Brunch in New York

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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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Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay has built his international empire up through plenty of slick . . . and at times coarse . . . strategies on loan from show business hucksterism.  Were he not genuinely a world-class talent ever striving to surpass himself in the kitchen, and charming besides, you might object to his promotional methods.

One characteristic running gag involved actress Joan Collins.  Ramsay threw her out of his Royal Hospital Road restaurant because she was in the company of a critic he didn’t like.  Then, Ramsay apologized, saying that his mother loves Joan Collins.  Joan went on his television show; he taught her to make an omelet.  It all happened as though according to a recipe for heavy-handed contrivance. 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 »

Photo Credit www.askmissa.com

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Elegance and veganism don’t always go hand in hand. But Candle 79 has cornered the market on upscale, biodynamic fine dining – free of animal products. It’s been offering a farm-to-table menu since 2003, before the idea became popular among foodies.

The brunch menu is limited and not particularly cheap, but you can taste the care that has gone into the preparation. A $28 prix fixe includes a choice of entrée and dessert and smoothie, juice or mimosa. 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 »