Tag Archives: brunch

What’s For Lunch!?

I am not exactly a fan of lunch.

Breakfast — love it! Brunch — gotta have it! Dinner — favorite meal of the day! But, lunch… eh, I’m not exactly pleased with my options.

The only time I have ever loved a sandwich was when I was in Italy (seriously, I’m not kidding), other wise please don’t ever ask me if I want a sandwich! *Blah* *Barf* *Don’t Like It*

To tell you the truth… I munch on snacks like popcorn, crackers, carrot sticks, bananas, apples, and anything else that’s not too messy to have at my desk. Prepping a salad is easy, but not very filling. And, left overs are probably the meanest thing to put your coworkers through — the smell of heating up last night’s dinner smells foul and is considered a gaggable scent in my book.

So I am picky with my lunches — which is why I am thrilled to have discovered a new afternoon snack! Chobani now has a brilliant product that has hit grocery store refrigerators — Flip! Flip is made up of two things: a flavor of Chobani Greek yogurt and a small container made up of ingredients to mix into your Greek yogurt to add extra flavor and texture.

chobani flip

Personally, I’m hooked on the Vanilla Golden Crunch. What could be better than smooth vanilla Greek yogurt with crunchy corn flakes, honey oats and delicious pecans!? It’s the perfect quick and easy addition to my afternoon snacks. Oh, and, it’s not messy and I don’t feel guilty eating it! *YUM*

Empellon Taqueria

My first summer living in the city (this was before I graduated from college) I used to spend every single Saturday and Sunday having brunch with friends. It was also understandable because summer weekends in the city seem to make Manhattan feel pretty much like a ghost town — so a 3+ hour-long brunch is a great way to pass the time. The humidity spikes, thousands flee for the beach, and anyone else who gets in on a great last minute Fire Island beach house deal is considered one of the lucky ones. But I had spent plenty of summers on Fire Island and I was ready to take full advantage of all-you-can-drink mimosas! Forget about the temperature — my girlfriends and I would treat our West Village cafes the same way every Saturday morning: we insisted on sitting outside where we could casually [and appropriately] sunbathe, people watch and drink mimosa after mimosa (or in some situations Bloody Mary after Bloody Mary). It’s normal in a European cafe to park yourself in a petite chair at a busy establishment and not move for hours on end — it’s not exactly like that at Manhattan restaurants. But, for some reason summer brunch sessions tend to break all New York City restaurant etiquette.

My weekends — summer, fall, winter or spring — sure have changed! It’s rare for me to go out for brunch and spend hours gossiping, people watching and getting tipsy by 11 a.m. Sadly, I just don’t have the time to make that happen on a weekly, or even monthly, basis. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t have time to get out for a sober brunch with good friends!

My fabulous friend Stef (who is also officially a chef by the way) scouted out Empellon Taqueria in the West Village. The online menu made us both thrilled to try out this joint for brunch this past weekend.

types of salsa

Naturally, we eyed down the guacamole and massive list of salsas. Even though the restaurant had fantastic main course dishes, in today’s post I am going to tell you all about the salsas because there is just so much to cover!

We ordered the guacamole with the sampling of 7 salsas — these came in several small bowls with little spoons that came in handy when the chips were too large to dunk. When arranged on the table, they were set out from mild to spicy. My first tasting was right in the middle, something medium-spiced and exceptionally smokey. But then I tried Sikil Pak that had a very interesting texture that was also flavored with some interesting ingredients. Made out of pumpkin seeds, tomato, onion, garlic, cinnamon, epazote, sour orange juice and serrano — the Sikil Pak had a consistency similar to hummus that isn’t as creamy as it can be. The texture is what made me wonder if I would even categorize this as a salsa.

My personal favorites were the Smoked Cashew salsa and the Salsa Verde. I feel like it’s a mind game for me when I eat salsa verde — it looks like I am about to eat a chip full of pesto but the flavors are completely different than one another! Fresh and flavorful, this Salsa Verde makes me fall in love with cilantro all over again! The Smoked Cashew did not have an overwhelming nutty flavor and was light in consistency.

guacamole

The guacamole was perfect. Yes, I just said perfect! Freshly made, the guacamole was my savior after sampling some of the spiciest salsas. The creamy cooling sensation of the avocados helped expedite the end to the sincerely spicy Salsa Habanera.

What is it with spicy foods? I hate the feeling of the spice on my tongue, but I love the taste! I have yet to experience a spicy tasting food that I didn’t think was flavorful. The only “spicy” food I hate is wasabi — I think it tastes foul, as if it has mold on it.

Overall the restaurant was a fantastic spot to meet up at for brunch. Upon arriving at noon it was practically empty — a few families occupied some tables but they were heading out. By the time we left around 1:30/2 p.m. the place was packed and nearly every table was full! A major bonus: the restaurant is in such a prime location it is easy to get to by walking or subway.

Norma’s at Le Parker Meridien

It feels like it has been forever since I got out for brunch. Typically on the weekends I will make breakfast for my boyfriend because he loves my french toast… but this past weekend I managed to indulge myself ! It’s always so nice when someone else cooks for you and you are given some time off in the kitchen.

I met with a friend who lives on the Upper West Side. Since I live on the west side too (down in Chelsea) we decided to pick a spot that would allow us to meet in the middle. So, what’s better than a big breakfast at Norma’s inside a hotel in Midtown called Le Parker Meridien?

I have been here once before and loved the food! But it’s been a long time since I had first gone to this restaurant and I didn’t remember the menu. There was so much to pick from and I usually go right for the egg dishes on the menu because I love that when you order some sort of egg plate there is 9 out of 10 times home fries and some times toast that’s included. The best part about that type of plate is you have multiple flavors all in one order. But for some reason I decided to order something completely different — the Very Berry Brioche French Toast.

Le Parker Meridien food at Normas

When the french toast was placed in front of me I was instantly in a daze over the sweet aroma. Sprinkled with powdered sugar and several berries, I knew I made the perfect choice for breakfast. I instantly cut into it and scooped up my first bite. There are even more berries stuffed on the inside of the bread and when I took my first bite I nearly burned the roof of my mouth. Actually, I didn’t almost burn it … I did burn it! So even though I was impatient I decided to wait to eat. I poured some Vermont maple syrup on top and let that soak in as the temperature of the food cooled down. Then, I dove back in! Scooping up the fluffy brioche bread seasoned with all the typical French Toast ingredients, loads of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, and of course I always dunked the fork full of berries and bread into a puddle of syrup before gobbling it down.

Every plate at Norma’s is large and scrumptious. Yes, the prices can get a bit pricey (on average $25-30 dollars a plate) but the amount of food you get will satisfy you. You might even be able to get away splitting a plate, there’s that much food!

Mercer Kitchen in Soho

I’ve heard a lot about Mercer Kitchen — I’ve heard how fantastic the brunch is and how unbelievable the dinner is. The only problem is, I can’t see myself eating brunch in a basement… especially on a gorgeous saturday afternoon! But I can see myself getting cozy in one of the booths on a cold winter evening.

The ambiance in Mercer Kitchen is relaxing even though the restaurant itself is a busy, crowded, trendy sort of joint. The menu though was a bit problematic to me — I honestly could have ordered one of everything!

We ordered several appetizers including the butternut squash soup with black trumpet mushrooms, salmon with crispy sushi rice with chipotle mayo and ponzu, and the crab cake with avocado, cucumber, lime and crystallized ginger. The butternut squash soup was incredible! There’s something about butternut squash this time of year that really hits the spot. I loved the crab cake — the meat was very moist and very flavorful with splashes of lime in every bite. The avocado also added interesting texture in addition to the moist crab meat and the crunchy exterior. And I was shocked when I tried the salmon with crispy sushi rice with chiptole may and ponzu. I honestly hate salmon, I can’t even stand the smell of it. But I have never had raw salmon before and of course there is a first time for everything. The chipotle mayo added a nice kick to the salmon too! I was pleasantly surprised and now I can say I enjoy raw salmon.

For my main course I ordered the Mercer Burger that comes with pepperjack cheese, avocado, crunchy red onions, russian dressing, and french fries. I was surprised when the burger arrived because it is rather small. But for me, it was perfect. I laughed when I noticed that the ingredients were “upside down” (you’ll see what I mean in the photo). I loved the textures of the moist beef and the crunch red onions. The bun was such a basic hamburger bun too — which I was shocked. It wasn’t on a brioche, it was more like a potato roll — at least the texture was. The french fries though, were more like McDonald’s fries — except less greasy.

The experience at Mercer Kitchen was amazing — and I can’t wait to go back for dinner again. I need to be sure to order the second half of the menu!

Jane Restaurant, Vanilla Bean French Toast

Usually on the weekends I cook breakfast for my boyfriend and me. Brunch on the weekends is such a big deal to so many people here in New York City — and I have to admit, I once took part in the obnoxious weekly brunch ritual during the first summer I spent in Manhattan. Brunch typically means you get to the restaurant anywhere between 11 a.m. and 1 or even 2 p.m. It consists of eating a meal that will fill you up so much you won’t have dinner until 10 p.m. And of course so many people will typically pick their brunch location based on their cocktail specials. Some restaurants offer all-you-can drink specials and I will admit I have enjoyed my $10 flat fee for all-you-can drink mimosas. And when you are ordering off of an all-you-can drink menu, most likely that means brunch could last a few hours long.

But now that I have a full-time job, I prefer to use my weekend days to run errands, catch up with friends, clean my apartment, and exercise — lets admit it, I wouldn’t be able to get any of that stuff done if brunch alone took up 3 or 4 hours of my day.

So we usually make breakfast at home. I take that back, I make breakfast/brunch for us at home. My boyfriend can pick from a few items for breakfast because it’s usually items that we already have in the apartment. Omelettes, pancakes, french toast — those are a few of the basics.

But the other weekend, my boyfriend’s parents came into town so we took them out to Jane Restaurant for brunch. Everyone ordered lunch food since it was closer to that time of day. But we ordered the Vanilla Bean French Toast for an appetizer for us all to share. Let me just say, it was a big hit! The brioche bread was clearly soaking in the creme brulee batter and the bread was so light and fluffy it was like biting into cotton candy. And of course the syrup was only the best. Vermont maple syrup — so fresh it brought back childhood memories from when I lived in New Hampshire.

Speaking of syrup… There’s only one type of syrup that everyone should be buying at the store. And it’s the real stuff — when I say “real stuff” I mean everyone should be buying actual maple syrup and not the Aunt Jemima bullshit. I’m sorry but that crap is so thick and globby the texture is more like glue than it is syrup. The first time I ever had Aunt Jemima syrup was when I was 12 years old and I was invited to a sleepover (this was in Pennsylvania, not long after we moved from New Hampshire). I poured it over my pancakes, took one bite, chewed, swallowed and then pushed my plate to the side. Ick. Gross. Gag-me. Who the heck feeds kids this crap?

I know that the “real” maple syrup in the grocery store can cost an arm and a leg, but I promise you it will transform your breakfast! Also, you really have no need to drown your food in it either, you’ll probably use half the amount of real syrup than you would the fake stuff. Make the change, you won’t regret it.

Jane Restaurant was so packed even in the early afternoon, the wait outside was about 2 hours long. But the worth is definitely worth it!

Cookshop In Chelsea

cookshop_deviled_eggs

Cookshop's deviled eggs with chives and preserved tuna.

I’ve actually been to Cookshop before for brunch, and I really enjoyed my meal. I got a basic breakfast: sun-side-up eggs, a tasty biscuit with flavorful butter and jam, and a breakfast salad. It was simple, but delicious.
This past weekend I took my oldest friend, Holly, to Cookshop for breakfast before she had to head home to Boston. She enjoyed her breakfast sandwich but I really didn’t enjoy my meal. I ordered the Cookshop Scramble and I lost my appetite after only a few bites. The caramelized onions in the eggs didn’t add a good taste to the meal and the cream fraiche probably just fluffed up the nastiness. I do enjoy the biscuits at this restaurant but this time my scrambled eggs were put on top of my biscuit and by the time I reached it it was completely mushy and ruined!
restaurants_for_brunch

The Cookshop Scramble with caramelized onions, creme fraiche, chives & a buttermilk biscuit

Before our meals arrived to the table we were so hungry we ordered the deviled eggs. I love deviled eggs and I enjoy seeing how different chefs prepare the dish. With a few different ingredients and spices, this classic hor d’oeuvre can be transformed into a unique and tasty dish. Me and my friend Holly would agree, these deviled eggs weren’t a good surprise. We both ended up picking off the “preserved tuna” (and I love tuna, so it was a surprise that I wanted to flick it off my plate to make something taste better). What is preserved tuna? Is it just a fancy way to say “tuna from a can”? It actually tasted like the eggs had bacon on it, but really it was just an intense smokey flavoring. I was surprised when the filling of the egg was also pretty runny; usually the yolk and the spices are pretty firm, but the Cookshop deviled eggs were too runny and mushy.
I know that there is better food at Cookshop, which is why I will return in the future for another brunch… But I know I won’t be ordered the deviled eggs or the Cookshop Scramble.

HighPoint Bistro & Bar in Chelsea

Black angus burger topped with LTO, gruyere cheese and served on a brioche bun.


Thanks to a friend’s restaurant recommendation, I sunk my teeth into an extremely tasty burger for lunch this afternoon. Located in the heart of Chelsea, HighPoint Bistro & Bar (216 7th Avenue) is tucked back between 22nd and 23rd street on 7th Avenue. It’s a great place to go to for brunch, lunch, or dinner especially if your commute takes you near this location! The service was wonderful and the food didn’t take long to be served! The bistro is still new and is exceptionally clean — the interior design of the restaurant is simple and charming.
For the food, at first I wasn’t sure of what to order, there are so many dishes that sound exquisite — like the tuna tartare tacos, butternut squash soup, jumbo lump crab melt, and the 7th Ave Grinder that is made of arugula, mozzarella, tomato, asparagus, roasted peppers, and of course one of my favorite ingredients … pesto!

Even though my burger was a bit over cooked, the stringy flavorful gruyere cheese made every bite delish!

I debated what to order for a while and when the waiter took my order he said their hamburgers were phenomenal and that the restaurant is known for that specific dish — so that’s exactly what I ordered. When I placed my order I asked for my burger to be cooked medium and it ended up coming out as medium-well. It was a bit of a disappointment that the burger wasn’t cooked the way I wanted it but the meat was so delicious and flavorful I quickly forgot about the over-cooked detail. The HighPoint Burger was made up of black angus beef and topped off with LTO (lettuce, tomatoes, and onions) and gruyere cheese and it was served on a brioche bun (the best type of bun for a burger). I was initially skeptical of the gruyere cheese — I actually have never really enjoyed the cheese and up until today I never had it on burger. The hot and stringy gruyere added a rich and creamy taste and texture to the hamburger.
Did I mention how fun and beautiful the presentation of the dish was? The display of french fries in a shopping cart was playful and creative!
I never knew that an insanely flavorful and beautifully presented meal could be so inexpensive … $12! The entire menu was beyond reasonably priced; low prices and tasty meals are the perfect reasons to return back for another brunch, lunch, or dinner.

French fries were presented in a shopping cart!

Need more reasons to get your butt to HighPoint Bistro & Bar for a phenomenal meal? Take a look at these ratings:

Urbanspoon — 84% (out of 106 people) loved the restaurant!
Yelp — ranked HighPoint Bistro & Bar 4 out of 5 stars!
Opentable — another ranking of 4 out of 5 stars! And reserve a table here at opentable.com.

The Best Crepes In Chelsea, NYC

I’m sure if you live in Chelsea, you have probably passed by this adorable French bistro several times. Located on 21st Street and 9th Avenue you can find this intimate restaurant — Le Grainne Cafe — that specializes in crepes. Make your own crepe is my favorite part of the menu — it is also very affordable and I don’t feel guilty eating here.

Crepes stuffed with Nutella and banana in a small French bistro in Chelsea, NYC.


I have always been unsure about stuffing my crepes with meat, cheese, or vegetables but when I saw that I could make a crepe filled with mushrooms, sauteed onions, and goat cheese, I jumped at the opportunity and discovered how delicious this classic French dish is.
Of course if I see Nutella on the menu, I have to order it. One of the dessert crepes is stuffed with Nutella and bananas — an amazing combination, and I am not a big fan of bananas. My friend Aimee was with me that night at Le Grainne Cafe; Aimee studied abroad in France, she loved the crepes at this bistro, so I knew that I was getting a quality French treat. We tried the dessert crepe and we were hoping that Baby Bert (her unborn baby) would kick for us (apparently he loves chocolate and goes crazy whenever she eats the sweet), but Bert didn’t entertain us at all that evening.
I love the restaurant’s atmosphere, not only is it intimate but the room gets packed with hungry New Yorker’s — I am a strong believer that if a restaurant that has been open for a while still gets busy on a Tuesday night and there is a wait for a table, then the food is probably pretty damn delicious.
I’m making this my go-to spot in my neighborhood — located just around the corner from my apartment, it is the perfect place to have a crepe for brunch, lunch, or dinner.

24/7 Comfort Food in Chelsea — Cafeteria

Soup and Sammie -- best tomato basil soup


Cafeterias growing up were pretty interesting and unusual places to be in. In middle school I’ll never forget wrapping up my retainer in a napkin, accidentally throwing it out and when I realized 45 minutes later what I did my friend helped me put on rubber gloves and dig through 6 trash bags. I can’t remember how it was sterilized before I put it back in my mouth, but I remember having a hard time wearing it after that. In high school I witnessed one girl pour a blue and red slushie on another girl. They started fighting (girl-style) by pulling each others’ hair and scratching each other. They started working their way towards the table my friends and I were eating our lunches at and before we all knew it our sandwiches were sandwiched between the cat-fight. In college people wore their pajamas to the cafeteria — one girl would always wear her Nittany Lion slippers that made a “ROAR” every time she took a step (it really annoyed people on Saturday mornings when every other person was hungover).
Now, I’ve experienced a different type of cafeteria that has saved me from stereotyping the place to be a location of retainer-trash-digging, slushie-cat-fights, and roaring-slippers. Cafeteria in Chelsea has been around for a bit of time but it never seems to be a place were tourists flock to and the food manages to continue to be trendy and delicious.
I’ve officially been to Cafeteria more times than I would like to admit — it’s open 24-hours a day and prices on the menu are nowhere near being steep. On nice days and nights the garage doors/walls are opened to turn an indoor restaurant into a half inside and half outside place to eat. My suggestion when it comes to ordering food — if you are with a few people, try getting a bunch of appetizers like the grilled angus burger sliders, truffle mac and cheese, and the old-school meatballs (a bunch of different flavors to satisfy the snack-attack you have when you get to the restaurant). Breakfast goes late into the day and if you make it in time try either the build your own omelette with spinach, wild mushrooms, and goat cheese (yum!). If you’re in need for an afternoon snack and want some comfort food — order the Soup and Sammie — which is a cup of to-die-for tomato basil soup and a half grilled cheese, bacon, and tomato sandwich with homemade potato chips. I always order the sandwich without bacon because I don’t like anything that comes from a pig. I love Wilbur, but I just don’t like the taste of the little critter (I was given bacon floss as a gag-gift one time… the gag gift made me gag). For dinner, the Cafeteria Burger really hits the spot and it’s nothing like the wimpy burgers I used to eat in public high school. It comes with a thick cut tomato, onions, and a small “salad” that I end up putting on top of the burger, I also add cheddar cheese and avocado to make it a bit more lively.

The restaurant doesn’t take reservations but if they say “30 minutes” for a table the wait really goes by fast. Grab a drink at the bar — they don’t judge you if you drink water when it’s brunch time a.k.a the time you should be drinking either mamosas, or bloody marys — and people watch while you wait.
I know I recently brought up Sex and the City in another post, but I have to do it again. In the episode where Carrie and Stanford go to prom, Stanford runs into Charlotte having lunch with Anthony at Cafeteria. It’s oh so cute that they see each other in Cafeteria and then Stanford goes to prom in the gymnasium.