brunchkill

Location: 632 Manhattan Avenue @ Nassau Ave, Greenpoint

Menu: http://www.themanhattaninn.com/?page_id=16

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, 11am – 3pm

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: Food is fine, bloody was pretty great… BUT be warned.  There is a real person playing piano in the back room.  A plus for those of you into that sort of thing (they have very talented performers) but if you are like me and have this weird issue about talking while someone is performing… just remember, you and your awkward brunch companions were warned.

Long Story Long:

On this chilly(ish) winter day, I am reminded a roof party at P-Nasty’s.  I believe this particular gathering (there were many) occurred at the very height of 2 summers ago, and I believe it was not tied specifically to any occasion –  it was… just because.  It was fun.  Maybe a bit too much fun.  Regardless, we all somehow managed to make it to brunch the next day in Greenpoint.  It was a bunch of us – including our previous night’s host who, out of all of us, was a bit worse for wear.  I was in the midst of my egg sandwich journey at the time but hadn’t bothered to consult the menu to see if they had one.  Which reminds me…

Fuck.   Read the rest of this entry »

Location: 152 Metropolitan Avenue @ Berry, Williamsburg

Menu: http://www.barberryny.com/

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, 12pm – 3:30pm

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: Interesting Mediterranean menu, including a couple of non-traditional egg dishes, entrees between $9- $15.  Bloodys were not bad, and outdoor seating was a little weird, but not terrible.

Long Story Long:

Basically, I fucking love my birthday.  I honestly don’t foresee a time when I won’t want to do it up: milestone year or not, I like to stretch out the celebration as long as possible.  So after a dignified & intimate dinner on the day of (Thursday, May 13, 2010 – #31 for the record), I had planned a roof-top cocktail gathering for the following Saturday night, thanks to the generous hosting offer from Monster (nee The Filmmaker).  I prepped for my fete the way I usually do – brunch followed by last minute frantic shopping (at least there was no danger of a snowstorm at this time of year).  Since they were co-hosting, I met Monster and P-Nasty at Barberry to plan.  I arrived first (odd with this couple as they tend to be super-punctual) and I got us a sweet table outside which was admittedly a little canted, but whatever – it was a gorgeous day, so who cares anyway?  I ordered a bloody and before the waitress could even bring it, they arrived, suspicious smiles on their faces…. They apologized for their late arrival and we exchanged some stilted small talk.  It was… awkward for some reason, so I had to ask what was up.

“We have something for you.”

Read the rest of this entry »

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: 502 Lorimer St @ Powers, Williamsburg

Menu: http://www.bababrooklyn.com/brunch

Brunch Hours: Sat & Sun, 10am – 5pm (but they do serve a limited breakfast menu during the week too)

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: No bloodies, only <<shudder>> blood orange mimosas.  The coffee was FANTASTIC and the food was pretty good too.  Definitely points for originality… check the menu. Cheap too.

Long Story Long:

I am a Jew.  And Passover is my least favorite holiday – there, I said it.  It’s fucking annoying especially if you are a half-assed Jew (such as myself).  What I mean is, I am rational enough to find some of these traditions antiquated and not practical, yet traditional enough to feel guilty for thinking the traditions are antiquated and not practical, especially because, at the end of the day, the traditions I grew up with are very much a part of who I am as an adult today: a traditional, guilt-ridden, half-assed J.E.W.  Seriously though, some of my happiest, funniest childhood memories involve these traditions, so I guess I shouldn’t be such a brat about them… But, per usual, I digress…

Last Saturday, (Passover Day 5), I was meeting up with Chux for brunch – he happens to be one of a small handful of my brunchkillaz who is also Jewish.  I talked to him about how I was kind of trying to avoid bread-like substances and we discussed how blatantly disingenuous a move like that feels even though, after all these years, I still feel compelled to do so.  We kinda wandered a bit with vague intentions of hitting up Elote (it was super-gorgeous out, perfect for a back garden) when we passed Baba, a place, according to Chux, known for meats. 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: 361 Graham Ave @ Conselyea St, Williamsburg

Menu: http://www.oakwinebar.com/menu.html

Brunch Hours: All week long, 11am – 4pm

My Rating: 

Long Story Short: Certain items are not available for a weekday brunch (eggs benedict, eggs florentine, some bakery items) but there are many delicious, reasonably priced items to choose from.  This place is great for a mid-week brunch (if you have that luxury) that will not bankrupt you.  They are a wine bar, but do offer sake bloodys and 2 kinds of mimosas – traditional and apple cider.  Oh, and the cider one is not a hot drink – BFFF checked.

Long Story Long:

What, I ask you, is better than unexpectedly having Friday off?  It’s like this little appetizer of weekend that you don’t have to share with the rest of the world.  You walk around the streets finding them emptier than you expected, and then that wonderful moment happens when it suddenly hits you – YESSSSS…  it’s ONLY FRIDAY.  Best fucking feeling in the world.  When it happens to me, I get an extra added bonus because BFFF also happens to be off on Fridays during the day as she works at night.  This has long been a bone of contention between us because it really fucks with my weekend plans, but alas… we finally found a bright side.

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 »