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There’s nothing quite as pleasing to the psyche on a weekend morning in spring as a casual outdoor brunch. And Benchmark in Park Slope — with its spacious outdoor dining area, a menu of hearty but tastefully prepared twists on American classics, and welcoming service — is a perfect choice for such an experience. This restaurant is tucked around the corner from Park Slope’s busy Fifth Avenue. Open for just over a year, the restaurant offers a creative New American menu, with a focus on locally-grown produce and pasture-raised animals.
Because of a threatening rain, we picked a cozy table in the outdoor courtyard dining area. The space is long and roomy, surrounded by brick buildings and covered overhead with hanging, triangular fabric tarps - a nice change from the usual tables with umbrellas. While we perused the menu, we started with coffee, and a Benchmark Mary, which, as a twist on the classic, uses bourbon in place of vodka and adds a nice, thick cut of beef jerky alongside the celery stalk. It was a perfectly crafted blend.
Benchmark’s brunch menu is broad and full of classics (pancakes, omelets, biscuits and gravy) and more interesting offerings (pulled duck confit salad, crabcake benedict). As we debated, the waiter brought the most magnificent miniature, warm berry muffins along with a jar of homemade jam. (Dessert as a first course is always appreciated.)
We finally settled on our main courses: egg white omelet with tomato, wild mushrooms, and avocado ($10) – admittedly not the most adventurous choice, but done well by the kitchen – light and airy with lots of fresh veggies. To balance the lightness of the omelet, we upgraded the breakfast potatoes that come on the side to the must-try Benchmark Home Fries ($6 as a side; $1 extra as an upgrade). Baked in a small cast iron dish, the diced potatoes are smothered in gruyere cheese and a just-spicy-enough salsa. Also rich and satisfying was the Frenchy omelet ($12) with duck confit, goat cheese and thyme, and served with crispy breakfast potatoes and toast.
We were impressed by everything we sampled at Benchmark, and made plans to return again soon for another outdoor brunch – or a hearty, boozy dinner.
Brunch at Benchmark (Park Slope)
339-A 2nd St.
Hours : Sa-Su 10am-3pm
Lauren Dover – LOVED every sgnlie one of these pictures! They captured the joy and happiness of this wonderful day!
I would have a dfuifcilt time parting with any of my books (to the chagrin of my husband, who has had to help move dozens of boxes of books during three moves in the last three years), but my most prized book is a copy of Little Women from 1926. It belonged to my grandmother when she was a girl. It’s not in the best condition, but it has a lot of sentimental value.
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