Nothing is Better than Brunch

BRUNCH!!!  It is my absolute favorite meal.  There is something so satisfying about combining the sweet and the savory while breaking your fast.  It is the greatest meal ever and I will stick to that statement.

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

I'm a huge fan of this recent addition to my hood.  Not only is it adorable, cozy and welcoming, I also heard through the grapevine that most of their materials were salvaged from one of my fabulous clients, BIG!NYC. 

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

Our friend, Riona, couldn't decide what to order, so it was wise of her to get The Lumberjack, which offers a taste of everything.

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.  :)

Chiara and I were very distracted once seated by what the women next to use were eating.  It looked so good!  Perhaps we were that hungry... but Chiara just had to order it as well.

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.

Lots of Goood Fooood!

Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to partake in some major deliciousness. I've been TRYING to eat healthy, and for the most part, I do. But for some reason this was a particularly tasty weekend filled with great and not-so-great for you treats.

To celebrate my friend's 30th birthday, we ventured to Zenkichi, a very unique Japanese restaurant. Tamami (the birthday girl), is Japanese and it is always wise to venture with someone who is in the know. She knew exactly what to order and how to order it. The food was incredible and perfect for sharing.

Here are some of the highlights:
Raw Jewel of the Day: I love sushi, but more recently have forgotten the rice completely and just go straight for sashimi. Zenkichi had a special selection of incredible fresh and delicious fish. This dish came with fluke, yellow tail and sea urchin. I HATE sea urchin, but this was was the best I've "tried" so far. By try I mean I took a tiny spec on my chop stick and winced when it hit my tongue. I love seafood and fish and everything in between, but sea urchin and I are NOT friends. Yuck! But hey, Tamami and her man, Ramon, were in love with it. I'll stick to the fish.

Vegetable Tempura - delicious, perfectly fried with lots of different veggies like pumpkin!

Potato Mochi - OMG delicious fried balls of rice and potato that you dip in spicy mayo. They were ooey gooey on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside. Must get more!

Camembert & Shrimp Corn Tempura - I wasn't able to partake in these because of the cheese, but everyone said they were really good. They looked pretty!

Grilled fish of the day - Tsukiji was the special and it was amazing. This is the cheek of the yellowtail and apparently the very best part of the fish. I love yellowtail, but always eat it raw. So it was particularly interesting to have it cooked. Probably the first time in my life where I ate something cooked for the first time when I usually eat it raw. Anyhoo, it was amazingly tasty!

Hot Udon - Definitely one of the best udon noodle soups I've had. It was similar to miso soup, but served in a HUGE bowl with the worlds largest chop sticks and a laddle. There was a egg floating around in it, which I choose to ignore. It was fun having Tamami serve everyone into smaller bowls since the noodles were slippery and difficult to grab.

Grilled Riceball with Salmon Miso Chazuke Style - Oh Yeah! This is why you go with your Japanese friends to a Japanese restaurant. I would NEVER have thought to order this. It was AMAZZZZINC! It was nothing but a riceball in the middle of a big bowl with some reddish looking paste on top, then they pour green tea into it. Sounds simple enough, but its so delicious. You then distribute this yummy mixture into smaller bowls to enjoy. It was salty, a little spicy, with the green tea bringing a nice warmth to the dish. It didn't taste like tea to tell you the truth. It was good and I want more.

Now on to DESSERT - the best part of the meal, of course.
The staff was awesome and brought out a dessert with two candles to sing Tamami happy birthday.

This is the Walnut Chocolate Pudding: Rich & creamy dark chocolate pudding with walnuts. It was SUPER rich, almost like a chocolate mouse and it came with red bean paste, not sure why but we ate that too.

Mineoka Tofu
Milk tofu (made with heavy cream and kudzu starch, no soymilk): Azuki red beans

I wasn't able to try this because of the dairy, but everyone LOVED it. Adam thought it was one of the best desserts he's ever had. It was apparently finger licking good, as everyone took turns sticking their fingers in the little cup to get the last bits out. We're classy people.

To satisfy MY dessert craving, we went with the one dessert I was able to eat:
Grapefruit Agar Gelee: Refreshingly tart agar jelly made with Japanese seaweed (no gelatin) served in scooped-out grapefruit

Not only did it look pretty, it was SO good. It was everything that is delicious about a grapefruit. I don't know how they made this, but its creamier than jello, but rich in flavor. We were surprised by how good this dessert was. At no point did I feel bad I couldn't eat dairy. This was an EPIC win!

Overall, Zenkichi was a great restaurant. I didn't even go into detail about the decor. Each table is separated into a booth with a little stick curtain that the staff pulls up when they're speaking to you. You call them over via a button on the table - so you have completely privacy during your meal. Check it out for a romantic date!


On Sunday, after watching a good movie (True Grit - definitely go see it), my bf and I were faced with a dinner decision. Do we use one of my ScoutMob coupons or do we try something different. We decided to venture to Katz Deli in the LES and share pretty much the best pastrami sangwich in the world. Seriously, this thing is good. I doubt there will ever be a time in my life when I feel it's okay to spend $15 on a sangwich. That is some serious money. I eat steak for that price. But this is a magical sangwich famous everywhere and it really does live up to the hype.

We shared ONE sangwich (and remember to tip the guys, they tend to give you more meat and that's definitely a good thing, plus they work hard), a matzoh ball soup and their free pickle plate. All you need a touch of mustard and the rest is bliss. When you're eating this gift from heaven, you really want to eat a whole one but its reallllly fatty. To sum up this sangwich in one word - SUCCULENT! Seriously, drop what you're doing and go there right now. And don't lose your ticket! :)


The soup was excellent too - with a perfectly fluffy GIANT matzoh ball. It came with only one matzoh ball, but it was perfectly seasoned with the right texture. Just enough salt to make it tasty but not leave your blood pressure through the roof. I'm really sensitive to salt, so less salt in my food is a good thing.

Nothing like a weekend of good eatin'!!!