new york brunch

Bubby's Pie Company

in

Bubby's Pie Company serves excellent southern comfort brunch food.

Food
First off, the portions are insane, especially for someone of my size. I ordered flaky biscuits to share and the griddle special. After one biscuit I was already stuffed. The flaky sweet and warm delicious biscuits melted in my mouth. Compared to other biscuits I've had, these ones are much sweeter and milkier, but in a good way.

As my entree, I ordered the griddle special which consists of sour cream pancakes, eggs and your choice of meat. I chose the bacon and added blueberries to my pancakes. It was amazing. The pancakes were so fluffy and light, however, I could barely conquer 1/16th of the pancakes after inhaling a giant biscuit. I ordered eggs scrambled a little runny and added the hot sauce that paired exceptionally well. The bacon was mediocre in my opinion, it was a little too salty. Ham in general, is naturally very flavorful so minimal seasoning more than enough. Overall, this is a solid brunch spot with good southern comfort food in a trendy hip location. After your initial shock of food coma, the high line is right next door for you to walk it off and enjoy the view. Assuming you ended up at the High Line location.

Ambiance
There are two locations, one next to the High Line in Meatpacking and another in Tribeca. The High Line location is spacious and full of natural light. It's an excellent spot during the summer or on a nice day in general. It's a casually chic spot that can attract anyone from basics to fashionistas. 

Price
$30-40/per person. I do think this place is a bit overpriced, even though the portions are enormous. You are limited to one or two dishes. I'd prefer if they serve smaller portions so that I can try more and limit my likelihood of getting a food coma.

Wait
I went on a Sunday around noon and there was no wait. However, during peak times, the wait can be quite long. They don't take reservations, but I would call in advance to get an idea of the wait and arrive maybe 30 minutes to an hour before your desired time.

Griddle Special

Flakey Biscuits

Fried Chicken Biscuits

A la carte: Flakey Biscuits with a side of chicken apple sausage and scrambled eggs

Bubby's Breakfast

Joseph Leonard

in

Is it just me or do most brunch spots in Manhattan taste the same and remain relatively unimpressive? Eggs Benedict or French toast are basically the same anywhere you go, whether you're paying $10 or $20. But let's talk more about a little spot I tried this morning because a solid brunch spot is tough to find in the city or even worth the effort to blog about. Although I did not actually try their eggs benedict, I'm sure it's comparable to most places. But everything else I tried was tasty and creative. This little gem is located in the West Village on Waverly street.

Food

Let's begin by talking about their famous bloody caesar with an oyster and a brussels sprout wrapped in bacon. What an imaginative recipe. The oyster is an excellent way to start the day and get your sex drive going. It's fresh and delicious. I love brussels sprout and I love bacon, and together they are the perfect combination of healthy and a mild heart attack. Who would've thought to pair these two with the classic Caesar? It is well spiced at Joseph Leonard. The vodka is not the dominate player but rather a slight modifier that enhances the spices.

The fried chicken sandwich is one of their signature dishes. The chicken is tender and crunchy with a glaze of light honey. By default, it comes with chips, but I recommend substituting for brussels sprout with Siracha sauce—it is delicious, and a good balance.

Lastly, my favorite dish was the dessert, the monkey cake. It was literally an entire cake. Order it after you finish eating your entrees because they serve it fresh. It may look a bit intimidating at first, but I assure you, it is not OVERLY sweet. Thank god. The only part that's sweet is the coated white chocolate sauce, but the inside is left untouched, so you can control the sweetness level. The fresh strawberries and toasted almonds are an excellent complement to the cake. I highly recommend it.

Ambiance

The restaurant is very small and has a classic west village hipster ambiance. Before going, I always thought it was a very high-end brunch spot, but it's actually very chill and casual. The crowd is full of locals, yuppies, and chic grungy socialites. A spot that caters to foodies across the social spectrum.

Price

Joseph Leonard is comparable to any other brunch spot in the city. Roughly $14-$20 for an entree. Sides range between $4-$8. Drinks vary, but the bloody caesar is $16. It is on par with most places (by most places I mean good places of this caliber). I would expect to spend about $30-$40 (after tax & tip) per person depending on how hungry you are. But $40 is plenty, if not excessive.

Wait

When isn't there a wait in NYC? If it's any good, there's a line. Luckily this place is not yet overly commercialized on yelp or other mainstream media sites. The wait is reasonable for New York, about 45 minutes to an hour during peak times. I recommend going an hour before your desired eating time. There's plenty to do around the area. They will call you when your table is ready. So no need to stick around.

Overall, I think this is a great brunch spot that justifies its prices with solid food that is slightly differentiated from hot brunch spots. The charm of this location gives it the authentic West Village feel. One of my go to spots with really great food.