Brunch in New York

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Coco Chanel famously said that the opposite of luxury is not poverty, but rather vulgarity.  She might have deemed Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant Perry Street the very summit of luxuriousness.

The fumed oak tables, amuse-l’oeil patterned carpeting, comforting white leather banquettes, graciously cantilevered lamps and black resin bar with matching leather stools are artfully poised within the U-shaped space, all custom-conceived by Thomas Juul-Hansen, an erstwhile associate of the Pritzger Prize-winning architect Richard Meier, who designed the glass tower above the restaurant.  A sheer mesh over the floor-to-ceiling windows softens incoming sunlight without in the least impeding views of the shimmering Hudson River. Read the rest of this entry »

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We quickly forget about the hustle and bustle of the street on entering this oasis, perched atop the roof of the Hotel Chantelle. We are welcomed by a few notes of jazz and the smile of the charming waitress who leads us to our table. The roof is packed as it is a beautiful day. Bloody Mary or Mimosa, the choice is a tricky one. We choose one of each! The menu is simple, typical of the Lower East Side: 4 starters and pancakes in the guise of a main course. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo credit Black Book

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Bistro Bagatelle is moving to another location! Discover now the Brasserie Beaumarchais!

If you’re single, rich and European in NYC and didn’t score on Friday or Saturday night, fear not. Brunch at Bistro Bagatelle is basically an after-after hours party; except that most of the folks dining here on an early weekend afternoon look as though they got a good night’s sleep and went to the gym that morning. Easily one of the most expensive brunches in the city, Bistro Bagatelle wants you to show up with a big appetite for cocktails and socializing – both will be indulged. Read the rest of this entry »

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Just a few meters from the noisy St Mark’s Place, welcome to a cosy place to brunch in a sumptuous garden. One of the most beautiful in the city ! On a sunny day, impossible to resist to a table in this perfectly arranged patio with paving stones, a little fountain, abounding vegetation on wall and above you. It’s gorgeous and lovely.

Inside, it’s not bad either. When you penetrate in the main dining room, you also understand why the restaurant is called The Cloister Cafe. Its stained glass windows procure a real sensation of peace… You don’t have other options : you just fall in love with the place. Read the rest of this entry »

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There’s no more famous place, perhaps, to brunch in all of New York than at Keith McNally’s Balthazar. Or at least there wasn’t when this place first opened to much fanfare in 1997. The stars started coming… and then they stopped, lured away by other McNally ventures and a ton of newer, hipper places. That hasn’t stopped Soho locals or tourists from scoping the place out, though. McNally fell all over himself doing up the French brasserie thing here: tiled floors, reddish banquettes and chairs, wine bottles stacked high behind the bar; a bit of lit glass paneling (in a stained-glass effect) adorning the thick columns; heavy leanings toward French food…heck, the waitresses are even by turns gorgeous, ditzy, and snooty. Read the rest of this entry »

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Sant Ambroeus is a sophisticated little corner of Milano in New York’s West Village.  Come here for brunch, your head swirling with fantasies of Lombardic beauty and glamour – the breathtaking view from the roof of the Duomo, the Triumphal Arch of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Neoclassical façade of La Scala and of course, the bounteous, succulent, palate-delighting cuisine.

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New Yorkers are pretty sharply divided about Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Asian street food-concept fusion restaurant Spice Market. Half of them see it as a smashing fusion success, blending exotic ingredients and ideas with French culinary excellence to great effect. The other half feel like the place is just a little (or a lot) too précieux—the gorgeous servers wear bright orange, vaguely Buddhist tunics—and overpriced (you can’t get a cocktail here for less than $12).

All that may be true enough. But we’re about the food… and, for the most part, Jean-Georges delivers on that count in spades. Read the rest of this entry »

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Antibes Bistro is a lovely, welcoming French bistro with a distinctly neighborhood feel on a sleepy stretch of Suffolk just above Delancey St. The minimal foot traffic means that you will likely get seated right away or shortly after your arrival. In the warmer months, we suggest taking advantage of the outdoor seating  - even if it is quite warm you will be perfectly comfortable in the shady, semi-enclosed patio area. Although Antibes Bistro does not offer a brunch prix fixe special, the prices are so reasonable that you can feel free to order à la carte without worrying about what your bill will look like. Read the rest of this entry »

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Sanctuary T is a slightly misleading name for a restaurant with the sound and energy found in this bustling Soho teahouse during weekend brunch. The concept aims to combine a serene, removed setting with the full-service experience New Yorkers have come to expect.  This works during the week with thinner crowds, when you can really appreciate the restaurant’s clean yet warm design. But on weekends, it is difficult to distinguish Sanctuary T from any other overcrowded Soho bistro. Read the rest of this entry »

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Onieal’s is a quaint brunch spot located in the historic SoHo neighborhood. Due to its fame from appearances on the television series, “Sex and the City“, it is a frequent stop for fans on sightseeing tours. Onieal’s is especially accommodating by making its brunch menu available both daily and weekends. Brunch items include “eggs your own way,” eggs Benedict, pancakes, sides of crispy bacon or home fries, Panini, sandwiches and salads. Read the rest of this entry »

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For a modest, friendly brunch destination, Tavern on Jane is the place to go. Its long wooden bar, brick walls, and fireplace create a warm, inviting atmosphere. Enjoy a hearty, very reasonably priced brunch. The prix-fixe brunch includes a brunch entrée, a basket of muffins and croissants, home fried potatoes, fresh fruit and toast. But that is not all. Complement your meal with a complimentary brunch cocktail. Read the rest of this entry »

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Sometimes you want a good meal. Sometimes you want good music. Sometimes you want both. And sometimes, you don’t care if you get both or not. Folks, GARAGE is like that.

See, they promise a quintessential New York experience (heretofore known as “the jazz brunch”), in the heart of the quintessential New York nabe (the West Village). And you do get jazz, and you do get brunch. Except that the execution of one of these two critical halves of the experience is so poor that you may or not be able to forgive the place. Read the rest of this entry »

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Beauty & Essex is, quite simply, a fantastic and innovative brunch experience—absolutely worth putting on your brunch ‘bucket list’ whether you’re a hip local Brooklynite day-tripping into the city or an Arkansas traveler just passing through.

Brought to you by Portuguese-American chef/owner Chris Santos, he of the equally-uber-hip Stanton Social eating club nearby, this place takes “speakeasy” to new heights: you actually enter through a pawn shop that looks like a real pawn shop. (On closer examination, it is real. You can actually buy the guitars hanging up on the wall and the books stacked up in a corner, for the prices indicated on the tags.) But, truth be told, this pawn operation is mostly just a cool façade—and a mighty convincing one, too. If you didn’t know there was a restaurant here, you’d probably walk right on by it. In fact, even knowing it’s here, it’s a little hard to believe this is actually the place given the drab surroundings. But it is. Read the rest of this entry »