn't have orange juice?!) Still, it's a great addition to the UES. Tasty food, reasonable prices, a fun vibe and hardly any wait even on Marathon Sunday! Chrissy, our sole UES-dweller, mentioned it's good for a late-night drink and cheese plate too.

My frittata was lovely and fluffy, but I think I liked the two focaccia dishes a little bit better. They consisted of an entire wheel of toasted focaccia, split open and filled like a sandwich. Definitely big enough to share between two people - I ended up eating about half of one myself, between Jill and Abby's leftovers. Yum. An auspicious start to November.

Móle, part II

Occasion: Lunch with Yining, between the final two stops of Oktoberfest provisioning

Location: Móle on Allen between Houston and Stanton (molenyc.com)

Edibles: the carnitas tacos with all the fixings and the huevos con chorizo to share

Musings: I wasn't going to post on Móle again - but then I tasted the huevos con chorizo. A new yummy! They really do deserve a post of their own. [Note: You can read my praise for the carnitas tacos here.]

I thought the dish would be scrambled eggs with chunks of chorizo sausage in it, but it's more like the sausage meat was mixed with beaten eggs and fried. There's easily as much meat as egg. It made me a little nervous since chorizo is usually pretty aggressive, but the version that's in these eggs is mild and delicately spiced with cumin and paprika (I think). I wolfed down my portion straight up; Yining reported they're wonderful wrapped in corn tortillas too.

Good Enough to Eat

Occasion: Brunch with Yining (after successfully getting Tosca tickets but unsuccessfully trying to run several other errands)

Location: Good Enough to Eat on Amsterdam between 83rd and 84th (goodenoughtoeat.com)

Edibles: the Deep South (scrambled eggs with biscuits, topped with sausage gravy) for me; BLT omelet (bacon, tomato and Gruyère - no lettuce) for Yining

Musings: I have no personal connection whatsoever to the South but I sure do love their food - deep-fried, generously buttered, blanketed in gravy, festooned with bacon.... and sometimes all of the above!

Whenever I find myself on the UWS for cat-sitting or whatnot, I try to work in a stop at Good Enough to Eat. There's usually a long line outside. (Of locals, might I add. Never trust a line of tourists.) If you're willing to sit at the bar, the wait will be greatly truncated - Yining and I were seated within 10 minutes.

My CLS girls picked this place for PA's final NYC meal. That should give you some idea of how highly we regard it. On occasions like that, I usually stick my fork into everyone's plate whether they like it or not. So I've sampled a lot of their brunch offerings, even though I always order the Deep South for myself. I mean, sausage gravy!! Need I say more?

Besides the sausage gravy that haunts my dreams, the biscuits are great, the pancakes are great and they have bacon waffles on the menu. Gotta love it!