brunchkill

Location: 14 Bushwick Ave @ Green, Greenpoint

Menu: http://www.ilpassatorebrooklyn.com/MenuBrunch.html

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, 12pm – ?

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: A lovely backyard to linger in while we waited and waited and waited for service (just sayin’), a prix fixe that includes mimosa or bellini and coffee or tea with your app & an entree that costs… um…. I forgot, but it was definitely under $20.  I think.

Long Story Long:

Good lord, I forgot how much work full time jobs are.  Lately, all I have been doing is working.  I mean, I’m not complaining… I like being busy.  Actually, BFFF and I were just talking the other day about the fact that we make horrible unemployed people and how utterly depressing that is.  Oh well.  In any case, a couple weekends ago I went to Il Passatore on a glorious and warm Saturday afternoon.  I am not proud, but I have to confess that I have not been to brunch since, even having skipped it one Saturday for something work related.  As I said, I’m not proud.   So, as I sat down in a rare free moment to write this, I tried to summon the vision of that beautiful day.  You would think that the memory of it would be particularly strong.  Sweet.  Wistful and nostalgic… Yeah, no.  I got nothing. Read the rest of this entry »

Location: 70 Grand St @ Wythe, Williamsburg

Menu: http://www.auroraristorante.com/menus.html#

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, 11am – 4pm, cash only

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: Nice menu, interesting cocktail menu ($7 for a regular bloody, $12 for XL), pretty garden out back.  There is a prix fixe for $15 which includes a bloody, mimosa or bellini and coffee (XL bloody not included).  Service was slow, especially at the bar – get it together, Aurora.

Long Story Long:

So, it had been several weeks since I had had brunch with BFFF for one reason or another (aka she started to run qualifying races for the NY Marathon on the weekends.  I am very proud of her for this, but at the same time it’s really starting to fuck with my weekend plans).  We were really excited to try this place as we had stumbled upon it on a walk one blustery winter afternoon, saw the amazing garden, and made a mental note to hold off on coming back until the weather was better.

We waited and waited for the right weekend, taunted by visions of just exactly how “XL” an “XL” bloody mary could be.  Finally, last Saturday, we were both free, the sun was shining and it was warm enough to eat outdoors – it was happening. Read the rest of this entry »

Location: 425 Graham Ave, between Frost & Withers, Williamsburg

Menu: http://fannyfood.com/Menus.pdf

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, 11am-4pm

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: $13 brunch special includes a fresh-squeezed orange juice & mimosa or bloody – since they are a wine & beer only establishment, they claim to use something called “white wine vodka” in the bloody – weird.

Long Story Long:

I was really really excited to check this place out as I have had some truly amazing dinners here that, to be honest, set me back a bit.  So I was delighted to see that they had a deal for brunch which included a bloody.  Word.  We had a big group this day, so we called ahead and easily got a reservation.  I was joined by BFFF and The Filmmaker, as well as Mr. Awesome Table Manners who I had not brunched with in ages.  I was told we would also be joined by Dumpling, a west-side-of-the-city dweller who I don’t believe I have ever seen in Williamsburg in the light of day.  I was so convinced he wouldn’t make it that I almost told the waitress to clear his place setting, but lo and behold, he actually made it – another delightful surprise.

… and things only went downhill from there.  Le sigh. Read the rest of this entry »

Location: 372 Graham Ave, between Conselyea & Skillman, Williamsburg

Menu: http://www.mesacoyoacan.com/

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, 12pm – 4pm

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: Reasonably priced, and the food here is awesome.   They have tequila, wine & beer based cocktails.

Long Story Long:

Here’s the deal – I was a huge mess at this brunch.  I had… well, I had a night, details of which I will keep to myself.  Oh, stop it – sadly, it’s not what you’re thinking.  Suffice it to say there was some dramz and for the first time I was directly involved instead of just a spectator.  All is well and good now, but at the time I thought the quickest fix was several rounds from the bar to “recover” and I was definitely paying for it the next day.   I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chux & Buck Shot, my fellow diners, for their kindness, their understanding and most of all their ability to let me ramble on and on and on about nonsense without (I hope) judging me.

In any case, I had been super-psyched to have brunch here because the food is fantastic.  Another perk is that Buck Shot and his BF, Ruby, are regulars and the staff apparently loves them.  Therefore, they always get free shit.  They have this running debate as to which one of them is the cause of this adoration, or if it’s them as a couple.  So in an interesting twist, Ruby couldn’t join us because he had to work – we were about to solve this once and for all… Read the rest of this entry »

Location: 347 Graham Ave, between Conselyea & Metropolitan, Williamsburg

Menu: See photo for the brunch menu

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, 12pm – 5pm

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: $11 gets you an entree, coffee & and sake bloody mary, blood orange mimosa or a pint.  Food is fine and it comes out fast, but nothing mind-blowing.  At the end of the day, it is mostly a bar, so the service is friendly, but it’s not truly a restaurant – if you want super-attentive, you might want to go elsewhere.

Long Story Short:

As a general rule, I fucking love bars.  I really, really do.  It’s easy to say “sure you do, you love drinking” and you would be right, but it’s more than that.  I guess what I really mean is that I love bar culture.  There’s something comforting about being a regular – it makes people-watching more fun and creates a sense of entitlement – my stool, my table – which is fun for me for some reason.  Commiserating with the bartender about that annoying group of 20 years olds that keep buying Bud Lights & PBRs feels so… I don’t know, exclusive.  I can’t explain it well – I just really dig it.  That being said, there are some places where having my first meal of the day while sunlight is streaming in through the front windows makes me sort of uneasy.  Mother’s – a bar-staurant, yes, but still mostly a bar (there is no table service for anything other than brunch) – has this effect on me.  That being said, I was curious to try out their brunch because the menu sounded kind of interesting, and also because I am trying to embrace the recessionista lifestyle.  An $11 prix fixe, drink included, is an excellent way to do this.

I arrived with The Filmmaker & P-Nasty, who began thinking of ways to kill the requisite 15 minute wait for BFFF while I struggled to get over my squeamishness.  As our eyes adjusted to the light and we ordered some cocktails, P-Nasty pointed out the the light from the window would be really great for a photo shoot.   Read the rest of this entry »

Location: 319 Graham Ave @ Devoe St, Williamsburg

Menu: http://www.motorinopizza.com/

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, starts at 11am

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: $10 entree comes with bloody mary mix or OJ, and for only $3 more they’ll throw vodka or prosecco in your drink for the first round.  Seems a bit more lunch-y to me, but they do have a couple egg dishes.

Long Story Long:

So, I had just returned from my trip to Sundance and found myself with the usual post-festival cold.  Awesome.  I really didn’t want to leave my couch, but my friends, IBS (his initials, not the condition) & his boyfriend, the… er… White Shadow (ok, seriously the last friend who gets to pick his own nickname.  If you’re curious, it comes from a 70s TV show by the same name) had just moved to the neighborhood, and so badly wanted to go out to brunch as they were having some heating problems at their new digs.  I selfishly chose Motorino because I was under the weather and it is close to my place, but as they are still exploring their new neighborhood, they were happy to oblige.  We were joined by the Filmmaker and the Falconette, a friend of his, now ours, from home in Virginia.  Side note… is it just me, or is this starting to sound like a meeting of the Justice League?  Read the rest of this entry »

Location: 45 Richardson St @ Lorimer St, Williamsburg

Menu: http://becobar.com/menu.htm

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, 10am – 4pm

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: $15 for an ample entree plus a cocktail & amazing coffee or tea.  The food is excellent, the bloodys were great as was their signature cocktail – a passion fruit capiroska.  You have to try this place, trust me.

Long Story Long:

Fucking holidays… seriously.  I didn’t realize so many places closed down for so damn long during this time of year.  Annoying…. but please don’t think I went bloodyless for nearly three weeks. Heeeell no.  I took the opportunity to revisit some of my favorites like Lokal & give others a second chance (thanks but no thanks Flying Cow.  I stand by my original opinion).

In any case, as it was a new year, I was anxious to try a new place.  BFFF and I chose Beco.  Actually, we had been trying to go there for about 2 weeks but they were closed for the holiday – argh.  We finally managed to make it there for dinner one night and… amazing.  As frustrated as I had been trying to go there in the first place, this was definitely the place we would be having brunch at the following weekend. Read the rest of this entry »

Location: 769 Metropolitan Ave, between Graham & Humboldt, Williamsburg

Menu: http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/harefield-road-pub/menu

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, 12pm – 4pm

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: $12 for a vast selection of entrees, plus coffee or tea & bloody or mimosa.  Though I am a huge fan of this bar, I wasn’t really blown away by the brunch.  I hear the huevos rancheros are a good choice, plus it is a really good deal.

Long Story Long:

I have been adamantly avoiding brunch at this place.  Not for nothing, but this is my very own neighborhood bar.  It is a block and a half away from my apartment, I know a significant number of the bartenders by name as well as a few of the other regulars, it’s the first and only bar I have ever been to alone, and it is one of very few places I have let myself act like a complete ass.  That’s all well and good at the end of a crazy Friday or Saturday night, but in the sober light of day… needless to say, I was a bit hesitant to show my face there.  It was, however, a ridiculously broke Saturday morning coupled with a seemingly insatiable bloody mary craving that finally drove me to it.  Also, I was reassured by BFFF who has spent some time in the bar-staurant industry: she convinced me that there was very little chance that anyone who works until last call would be back for a brunch shift.  As long as we made it in and out before happy hour, we were good to go…. even though their happy hour does offer $3 wells… but I digress. Read the rest of this entry »

Location: 905 Lorimer St @ Bedford Ave, Williamsburg

Menu: http://lokalbistro.com/brunchmenu.htm

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, 11am – 4pm

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: $11.50 prix fixe includes coffee or tea & OJ.  Points for $4 bloodys, bellinis & mimosas.  Pretty standard, reliable – nothing earth-shattering, but overall a pleasant experience.

Long Story Long:

After a couple weekends of traveling, it was nice to be back in the hood, and whatever – I only realized the adorably appropriate name of this weekend’s location just now, so shut it.  In any case, this weekend also marked the return of another favorite part of the brunch experience… a Lost Saturday with my BFFF!  Yeah, yeah – we were pretty “lost” in the Hamptons together the weekend before, but somehow an LS just isn’t the same if we aren’t within stumbling distance of our respective abodes… Read the rest of this entry »