Restaurant experiment: Highland Bakery

Highland Bakery

655 Highland Avenue NE between Corley Street NE & Sampson Street NE

Atlanta, GA 30312

404-586-0772

http://highlandbakery.com/index.html

I was in change of deciding where Dave and I should dine for a Sunday brunch, and after extensive Yelp searching, I settled on Highland Bakery.  They have a couple of locations, but this one on Highland Avenue in Old Fourth Ward is the original one.  Highland Bakery has a microscopic lot; street parking wasn’t too much of a hassle though.

Don’t be confused like we were; go through the bakery entrance to put your name down.  A tween-aged girl was taking names.  At least the wait was short, though I wasn’t expecting a wait since it was near 3PM.  The place was still hoppin’ even though the closing time is 4PM.  The service staff was very diverse, and like at Leon’s, it was a waitress/waiter tattoo party for sure.  We were seated at some highboys against a wall and next to some lovely glass artwork.

As Dave and I were famished, we elected to have a few pastries to munch on while waiting for our mains.  I, naturally, had selected the eggs Benedict ($8.99) as my main, and Dave had followed suit.  There were two scone options ($2.99 each).  I forgot what the other one was (currant maybe?) and the one we ended up getting was pistachio and white chocolate.  I actually do not like white chocolate all that much, but I’d never had a pistachio scone before and wanted to try it.  Yum!  Divine.  Love the dusting of sugar on top.  Heated up too.  The chocolate croissant ($2.19) was fine though but I could have used a little more flakiness.  I love warmed pastries, especially when gooey chocolate is involved.

For my fellow Benedict lovers, there are some other varieties like the Country Fried Steak Benedict, the Fried Chicken Benedict, and the Cowboy Benedict, but I just got the Classic.  The eggs Benedict was too paprika-y for me.  See below.  Dave complained that the eggs Benedict wasn’t that hot, and I assured him that this seems to be an accepted practice, judging from the EBs I’ve consumed during other brunches.  Have I ever received piping hot EB?  I don’t think so.  I remembered liking the potatoes, though some chunks had more flavor that others.  I was actually getting really full and had to bring home the leftover spuds in a container.  If you don’t like tubers, never fear, as grits are also available.

Our server was polite, cheery, and helpful.  I’m not sure if Highland Bakery is the best brunch in all of Atlanta and I wouldn’t wait forever for a table, but it’s really good, and the scones are totally killer!

Restaurant experiment: Another Broken Egg Cafe

Another Broken Egg Cafe

2418 Montevallo Road at Culver Road

Mountain Brook, AL 35223

205-871-7849

http://www.anotherbrokenegg.com

[A] poached egg isn’t a poached egg unless it’s been stolen from the woods in the dead of night!

–Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Birmingham is not a Sunday brunch dining destination, or at least in the vein of NYC.  If you can find a restaurant that’s actually open on Sunday, that’s pretty much the whole scene.  We were going to Rojo but it opened too late because we were hungry and we couldn’t wait.  Laura offered Another Broken Egg Cafe, and that sounded reasonable to both Joni and I.  It’s a chain based out of Louisiana but is concentrated in the southeast.

There’s no private lot, so you’ll either have to deal with the street outside of the restaurant or park in the lot by the Western Supermarket.

No wait at 9AM but when we were leaving around 10AM, throngs of potential eaters were waiting in the vestibule, pouring over menus.

From my seat, I stared at a giant Christmas tree, complete with wrapped presents underneath, which Laura and I decided were likely empty boxes.  The other patrons varied but were mostly families and older people.  One old man at a table nearby asked Joni if she were from New England from her accent.  Um, okay.  Random.  I adored the sconces with images of cracked eggs, and Joni was charmed by the stoneware mugs featuring the cafe’s logo.  You could also buy these for $18 if you so desired.  Our waitress was soft-spoken and quietly and stealthily appeared at my side, initially almost spookily.  She was very attentive; I don’t think Joni’s mug was ever devoid of coffee.

The giant menu will have something you’ll dig.  My heart was torn between my steadfast familiar companion eggs Benedict and the flashy, charming bananas Foster.  Hmm, it seems as though I’m partial to dishes with the format: [food] [Person's name].  Very interesting.  The PDF of the menu isn’t working on the website, but there were lots of different options for Benedicts, and the bananas Foster came in waffle, pancake, and French toast forms.  Most entrees were around $10-13.  Asking for decision advice from Laura, she stated that the Foster might be too sugary, and since I love eggs B so much, I should just go for them.  Selection selected!  I also tried a generous glass of the freshly-squeezed orange juice (~$4), yum.  And there were a couple of dishes incorporating lobster(!!!), can’t say I’ve seen that before for brunch.

I did like the eggs Benedict and ate every last bite.  Nice Hollandaise.  I just wished temperature-wise, they were a little warmer, but that often seems to be the case with this particular dish.  The home fries appear quite unassuming, but they were actually little cubes of delightfulness.  Not incredibly deep flavors, but just maybe light seasoning, some garlic salt?  Anyway, we all agreed they were positive things.

Another Broken Egg Cafe is a very solid brunch option in Mountain Brook.  No hungover hipsters here, but good food.  Go early.

Restaurant experiment: Trattoria Centrale

Trattoria Centrale

207A 20th Street North between 2nd Avenue North and 3rd Avenue North

Birmingham, AL 35203

205-202-5612

http://trattoriacentrale.com

When I punched in “brunch” into Yelp, Trattoria Centrale was one of the top hits that was spit out.  So I ended up going here with Virginia and Elena on a sprinkly Sunday to this popular spot, helmed by a CIA graduate.  Thankfully street parking isn’t hard at all at this time.  But what is hard is snagging a table at the happenin’ Trattoria Centrale.  The inside dining room was filled to the gills with families and hipster-types.  We grabbed a table outside under the awning; good thing too since it rained a tad.  There isn’t traditional waiter service; you order at the counter and then your meal is brought to your table.  Is it just me, or is this a popular dining method here in Birmingham?  I seem to have encountered it a noticeable amount.

Sadly, no eggs Benedict was on the menu.  I decided to order the orecchiette, which the gal at the register taking orders told me was Italian for “little ears.”  Virginia ordered the frittata and Elena the French toast.  The French toast was an impressive tower with bacon strip accents.  Virginia’s platter had bacon, and so did mine.  They sure do love the bacon here.  While in line, Elena and I noticed the baker’s rack full of bacon strips and ogled it endlessly.  Mmm.  The food took its time making an appearance; luckily it was worth the wait.  Sitting outside, there’s fun people watching: clientele going in and coming out, seeing folks stroll by, often with dog leash in hand.

The little ears were quite tasty.  I’ve only dabbled in Brussels sprouts [I even had to look up how to spell the name] a wee bit and was not too enthralled, but I really liked how they were prepared at Trattoria Centrale.  It appears as though they were roasted a bit.  So the mini cabbages were flavorful and tender.  I realize that I shouldn’t write off the B. sprouts totally.  Crispy bacon is my deal, so I was super duper happy that my bacon bits were crunchy.  The cream sauce wasn’t bland at all, and the cubits of butternut squash added a hint of sweetness and softness and a fall flavor.  And topped off with shredded cheese…how can you resist?  The strip of bacon was a gift from Virginia.

The only downside was that I was still a little hungry after.  I wish Trattoria Centrale had served some complimentary biscuits or something extra.  Oh well, what can you do?  The answer is to go get frozen yogurt across the street at Paramount.

Cool facts about Brussels sprouts from Wikipedia:

• Are thought to have originated from Rome, not from Brussels
• Were grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello
• Are a type of cabbage
• California produces the most in the US
• The Netherlands produces the most in Europe
• Thought to contain anti-cancer compounds such as sinigrin and sulforaphane

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Restaurant experiment: Rye

Rye

247 South 1st Street between Roebling and Havemeyer Streets

Brooklyn, NY 11211

718-218-8047

http://www.ryerestaurant.com

The Sunday was not off to a particularly sweet start.  Drizzle combined with a skinned knee (please do not throw your watermelon rinds onto the sidewalk) did not a merry morning make.  Anyway, for a proper introduction to Williamsburg, I took Joni to Rye which with over 200 positive Yelp reviews, seemed like a safe bet.  No menu outside or anything; we weren’t sure if it was even open, but I gave the door handle a tug, and it revealed Rye.

Since it was still on the early side, there were a handful of patrons in the dining area.  We were offered a choice between the occupied front area and the silent back area.  The back it was.  The two of us agreed that Rye is a beautiful restaurant, with tile floors, chandeliers, and warm wood.  The bathrooms are worth a peek, even if you do not have to pee.  As Joni says, you think the lights aren’t on, but oh, they are.

Joni was giddy to see challah French toast on the menu.  She ended up getting the Rye Slam ($12) which had the toasts, eggs, salad, and bacon or sausage (I made her go with bacon).

My choice was the Rye Benedict ($12) because you know I just can’t pass up eggs Benedict at a brunch.  The menu reads “grilled pork belly, hollandaise, buttermilk biscuit, potato & mixed greens.”  The potato was a hash brown ball, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  The Benedicts themselves were a tad small and I would have preferred the hollandaise to be richer and stronger, but overall, I was very satisfied.  The bacon which Joni kindly shared with me, was fatty but sweetly bacon-riffic.  Mmm, pork product.

I am never sure if standard NYC brunch protocol includes dessert or not.  Seems like no, so I was surprised when our waiter offered us the option to purchase sugar treats.  We were both full and declined, but if I weren’t full…

A comment on service: our waiter was nice, and all the other employees were ready with smiles and were attitude-free.  You never know about hospitality with ol’ Billyburg!

Restaurant experiment: Clinton Street Baking Company

Clinton Street Baking Company

4 Clinton Street between Houston and Stanton Streets

New York, NY 10002

646-602-6263

http://clintonstreetbaking.com/

Clinton St. Baking Company is one of the biggest names in the Manhattan brunch scene, hands down.  With 1000+ Yelp reviews and 1+ hourlong waits, and zillions of reviews and mentions in magazines and guidebooks, the stats speak for themselves.  Lily and I decided to brave a wait to have a delightful pre-film brunch; we planned on seeing Jane Eyre after at the nearby Landmark Sunshine.

I was a tad late (darn you, F train) but no matter, Lily had put our names down and was waiting outside.  The hostess told her 30-40 minutes, but we quickly concluded that the times given were probably random and arbitrary.  I’ll spare you the boring details of our wait.  At least the weather was helping us in this regard, with sunshine and milder temperatures (50s) making it easy to wait outside.  Plus it was amusing to stare at the diners by the big windows, spying on their brunches; I spotted a bloody mary in the hands of one such patron. 

Finally the hostess popped her head out the door and asked “Lily?” and we zipped inside.  We maneuvered into our two top near the bathroom, toward the back of the small space.  It was actually a good spot, with only one side of people as the other side was the wall, easy access to the facilities, and a peek into the bustling kitchen.

Even though I had reviewed the menu outside, I was still on the fence about what to order.  Chocolate chunk pancakes (there were also blueberry and banana walnut), a waffle special, eggs Benedict?  Lily couldn’t resist her lifesaving Maine blueberry pancakes ($13), and I couldn’t stay away from eggs Benedict ($15).  Even though I was tempted to go the pancake route because Clinton Street is famous for the cakes in a pan, Lily suggested I get the eggs B and agreed to let me sample the pancakes.  I was satisfied with this compromise.  We paired up our entrees with glasses of freshly squeezed citrus ($3.50 each): her orange and me grapefruit.

Lily kindly cut me a sliver from her short stack. 

Eggs Benedict.  The hollandaise here is quite mayo-y, so if that isn’t your bag, then steer clear.  The breakout star of this production is the biscuit which is crumbly and  buttery and way amazing.  Yum, so delightful.  I will have to dock a point for the yolk being more solid than runny, but not a huge deal.

There’s certainly pressure to get you up and out as soon as possible.  A busboy whisked Lily’s plate away as soon as she ate the last airy morsel, and a check was dropped off immediately after.  When I wrapped up, the waitress came by and asked “Do you need change?” before we had even cracked open the black pleather.  Somewhat irritating, along with the face that Clinton Street is cash only.  We can take a hint though.

Due to its fame, there are a fair share of tourists here.  At the next table over, five women were stuffed into a table seating four people.  They were definitely tourists as one woman was wearing a necklace with a large cross on it, and they were asking themselves if LES was pronounced “Les” or L.E.S.

P.S.  The movie was not as impressive as the brunch!

Restaurant experiment: Egg

Egg

135 North 5th Street between Bedford Avenue and Berry Street

Brooklyn, NY 11211

718-302-5151

http://www.pigandegg.com

As some friends were visiting from out of town, a big gang of us ended up at Egg for brunch on a Sunday.  Unfortunately, Egg is not the place for a large group, unless you like squishing around a table which is what we ended up doing.  Or Egg is not the place if you do not like waiting long waits or paying by cash.  But if you do enjoy delightful brunch plates, you will like Egg.

Sam directed us to nearby Blue Bottle which was also packed but at least had a line that kept moving.  Between Blue Bottle and a visit last month to Stumptown, I’m really feeling like a West Coast coffee snob even though I am tea-4-evah.  I should add that it was a freezing Sunday early afternoon, but the temps did not deter the hipsters from queueing up.

After hemming and hawing over the Southern-influenced menu, I selected a pot of tea as my drink, and I settled on the Eggs Rothko ($9), ”easy-cooked egg in a slice of Amy’s brioche and topped with Grafton cheddar. Served with broiled tomatoes and a side of meat or seasonal vegetables.”  I picked out bacon as my meat. 

 

I definitely felt warm feelings about the Eggs Rothko (cheese galore!), but my only complaint would be that it was on the small side.  I guess that was to be expected with the $9 price point.  If you do order this dish, and I suggest you do, definitely get a side order of something, but not the caramelized grapefruit with mint, as Ian and Laurel were not impressed as it seemed like no one gave it the proper care it deserved.  Our waitress was a cheerful gal with a good attitude about serving such a large gaggle.  And if you’re into restaurants that farm from their own farm, Egg has a farm in Upstate New York, cool.

Restaurant experiment: Native

Native

161 Lenox Avenue at West 118th Street

New York, NY 10026

212-665-2525

http://harlemnativenyc.com

After chilling at Lily’s place, Dave and I wandered around the area, on the prowl for brunch.  Yelp helpfully suggested Native which wasn’t much of a hike away.  What was appealing about Native was the open front area, and it was a perfect day: just warm enough and sunny with no humidity.  We also scoped out nearby Il Caffe Latte which also served brunch but had more of a coffeehouse vibe.  And a rainbow flag sticker told me that Native is gay-friendly too, which is something you don’t find too often in Harlem.

Even though brunch was about to end, there were still a decent amount of people in Native’s seating area.  There is also a bar where some TVs were set up.  Going to their website, you can score a free mojito for being a Facebook fan, cool.  The dining area has some impressive paintings by Harlem artist Seahawk Wang-Radojcic.  There’s a giant canvas with a girl in the middle of a crosswalk that you can’t miss, both literally and figuratively.

Our wavy-haired waiter Moses had a good attitude.  Dave and I ordered the $12 and $15 brunch deals: the former was your dish with coffee and juice, and the latter was your dish with an alcoholic beverage, in this case, a bloody mary.  Dave approved of the bloody mary so that was that.  We witnesses two men sit down a few minutes after 4, wanting brunch, and then leaving because it was after 4 and brunch would not be given to them.  Native is really strict about that 4:00 brunch end time.

Dave and I both ordered the Eggs Norwegian which was Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon substituting for Canadian bacon.  And we selected home fries as the side over normal fries and salad.  Even though you get some salad on the side, weird.  The hash browns were pale but sure did have a wonderful amount of seasoning, with little spice bursts here and there.

Dave mentioned that the eggs were not very hot which I concurred with.  But otherwise, the eggs were stellar.  Okay, the actual eggs could have used a little more salt, but the hollandaise was rockin.’  Pairing salmon and eggs with spinach was daring but worked.  Ooh, I liked it!

The bathroom was out of paper towels.  The checks come out in little Chinese satin checkbook covers, cute.  Moses didn’t bring out the coffee but went and got it after we mentioned it.  Anyway, Native overall is a pleasant brunch space in Harlem and I would suggest it for Eggs Norwegian!

Restaurant experiment: Colicchio & Sons

Colicchio & Sons

85 Tenth Avenue at 15th Street

New York, NY 10011

212-400-6699

http://www.colicchioandsons.com/

Stacy and I showed up at Colicchio & Sons for our brunch reservation and were seated right away even without Esther; none of that full party nonsense.  What a spacious and inviting space!  I hadn’t been to Craftsteak when it existed so I don’t know how different the two are.  Pretty Chelsea location too, with the Hudson in the background behind a patch of park, and the High Line on the other side.  Colicchio & Sons, established 2010 as the sign informs you, is generous with the glass: two story windows make up the walls.  The trademark glass wine cellar is prominent, up a flight of stairs.  Piled up firewood welcomes you into the eatery.

Italian-influenced Colicchio & Sons is divided into the Tap Room and the Dining Room.  As you might have gleaned, the Tap Room offers tons of beers on tap.  Even some that are more than $20!  There is somewhat of a more relaxed vibe going on in the front Tap Room, and by relaxed, I mean cheaper.  Brunch is only served in the Tap Room which is welcome news for your pocketbook.

The space really is galaxy-sized, by Manhattan standards.  Stacy stated that she was glad that the tables weren’t smooshed on top of each other (she and Esther were just at Prune recently which is guilty of that).  Prices are reasonable for brunch, with most entrees around $10-$14.  Esther, Stacy, and I all had issues picking out our mains because each choice sounded appealing.  Finally I went with the Tenth Avenue Hangover which consisted of soffritto tripe, poached eggs, and beer sabayon ($12).  I do like the unique dishes.  They call out to me.  I didn’t know what to expect so I was a little surprised when the dish came out in a generous soup bowl.

We split an order of the lemon cream donuts.  Warm and sugary and lemony.  Man, I could have done with about five more of those guys.  We were also presented with small bread balls which came with a killer apple butter-ish topping.  Deelish!  And there were also triangles of complimentary bread.

And now, the Hangover.  The baby chives were cute.  Firstly, I fancy poached eggs, so that was a plus.  And tripe, it’s also near and dear to me.  The dish as a whole verged on salty, but it was flavorful enough.  If you like onion tastes, this is your friend.  While I lacked a hangover, I could see how this would either help remedy that malady (the richness of the cream and the eggs) or jokingly give you one since there was beer in the sabayon which I couldn’t taste all that much anyway.

Sabayon–eggy creamy custard (the yellow in the shot below)

Soffritto–I was aware beforehand that sofrito is a base used in Latin American cooking.  It’s basically the same thing in Italian cooking, a tomato-onion sauce with other veggies.  You can’t see it in the picture because it’s hidden.

You can see Esther’s Carolina rice johnny cake with duck confit & red-eye gravy in the background.  Good gravy!

Stacy kindly let Esther and I have some of her onion, potato, country ham, & sunnyside up egg pizza.  Brunch pizza, how about that.  Recommended, but my heart still lies with the Tenth Avenue Hangover.

Top Chef fans: Chef Colicchio can be found cooking here most nights of week, stated our waiter.  No sightings for us though.  And no matchbooks either to round out my Craft and Craftbar set!

Restaurant experiment: Ottomanelli New York Grill

Ottomanelli NY Grill

1424 Lexington Avenue at 93rd Street

New York, NY 10128

212-426-6886

http://www.nycotto.com/new_york_grill.php

Okay Ottomanelli, if you state that you open at 11am, open at 11am.  Don’t make Lily and I waste time at a nearby snobby pet store.  And they were still setting up while patrons such as us were ready to place orders.  Hmm.

All might be forgotten because this place has a sick brunch deal on the weekends.  For $10, you get two alcoholic drinks (mimosa, Prosecco, Bloody Mary), tea or coffee, and an entree.  Some of the entree choices included challah french toast, frittatas, and omelettes.  Lily and I settled on burgers.  There is a wide selection of cheeses to pick from which helped mollify me.  I decided to mix it up and nix blue in favor of creamy goat.  Service was slightly nice though inattentive and a little slow, oh well (I asked for tea and got coffee).  I asked for our seconds of booze and we were both served the same drink as our first even though that’s not what we wanted.  At least we could trade because Lily and I both wanted the same drinks in the reverse order.  And the mimosas and Proseccos were having no complaints for me.  Bloody Mary fans, you’ll have to find out how they are yourself.

Waffle fries do mix it up a little (ah, memories of Chick-fil-A) , and the huge pickle wedge is fab.  No tomato served with the burger oddly enough, maybe Ottomanelli thinks ketchup will serve both roles?  Earning points with me was the generosity of the goat cheese serving.  Meat-wise, you basically can’t go wrong with a burger from a restaurant that has its own butcher shop.

On our way out, the waiter stopped us because he thought we were talking about his hometown in Florida.  We weren’t.  ???  If you’re dying to have a killer brunch deal in this economy, you’ll find it in several locations in the Upper East of Ottomanelli NY Grills.

Restaurant experiment: Permanent Brunch & Burger

Permanent Brunch

95 First Avenue between between 5th and 6th Streets

New York, NY 10003

212-533-3315

http://www.permanentbrunch.com/

What do you do when it’s past 4pm on a Sunday and brunch has already stopped being served at two East Village establishments you visit?  Permanent Brunch to the rescue!  I had seen this in my Zagat but it was new so it hadn’t yet been reviewed.  Maybe that was cause to hesitate?  But Dave wanted brunch as we were in the mood to try something new other than our old faithful 7A and PB&B was right there and all…

The place was oven hot when we stepped in but at least that was rectified soon enough.  Permanent Brunch is definitely small, probably seating 20-25 people.  Both Dave and I admired the decor: the sliding door to the bathroom, cases containing antique store finds, mason jars filled with beanery, glass wall tiles created from subway photos.

For a beverage, I selected the bellisimo (sp?) which was passionfruit purée and champagne.  Sadly, I was told that they were out of passionfruit purée.  Instead I selected the mimosa which was fine; drinks were $9-10, kinda steep, no?

The brunch items were pretty appealing, like gingerbread pancakes and mac and cheese.  But no eggs Benedict?  I was crushed.  Dave and I ended up sharing the fried chicken and waffles ($14) and the ham and cheese stuffed french toast ($13).  Unfortunately, the waffles were room temperature which led us to wondering why that was.  The fried chicken was fine but couldn’t touch my beloved sizzled bird from The Redhead.

I actually liked the stuffed french toast because I’m not a huge french toast person, and it was more like sweet bread really.  I must add that the sandwich is supposed to come with fries but that “they ran out of fries.”  Seriously, what?  Why is “Burger” in your name and you don’t have fries?  Yet, home fries were substituted for the absent french fries?  Don’t get it.  Running out of passionfruit, yeah I could fathom that, but french fries is quite questionable.  At least the home fries were seasoned well and tasty.  We ordered a side of applewood bacon which was perfectly all right but could have been crispier.

Our waitress was not going to be winning any awards for stellar service.  She brought out the entrees before the drinks.  After ages passed and the check requested did not arrive, after being reminded, she clasped her hand to her mouth. 

The menu states that you can manipulate the playlist with your iPhone with the Remote application.  Too bad I wasn’t with a crew of Apple wielding cohorts.

Curses!  Totally should have checked out the reviews on Yelp before going.   Cash only.