Brunch in New York

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The recently opened Graffit restaurant feels a bit out of place in the Lincoln Center area of the Upper West Side – and this is a compliment. The restaurant’s website defines its name as “an unconventional fusion of art and food”, and that is exactly what you will find. Chef Jesus Núñez was a graffiti artist in his native Spain, and the walls of the dining room feature murals that fuse graffiti and fine art to showstopping effect.  The restaurant’s design is truly breathtaking and transportive. Read the rest of this entry »

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Café Boulud has a most prepossessing interior, recently refreshed by designer Jeffrey Beers.  Seating niches are finished in embroidered leather, wood accents lend warmth to the space, table linens are by Rivolta Carmignani while the custom Limoges porcelain serving pieces are by Bernardaud and Rosenthal.  If your sensibilities are fired by casual chic, this room just might make you weep for joy. That star twinkling above every table is from Michelin.  The latest stars in the kitchen, meanwhile, are Executive Chef Gavin Kaysen and Pastry Chef Noah Carroll.  Before treating the brunch proper, we feel obliged to mention that Saturdays from 7 to 10a.m. and Sundays from 8 to 11, Café Boulud serves one of the city’s most civilized breakfasts. 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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Petrossian is to brunches what Renoir masterpieces are to painting.  That is not hyperbole — C’est si bon!

The enchanted main Petrossian venue in New York’s upliftingly beautiful Alwyn Court building is an oasis of soothing civility.  The French-Romanian architect Ion Orveanu, commissioned to create the most tastefully luxurious and cocooning interior known to mankind, delivered with pink Finnish granite, etched Erté mirrors, a Lanvin chandelier, Lalique crystal wall sconces and bronze sculptures from the 1930’s.  The elegant surroundings suggest elegant dress, but diners do visit sporting casual chic and are more than welcome.  The varied guests are cosmopolitan and international, and locally may be from the East Side, the West Side and all around the town. 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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Café Colette is a small café located on North 9^th Street and Berry Avenue very in the now famous and trendy area of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The place is cosy and well decorated with some black and white pictures and contemporary paintings ; some may say that you could almost feel like you are somewhere in Europe. 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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Across from the Museum of Natural History, Ocean is the perfect brunch spot to bring visiting parents (or even grandparents!). But just because it’s safe for grownups doesn’t mean it’s stuffy.  It just means that you might encounter fewer screaming children than you will elsewhere on the Upper West Side on a Sunday afternoon. And you can make a reservation ahead of time, skirting the interminable brunch lines. Read the rest of this entry »

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On the road to the perfect brunch, we make a stop at this popular Scandinavian address. The prix-fixe menu is $48 per person. Not acceptable ? Let’s see at the end of the adventure…Round one, welcome to somewhere between Stockholm and Copenhagen. The decor mostly consists of dark wood with contrasting white accents. Modern and sophisticated ! Read the rest of this entry »

Fruits, nutella and toasts...

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We found it ! A nice place to brunch without any tourists. Penelope is a tiny New Yorker oasis in the heart of Murray Hill.

Very discreet, this place is “the” spot of the neighborhood. On the weekends, you might have to wait 40 minutes to have a seat. It’s the only negative point (along with the cash only policy) but coffee is offered while you wait. Prices are more than reasonable : 14$ prix fixe with Apple Cider Mimosa or coffee/tea and orange juice.  Read the rest of this entry »