Brunch in New York

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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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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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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 »

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There are five rules to brunching at Beaumarchais, which changed names recently but not its vibe—a crazy, club-like scene that repeats itself every weekend and now goes under the name “Le Grand Brunch”:

1. Dress up. Everyone else will be wearing club gear anyway, even at noon in mid-summer. This especially applies to women: cocktail dresses are practically required. Guys tend to go jackets-‘n-jeans, Cote d’Azur white suits with Panama hats, and the like. It’s all France, all the time here. So don’t come in jeans and a ripped tee, okay? Read the rest of this entry »

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We have a problem with this brunch : Paul rated it 4/5 but Scott rated it 2/5… Both are great food journalists, so we let you decide!

Paul’s critic:

New York foodies have long known all about chef Tom Colicchio, a local guy whose spreading empire of niche restaurants have gradually taken over the city’s Flatiron district to rave reviews.

His latest endeavor, though, abandons his safe traditional ground for the uncertainty of far west Chelsea: parked between a gas station, a big intersection, and the back end of the food-filled Chelsea Market, this is nothing if not a gamble. A gamble that, food-wise at least, is paying off. Read the rest of this entry »

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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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Entzückend.  That German word for charming is entirely apropos to Wallsé, the Michelin-starred Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner’s homage to his Austrian hometown on the Danube.  Situated in lively yet relaxed environs in the far West Village, the restaurant, physically, is characterized by tasteful, unusual appointments including genuine Adolph Loos Viennese café chairs and Julian Schnabel’s impactful portrait of Chef Gutenbrunner.  The storefront’s generously-sized-windows mean that at brunch time – Saturdays and Sundays between 11a.m. and 2:15p.m. — copious natural light enlivens the interior. 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 »