ABC Kitchen

The first time I ate here was when I moved to New York almost 3 years ago. It is still as hyped and popular as it was back then. I came here on the day Jonas decided to bless this city with a massive snow storm. That obviously did not stop me from trekking to Union Square. Brunch must go on, storm or no storm. I even made it to soul cycle earlier that morning.

Food

The food here is very good and known for its use of exceptionally fresh ingredients that are free of GMOs and other harmful artificial shit. I am really into that healthy organic eating. 

1) Roasted beets with homemade yogurt - this dish was so refreshing and appetizing. A great way to begin the meal. You can taste the freshness. The vibrant beets topped with fresh yogurt was just so tasty.

2) Fried oysters with scrambled eggs - the fried oysters for brunch is interesting and surprisingly nice if you are in the mood for something greasy. The insides were soft, full of oyster and flavorful. It goes nicely with the scrambled eggs—very light and simple. I like it.

3) Mushroom pizza with an egg - I love a good egg on anything from rice, noodles to burgers. Overall a pretty solid and healthy pizza I'd say. Tasty and subtle in flavors. It's not super overwhelming but a light pizza for an easy start to the day.

Decor/Ambiance

The space is rather large and has a chic rustic look with intentionally "old" wooden furniture and crystal chandeliers. The colors are warm complemented by white decor and pastel colors. It goes well with the whole organic vibe.

Price

Given the quality I would say that the price is not bad at all. For brunch I'd say expect around $40-55 per person including tip and tax. 

Reservation

I'd say at least 1 or 2 weeks in advance for peak times. I think walk ins should be doable given the large space. 

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Roasted beets with yogurt

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Mushroom egg pizza

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Fried oysters

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Almond cake

Brunch At Sitka & Spruce

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Sweet stick bun

A wintry champagne brunch with my good friend Brandon. We began the meal with a sweet sticky bun covered in almonds and butter. The subtly sweet and buttery appetizer was warm and perfect for the nippy weather. 

Food

The food overall was very fresh, unique and tasty. Every dish embodied fresh ingredients and interesting new play on of traditional dishes—such as the savory bread pudding with lamb sausage. The baked eggs were no ordinary baked eggs, even visually it resembled a very Zen forest filled with beautiful chanterelles. Each bit was accompanied with wild berries that added a twist of lemon flavor. 

Quality

Excellent. Fresh and high quality. 

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Savory bread pudding

Decor/Ambiance

The restaurant is located in the back of a market type place with various vendors. The space is wide open with tall ceilings and a rustic homey design.  The large gridded windows give it a cool loft feel. 

Price

Very reasonable. For brunch I'd budget about $30-35 per person to include 4 dishes and a drink each. Dinner will be slightly higher.

Reservation

Brunch was relatively easy to get a reservation and walk-ins seem probable. I believe that dinner on weekends would be busier so perhaps a reservation would be wise. 

Baked eggs

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Frittata 

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Brunch at Bar Bolonat

Bar Bolonat recently opened for brunch! I tried their brunch menu the second weekend they began service. It is still relatively low key and calm.

Food

I am a fan of the brunch food. The green shakshuka with spinach, cheese and eggs was well balanced and the perfect brunch meal. It's not too heavy but just enough to keep you content and gives you enough room for a little more. The mergeuz was also surprisingly really tasty, I've tried the same thing at several at other brunch spots and Bar Bolonat managed to flavor it's lamb sausage very well. Lastly, the only dessert they had for brunch so far was the star-shaped fried dough served with greek yogurt and honey—it was absolutely delicious. 

Ambiance/Decor

Obviously, the lighting was much better during the day. The vibe was very different during the day given the exposure to natural light. The decor was very simple with wooden accents. 

Quality

Excellent quality as usual. The food is very fresh and well prepared.

Price

Very reasonably priced (for New York that is) comparable to similar brunch spots. I'd say between $30-45 per person after tax and tip.

Reservation

Currently, no reservations are needed as they just opened for brunch. I'd imagine that it will become a hot stop in the near future. But for now, feel free to drop by sans reservation!

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Green Shakshuka

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Fried dough with greek yogurt and honey

 

Sweet Chick

Ambiance

Bare and rustic with high ceilings. It's got that intentionally run down look with mason jars and rusty furniture.

Quality

The quality is fine. It is on par with its competitors. 

Price

Reasonably priced. We spent about $30-35 per person including tax and tips. 

Reservation

If you go to the LES location you can make a reservation online. It's very simple and not difficult to obtain.  

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Sweet Chick is another great brunch spot for southern comfort food. There is something about chicken waffles that really hits the spot. There are two locations, the original is located in Brooklyn and the other is located in Lower East Side. I'd say the LES location is more convenient because you can make reservations online! The LES spot is also much more low key and less hyped. 

Food

The food is definitely on par with other spots, such as Bubby's and Jacob's Pickle. The fried chicken waffles were delicious. The only issue I had was that the chicken waffles had gotten cold when served. The crispy skin was well fried with the insides being tender and chewy. The waffles were just right, minus it being slightly on the colder end.

The biscuit with mushroom gravy was also competitive, however, the biscuit was too dependent on the moisture from the gravy. Stand alone, the biscuit would have been too dry. 

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Maison Premiere

Yesterday I stopped by Williamsburg to brunch at Maison Premiere. The great thing is you can make a reservation online! I absolutely hate waiting (who doesn't?).  

Food

We stumbled upon their oyster happy hour and ordered 10 oysters for $10!—$1 each. The oysters were very fresh and well prepared. All of them were very tasty and enjoyable. I prefer the smaller oysters, none of them were too meaty. They have oyster happy hour Monday to Friday from 4-7pm and Saturday and Sundays from 11am to 1pm.

We ordered the butter scone and it was perfectly warm and crumbly. It was not too sugary—just the right amount of sweetness. For entrees, we ordered the duck hash and baked eggs with andouille. The eggs were perfectly poached. They really know how to poach eggs. The spicy andouille went very well with the tomato jam and spinach. 

Overall a very light brunch. It paired well with the oysters. Initially, we were a bit skeptical because we thought it may have been a bit early for oysters. But not at all. I highly recommend it. 

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Buttered scone

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Baked eggs with andouille

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Duck confit hash

 

Ambiance

It reminded me of Milky & Honey in that the decor and ambiance were similar to that 1920s prohibition style. They also offer garden seating that is open during the spring and summer. 

Quality

Quality is definitely excellent. Everything seemed fresh and well prepared. 

Price

Very reasonably priced. Between two people, we ordered oysters, biscuits, two entrees and a pot of tea, and each paid about $28 per person including tax and tip.

Entrees range from $11-16 per plate.