Sitting on Octavia's Porch

Last weekend, I volunteered for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Black Tie and Black Jack event, which was AWESOME! I had the pleasure of volunteering last year and couldn't wait to do it again. I helped with Check-in to ensure guests received a bracelet for entry and their tickets to claim chips to play casino games. A good cause, great people, exciting event - it was a fantastic night.

Unfortunately the volunteers enjoy a dinner of dominoes pizza before they start their shift - something that doesn't go well with me. So my friend, Laura, and I decided to have lunch beforehand to ensure are appetites were appeased.

I've been using ScoutMob a lot lately to ensure discounted meals at local restaurants and wanted to check out Octavia's Porch which had good reviews on Yelp. For those who haven't discovered the wonder that is ScoutMob, check it out ASAP! Seriously, 50% off food and other services in NYC (and other cities I believe), you really can't go wrong.

I made a reservation for 3:30 on OpenTable, to ensure we didn't have a long wait for brunch. I couldn't risk going and being late for our training at the LLS event. Laura arrived first, since I was late (sorry Laura, I overslept!) and we seated in the front at a cute little table. I didn't see the entire restaurant since we were seated near the window at the front, but from what I could tell it was small but cute. Lots of wood, a long bar, it was cozy.


We started with the sweet potato latkas, which were actually rather tasty. They were large enough to share with 4 people, but we were only two - so we were prepared to be very full.

I had to try the matzoh ball soup, since everyone was talking about it. It was a little pricey at $7. The soup was tasty with chicken and interesting veggies like Brussels sprouts, yellow squash and who knows what else. The broth was flavorful and the matzoh ball large and fluffy. It was a very tasty soup and a meal in itself. I can't imagine anyone finishing the large since my friend and I could barely finish half of the small. I guess if you have this as your meal, $7 isn't so bad. But I sure as hell don't plan on coming back for this expensive soup, it wasn't THAT good. I'd pay $5.

Doesn't this soup look nice? Perfect for a cold day, which it was. If only this soup were cheaper, I would come here just for it. But I can make a pretty damn good matzoh ball soup myself, so there is not reason to venture all the way here for a $7 soup.

We decided to share two sandwiches to get a real feel for this place. We ordered the Brisket on Rye (of course) which is now served warm since they received feedback from customers complaining that it was cold. It's great to see a place take feedback and make adjustments to their menu. We also opted for the Truffle Turkey Salad Sandwich on Pumpernickel. Both came out and were well presented.

The turkey salad was by far the better of the two, sadly. It was really fresh and tasty. The bread was perfectly toasted and the turkey salad cool and creamy. It was really a tasty meal with a perfect little side salad with a nice light dressing.

The brisket was really underwhelming. Even though it was served warm, it wasn't succulent. I want my brisket to melt in my mouth, this did not. It was actually rather tough, I had to use a fork and knife to cut through and eat the damn thing. It was tasty with some of their homemade honey mustard, but I would not come here for this sandwich. If you want a kick ass sandwich, you walk over a few blocks and go to Katz's Deli for their pastrami on rye. Now THAT is a melt in your mouth, amazing sandwich.

Sorry Octavia's Porch, but you didn't win us over. You were okay, but not worthy of a return visit. Perhaps if you expanded the menu a bit or focused on making your "big sellers" top notch, then there is hope for you. So I'm giving Octavia's Porch 3 stars, but only because the appz were yummy!