I'm not even kidding when I say that I'll go with 2 hours sleep, entirely hung over and without showering if someone text/calls me on a Saturday or Sunday asking me to go to brunch. Rain or shine, I will venture anywhere reasonable to enjoy delicious, succulent BRUNCH!! I am that dedicated to my favorite meal.
I've been fortunate enough to have brunch buddies lately to enjoy this meal with. It doesn't always work out that I have someone to go with and I'm not ready yet to go alone, yet is the keyword here. That might change this summer, but we shall see.
My sister, Mel, recently changed her work schedule (she's an amazing hair stylist!) and now has Saturdays off. Horray for me because she loves brunch too! I mean, we're sisters, we should both love brunch.
The other weekend we woke up early and walked over together to The Manhattan Inn on, you guessed it, Manhattan Ave right near Nassau Ave in Greenpoint. I was in a very happy mood considering I only had 4 hours of sleep with even fewer the night before and I was sufficiently dehydrated from too many delicious wheat beers the night before. But I was going to brunch and we had a reservation, which meant awesome food in my belly stat.
The Manhattan Inn
 |
| Organic Steak & Eggs w/ baked beans + hash browns |
It was fairly empty at noon on a Saturday, so we got our pick of seats, right in the front near the open window. It was such a gorgeous day out and took in all the sunshine we could handle. We eventually had to close the window due to the wind, but it was nice for a while.
The staff was very nice about us taking so long to order. Our party was VERY late, so Mel and I patiently sipped our drinks and re-read the menu over and over again. I was salivating over some steak, which is just what I ordered. It's not all that easy to find organic steak, so I knew it would be a special treat. Even Mel ordered the steak and eggs! She rarely eats red meat, and in fact hadn't since her trip to Buenos Aires in January. Lucky girl, I know.
Here's a close up of my meal. The eggs are from free range chickens, which explains why the yolks were so bright orange and tasty. The beans were good too - although I didn't really feel like eating a ton of beans for fear of the windy situation that might result.
The steak was AMAZING! It was such a hearty portion of steak that was cooked to perfection. I rarely leave steak on my plate, but I just couldn't finish it all.
The hash browns (in the middle of the two dishes above) were SO CUTE and tasty. They were like giant homemade tater tots. The spicy mayo sauce that it came with was also very good.
 |
| The Mighty Lumberjack |
This was the first dish I ever ordered at The Manhattan Inn, and loved every bite. I can't really eat the grits since they have dairy and a sprinkle of cheese, but they're great. The bacon and keilbasa are also tasty.
It is a might meal that few can handle - Riona happens to be one of them, which is why we think she's so freaking rad!
Definitely recommend this dish if you are indecisive... you really can't go wrong with a bit of everything that's delicious. Look how cute that hash brown is... don't you just want to eat it up?! Why yes, yes I do.
One of the lovely ladies that accompanied us, Zanab, wasn't very hungry. She ordered the Baguette with butter and jam, which looked absolutely lovely.
She seemed to enjoy every bite and helped us eat some of our food - which was a good thing because we over ordered.
Mel ordered an extra side of grits, which was not conquered. I was trying to pawn off some of steak too... this was a might brunch that left us stuffed!!!
What's nice about the Manhattan Inn is that they have a live piano player in the back! That's right, you get to listen to fun music while eating amazing food. The back is also really cute, with a giant skylight and you sit in these theater-type chairs. Love it here!
Also important to note that they have a great happy hour here and dinner is really nice too. Loved their hanger steak with mashed potatoes... yum!
This past Saturday, I met up with my lovely friend, Chiara, for a late brunch before heading to a Red Bulls soccer game. My go-to place in the city for a late brunch is Essex. They have brunch till 4:30pm on Saturday and 8pm on Sunday. I know, its ridiculous.
Essex Restaurant
I have a love/hate relationship with Essex. For years now, I've been coming here and almost have a reasonably good time. Brunch is always a good deal due to the 3 drinks that comes with the special for $20. You get either 3 mimosas, bloody marys or screw drivers. The thing is, they don't count. They refill your glasses from pitchers (the mimosas anyway), so your guaranteed to get your fill of booze while eating some pretty decent food.
The problem I have with Essex is the crowd and noise. It's a zoo here, especially downstairs when you first enter. You have to fight your way through really annoying groups, people who, like you, desperately need some hair of the dog as much as you do. The hosts are usually pissed off because they're dealing with all this chaotic bullshit, so you end up waiting a year and a day for a table that you pray is upstairs away from the insanity. Even with a reservation, and yes you can book a table on opentable for even two people (which I highly recommend), you will wait at least 30 minutes.
However, once you do sit down, the staff here is usually fantastic and very sympathetic to the ordeal you just experienced to be sitting there in the first place. Honestly, sometimes my server is so nice that I end up getting a little too tipsy and make very stupid decisions... i.e. I woke up the next day with a tattoo on my shoulder. WTF was I thinking? So be careful. :)
It was the Mexican Matzo Brei with was essentially scrambled eggs
with tortilla crisps, avocado, black beans & pico de gallo. She went for the spicy chorizo as well, which was slightly disappointing since it was just a bit of chopped sausage on top and it cost and extra $3. Total rip off if you ask me. She enjoyed the meal and practically licked her plate clean (okay, not really, but it was pretty damn clean). I took a taste and thought it was nice and light with a lovely crunch from the fresh veggies.
Guess what I had... yup, that's right, the Eggs Benedict. God, I've become so predictable. ::sigh::
It wasn't just ANY eggs benedict, it was the Crabcake Benedict, which the waitress explained was her favorite. I thought "SOLD!" and couldn't wait to dig in.
It was really tasty! Not the best I've had, but definitely a delicious brunch. I actually expected the crabcake to be the starch portion of the dish, but there was still that damn english muffin there. Honestly, it was a small crabcake, but still very tasty. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the hollandaise was thick and delicious. The home fries were also really tasty with a bit of spice from who knows what, perhaps paprika? I ate most of the meal and enjoyed glass after glass of mimosa. What's nice here is that the mimosas aren't too watery, they actually taste of sparkling wine and orange juice.
Since it took so long to get seated and they were already starting to clean up by the time our food came out, we were a little rushed to finish and move along. Our waitress was SUPER nice though and gave us two drink tickets each to enjoy more free drinks at the bar. I thought this was a nice extra touch and even saved a ticket to enjoy next time. Hopefully that works out.
So, yeah, this was brunch at Essex. The food is good, the drinks are great, but watch out for the wait. It's a nightmare dealing with the wait and the crowds, but its a good place to get your drink on for brunch at a great price. Again, make reservations if you can and perhaps have some caffeine before taking it on.
No comments:
Post a Comment