2/22/14 - West 3rd Common in Greenwich Village

Another solo brunch outing for myself, I was feeling cooped up so I needed to flee the nest. Went into the city to grab a haircut from my barber of 20+ years down at Astor Place and wanted to check out the brunch at this place nearby. Actually meant to go here last week with a friend, but they weren't open when we got there. But this time, I made it.

West 3rd Common is set up like a large lounge. Huge areas of communal seating, plus couches, wide open spaces, it seems perfect for the mix and mingle crowd. Unfortunately it also gets very loud, and the blaring music they play doesn't help make it any quieter. Seating for small groups is hard to come by, and so I saddled up to the already very crowded bar.

Picture of the main area taken from website

The menu itself sounded very appetizing and filled with interesting dishes such as Spicy Chicken and Waffles, and Pancake Tacos. I went with the Fried Chicken Biscuits, because I hadn't had any since I started boycotting Chick-Fil-A and I was feeling a craving. Also....no Chick-Fil-A in NYC for me to boycott anyway. I also ordered a single bloody mary, to wash it down. The menu has options for both unlimited drinks with an entree for $30 or a single brunch drink with an entree for half the price.

The bloody was alright. Spicy, but not overpoweringly so, with flecks of horseradish and garnished with a single lime. Came in a huge glass too, which lasted me quite a while. But it seemed a bit straightforward, not very complex. Also, couldn't really taste any alcohol in it, but I know it was there, just not as strong as I would have liked.

Bloody Mary

The Chicken Biscuits were quite tasty. The biscuits were flaky and tender, baked perfectly. The fried chicken was tender and juicy, plump and delicious. Combined with the mustard and Gouda, it was like a party in my mouth. Definitely a fan. Unfortunately the accompanying sides did not reach the same level. The potato hash seemed like it came out of a pan, a little cold and rather lifeless. The arugula salad was missing something, the arugula itself seemed a little off (like it didn't have the requisite pepperiness).

There only seemed to be two servers on staff, one of whom was the bartender, which made service a little slow. I'm not sure if this was just an off week or what but I can only judge by what I saw. If I had gotten the unlimited drinks not sure how often I would have seen a refill. The service itself also was a little cold, like they were just trying to get through the day, and get people through the door.

Overall, I wasn't that impressed. The Chicken Biscuits were amazing. Everything else, left something to be desired. I guess when you have a food blog, not everything is going to be awesome. So I'll have to give West 3rd Common 2.5 Blood Maries out of 5.

2/21/14 - Catfish in Crown Heights

DRUNK BRUNCH ON A FRIDAY?! Why yes, yes indeed. I was swinging through Brooklyn to drop off a bunch of booze at my friend's apartment and he suggested we give this place a shot because they have brunch daily and he's heard good things. I'm always up for trying, and Southern style food has a place in my heart so we gave it a go.

Waiting for me across the booth.

 Located on Bedford Ave off of Prospect Pl, Catfish is cozy and inviting and if it wasn't for the fact that most people are working at 1 PM on a Friday probably would have been a bit more crowded. Exposed brick, leather booths, hot sauce and cast iron art on the walls, the ambiance had a nice charm to it.

My buddy and I were real excited about the menu. A great selection of food and drinks. I opted for a pulled pork sandwich and a Creole Bloody Mary. He went for the Chicken Sandwich and the Shot and a Bud special. I did rib him a bit, over his choice of beer, but it's brunch and all bets are off. I nearly opted for the Death in the Afternoon, a libation consisting of absinthe and champagne, but I did have to drive somewhere after and it didn't seem like the best idea. My buddy also pointed out the extensive whiskey list, which made me smile.

Creole Bloody Mary

The bloody mary was spicy, savory and just excellently crafted. A nice touch was that the ice cubes had little dobs of hot sauce suspended in them, so as they melted the drink got a little spicier and not as watered down. The rim was coated in a cajun salt, that made sipping from the glass equally fun. 

Pulled Pork and sides

The pulled pork sandwich was excellent. While definitely braised and not smoked, the meat had a ton of flavor from both the juice it was braised in as well as the pork fat. The brioche bun added a hint of sweetness to it, and the meat was tangy, slightly spicy and melted in your mouth.  My friends chicken sandwich consisted of pulled chicken and remoulade on a brioche bun. He said it was slightly spicy and really good.  

The accompanying sides for both included a small green salad with vinnegrate, cole slaw and a pickle. The slaw was alright, overall slightly sweet but a bit over dressed. The salad was overall tasty and simple. The pickle really surprised both of us. We were expecting your standard dill. Instead we got a sweet bread & butter pickle, with a hint of nutmeg. As my buddy put it, it was kind of like Christmas. Absolutely delicious.

The service at Catfish was great, our server checked on us constantly. The atmosphere was friendly, and nice and quiet which made for great conversation. The food came out quickly, hot, and our server stopped by and checked on us multiple times.

Overall Catfish was great and I definitely will go back in the future. How many other places have brunch daily after all? I'd give it 4 out of 5 bloody maries overall. Only reason why it doesn't get more is that it doesn't have an unlimited drink special to take it over the top. 

2/15/14 - Mother Burger in Hell's Kitchen

My amazing best friend came to visit New York this weekend, so I knew I needed to include her in on brunch. She always wanted to try the brunch at Mother Burger, so off to Hell's Kitchen we went. Situated right by New World Stages, and across a nice little square from Blockheads (which holds all kinds of college memories for me), Mother Burger is a little restaurant with good yet inexpensive food.

Mother Burger on a snowy day

The highlight of Mother Burger's brunch is a small menu of slightly spruced up brunch classics, with a slight Southwestern flare. Scrambled egg tacos, granola pancakes, southwestern omelette are just some of the items on the menu.  The drunk portion is provided by $3 frozen margaritas, $3 mimosas and $3 margarita/mimosa mixtures called an "Orange Flower."

My order consisted of Frosted Flake Crusted French Toast and a side of bacon. My friend got the Mother's Breakfast Burger, which came with a side of home fries. I wound up getting both a Mimosa (or two) and a coconut margarita. She also got a mimosa and an Orange Flower.

My french toast was rather tastey. The frosted flakes provided a nice crunch. The toast itself was thick and slightly fluffy. My only real critique is the toast itself was rather plain, like the highlight was that they put frosted flakes on top to mask the rather standard eggy bread. It was still tasty, but it could have been so much more. Like it just missed reaching it's potential. The bacon I got on the side was cooked perfectly. Slightly crunch, still slightly chewy, salty, greasy. Everything you want in bacon.

Frosted Flake French Toast

My companion loved her breakfast burger. Fried egg, bacon, burger, cheese, all melded together to make one delicious meal. I watched as she mopped up the yolk as it oozed out by dipping her bun in it, and scooping it up with the home fries. She also got the mother's sauce, a tangy, thick southwestern style sauce that seemed to have mayo and spices in it. I got to taste a little bit of it, and it was quite good. I'd dip my fries in it if I could.

Breakfast Burger

The drinks were strong! I'm a fan of cheap and strong, especially with brunch. The mimosa was tasty, not too dry, but you could definitely tell there was some booze in it. The margaritas were strong, with a nice twinge of tequila, but the fruit flavors masked it well.

The ambiance of Mother Burger is another area that didn't really stand out. Not that it was bad, but it wasn't anything special. Just a small, standard pubby look. The wrap around window is nice, allows for some great people watching and good natural lighting.

Mimosa

Service though was great. We were well attended throughout the meal, and the food came out fast. Plus, there was no real rush for us to leave, even as a larger and larger crowd came in the slightly smaller venue. It was refreshing that we could just sit and chat over a drink.

Overall, Mother Burger had some good menu choices, inexpensive libations, and great service. I'd give it 3.75 BloodyMarys out of 5. There were just some small things that could have taken it to greatness.

2/8/14 - Kitchenette in Morningside Heights

A lovely friend told me that I needed to try Kitchenette, because Strawberry Butter. So I met up with her Saturday afternoon for yet another brunch outing. This place was definitely packed and popular. The atmosphere was very bright, warm and kitchy. As you walk in, the front is lined with delicious looking pastries and cookies that I'm a fool for not thinking to snap a picture of. I really need to get better at this blogging business.

Stock photo because I'm a bad blogger

This place is fairly popular, we had to wait a few minutes for a table. But usually that's a good sign of quality, and so I was excited. You could tell that this was the type of spot that locals loved, filled with regulars who came here for brunch. The menu was expansive, and filled with a variety of omelettes, burgers and delicious sounding breakfast sweets. They also had a huge list of indulgent sounding milk shakes, and next time I go I'm definitely getting one.

I ordered the Chipotle Turkey Hash, and my compatriot got the Garden Scramble. I also got an Apple Pie Mimosa to go along with it, because it is "Drunk Brunch" after all. The drinks are all available as pitchers as well, which is nice, but I didn't want to overdo it this day. The mimosa was different. Topped with a bit of foam and some nutmeg and cinnamon, it was made  with apple juice instead of OJ. But it was tasty, though not super sweet which you'd expect with apple pie.

Our meals came relatively quickly. The Chipotle Turkey Hash was a big mess of turkey, sweet potatoes, corn and a chipotle sauce, topped with some fresh scrambled eggs. Served with a fresh flaky biscuit on the side, and some strawberry butter. The hash was tasty and different. The sauce wasn't too spicy but the turkey was nice and tender and everything worked well together.

Chipotle Turkey Hash

The real star though is the biscuit and strawberry butter. The biscuit was perfectly flaky and tender, it was just what a biscuit should be. I've never had strawberry butter before, and now I want all my butter to be of the strawberry variety. It just added a nice amount of fruit flavor to the fatty, smooth normal taste of butter. Almost like a slightly sweet, slightly savory pastry. I want more of these. All the time. I would get fat(ter) off of these bad boys. So yeah, I think I liked it. 

My friends scramble looked good too. Consisting of scallions and tomatoes and eggs, kind of like a salad and eggs made a baby. She remarked about how she loves onions and scallions (though not raw) and this breakfast dish really got to her as a result. And of course, she got the biscuit and strawberry butter too, so how could it go wrong.

The atmosphere and service really knock it out of the park here. I don't think five minutes went by where somebody didn't check on us to see how we were doing. I really appreciate good service, I think it makes the food actually that much better. And the warm atmosphere on a cold day was a nice change of pace. 

Overall, I want to come back and try more off the menu here. If I ever make it super far uptown again (which I hope I do) this is definitely a place to go. Personally, I give it 4 out of 5 bloody maries (though I didn't drink any today, I will next time). My companion insists it's a 5 out of 5 though. 

2/1/14 - Cent'Anni in Crown Heights

I headed out to Brooklyn to continue the next drunk brunch adventure with my buddy Nick. He texted me to say that a bunch of his apartment mates were going to a place up the block called Cent'Anni and invited us along. A nice, cozy Italian restaurant, Cent'Anni was a wonderful brunch spot with a great atmosphere and very robust menu. In all, there were 8 of us, so I won't be able to talk about all of the food, but I'll do my best.

In case you were wondering what kind of place this was

Cent'Anni had an extensive brunch menu with some Italian inspiration to it. Baked eggs in tomato sauces, frittatas, and sandwiches, there was something for everyone. On top of the brunch menu, they offered there full dinner menu as well. One of the nice things they do is offer your choice of one of there many homemade pastas with a choice of about 10 different sauces. And then they had $5 Bloodies, Mimosas and bellinis, the latter two all had fresh squeezed juice.

Personally, I got a sausage and meatball sandwich, paired with a side of crispy potatoes. A couple of the other items ordered were gnocchi with a mushroom sauce, French toast, and a baked egg in ragu. Everything was made from scratch in the kitchen situated behind us. It's refreshing to go to a place that's still making all their pasta by hand.

Sausage & Meatball Sandwich

The sausage and meatball ragu sandwich came on a thick piece of crusty baguette. It had a nice crunch, but might have been a bit too much for the sandwich. Overall it was delicious, but I struggled with the fact that the meat kept spilling out as a result of the crustiness. The potatoes I got were hot and crisp and perfectly seasoned. Went great with the sandwich. It also came with a small mixed green salad with a nice tangy vinaigrette. I tasted one of my friends side of sauteed kale, which was terrific. Perfectly garlicky and wilted, just the way I like my kale.

My friends liked their meals as well. The french toast was fluffy and thick, and the people who got it said it tasted great. One friend did mention that the portion of french toast they gave seemed a bit small. The gnocchi looked phenomenal. The person who got it remarked that all their pasta was excellent and they had been there multiple times. I'm not a big egg person, but the baked eggs in sauce intrigued me. I just couldn't bring myself to ask for a bite, since my meal was a bit bigger. But she seemed to love it.

French Toast

The drinks were great too. I got both a Bloody Mary and a bellini. The Bloody contained a fair amount of horseradish in it, so much you can see grated bits of it. It was wonderfully spicy, but not overpoweringly so, with just enough balance. The belini was very fresh. The peach and champaigne perfectly accompanying each other and it was just dry enough that the peach was subdued.

House Bloody Mary

What really hit it out of the park though was the service. Chris, the owner, came and introduced himself to us. He talked to us freely, offered to read us the dinner specials if we were interested and was just very attentive. Our server was great too, constantly checking on us, always on top of what we needed. I'm a fan of great service, I think that really can make a good meal great.

Overall, I would definitely be coming back to Cent'Anni. I really want to try the dinner there, and it's great that it's so close to my friends place regardless. The atmosphere, service and food were all wonderful. 4 Bloody Marys out of 5.