Tag Archives: brunch

Brunch at The Cottage in La Jolla San Diego!

Posted on January 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

After a gorgeous wedding in San Diego this past summer we finally tried The Cottage restaurant in La Jolla.  Since the fiance went to college in San Diego his buddies were always talking about this place.  I was so excited when they decided this was the place for the post-wedding meal.

Although they are known for their stuffed french toast, we tried it all.  From the tuna salad-stuffed avocado to the Chilaquiles everything on this menu was outrageous. Even Pretty Things had to try the house-like restaurant on her trip to San Diego… and has incredible photos of her brunch too..

courtesy of The Cottage

LaJollaFrenchToast

La Jolla French Toast

Not only was the menu phenomenal, but the service and gorgeous “front lawn” seating made the experience even better. If you’re ever in San Diego, this is a DEFINITE recommendation.

For more than just brunch, but a great burger, Food Smackdown has some other insight for The Cottage too!

The Information:
7702 Fay Ave
San Diego, CA 92037
858-454-8409

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Bloody mary, brunch

Tagged , , , ,

Brunch at Phillip Marie in the West Village

Posted on January 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

After reading rave reviews of Phillip Marie we knew we had to try this brunch.  The West Village charm is incredible, and the food is even more.  Upon arrival there was already a line out the door – good thing we had a reservation.  However, similar to most hot-spots, we needed the full party in order to sit.

wall decor - ain't that the truth

Review:
After we finally sat down we were immediately served with brunch cocktails – mimosas all around served with a  splash of vodka.  (Yes, champagne, OJ and vodka)!  Of course, I started with a bloody mary – it was not the best.  So I quickly switched to the mimosa cocktail. These were serious mimosas for the serious bruncher..

  • a perfect fruity starter

Crab cake Benedict

  • 2 Crab Cakes Topped with Poached Eggs & Hollandaise and Skillet Potatoes 
  • The crab cake and eggs benedict was “perfect”

Traditional Egg Benedict

  • Traditional and perfect!  Served with 3 eggs and skillet potatoes

Buttermilk Pancakes

  • Topped with Fresh Whipped Cream & Strawberries
  • Pancakes were tasty with homemade cream (no syrup needed)

Frittatta was runny and delicious - the potatoes were incredible!

  • Unfortunately, this frittata is no longer on the menu

But no worries, we enjoyed our meal before having all of our refills of the strong mimosa cocktail.  Next thing we knew, we ended up having a major Sunday Funday throughout the West Village!

Last Call:
This is hands down one of the best brunch experiences thus far.  The food was overall fantastic, the price was fair,  the service was incredible and most of the all, the laid back yet preppy atmosphere was perfect for a summer-time brunch.  I’m looking to head back this winter!

Brunch Review:  5 out of 5 mimosas

The Information
Phillip Marie
569 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
(at 11th ave)
212-242-6200

→ Leave a comment

Posted in AYCD, Bloody mary, brunch, favorite brunch, Great Food, Great Service, Greenwich Village, mimosa, NYC Brunch, West Village

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Brunch at Diablo Royale West Village

Posted on December 12, 2011 | 2 Comments

Thank the devil for Diablo Royale West Village!  We’ve been here twice but this review is for the first time experience…

Review:
Without a reservation three of us walked into Diablo and sat immediately with incredible cinnamon chips that tasted similar to Stacy’s Chips.  Since we were in the West Village on a Sunday for brunch there were several large and

Bloody Mary Bar at Diablo Royale

loud parties around us which seemed to cause our server some anxiety:  he was alright but clearly the only person working the floor.

While we waited to order the food we also immediately opted for the $25 unlimited drink special with our meal and went right to the Bloody Mary Bar (or Maria for those who chose Tequila instead of vodka) and created our own concoctions.  This is an immediate plus for the maven! (Note:  This was not an option in the Fall and perhaps is only available in Spring/Summer).

Grilled Steak and Eggs

  • Grilled steak with tomatoes, onions & pico de gallo served with two fried eggs
  • Delicious and tender steak
  • The home fries and chipotle sauce was perfectly marinated and the perfect mix of peppers and onions

Chillequiles

  • Tomatillo & tortilla chip casserole with eggs over easy, chihuahua cheese & your choice of chicken, carnitas, or vegetables
  • So savory and delicious – like nachos for breakfast

Of course, after all the food we couldn’t help but want to try all of the cocktails at the venue, since we also have enjoyed a happy hour or late night bar stop at Diablo.  The drinks were sinful:

The Ricky house specialty cocktail

  • Dos Equis and frozen margarita mix – a devilish duo

Mimosa, Bloody Maria and Sangria

Although the service was great and the food was incredible.. since we were only a party of 3 the server asked that we move from our table to the bar because people were waiting. We understand the need to turn over tables.. but we had not been seated for the 1.5 hours noted on the menu and the two other large parties had been there before us.. and they did not have any food in front of them for nearly 20 minutes.  We were a little tiffed when asked to move and close our tab…

Last Call
Hands down the best Mexican brunch in NYC – but we recommend coming with a large party as you may get a bit better service.  The Bloody Mary Bar in the warmer months is a plus as well.  We have already been here twice and still receive the same less than mediocre service, but the ambiance, food and decor even it out.

Brunch Review: 4.75 out of 5 mimosas
The Information:
Diablo Royale West
189 W 10th St
New York, NY 10014
(between Bleeker & W 4th St)

East Village Location:
167 Avenue A
New York, NY 10009
(between 1oth & 11th St)

www.diabloroyale.com

→ 2 Comments

Posted in All you can drink, AYCD, Bloody mary, brunch, favorite brunch, Great Food, Greenwich Village, Mexican Brunch, mimosa, NYC Brunch, West Village

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Brunch at Braai in Hell’s Kitchen

Posted on October 19, 2011 | Leave a comment

Pomegranate Mimosas

We can’t remember how we found this place.. we’re just glad we did. A girlfriend and I decided to catch up during mid-summer and stumbled upon this restaurant hidden on 51st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.   This South African restaurant, Braai really had it all:

  • Filled dining room and patio/outside seating (but not overly crowded)
  • Hot wait staff
  • Strong cocktails (mimosas.. aka champagne with a hint of pomegranate.. yes pomegranate and just a hint)
  • Great food
  • Great prices
  • Great menu

Pastries, butter and Jam

Review:
The server greeted us immediately with our cocktails, jam, butter and delicious pastries.  They were so sweet and moist there was no need for butter…  Like most of the food it was a smaller serving size with enormous taste.  The greatest thing of all was the deal:  about $8-15 for your entrée and $12 all you can drink mimosas, or $12 buy one get one  Peri-Peri Mary (South African style Bloody Mary).

Side of "Slap"

  • The side of fries were great.  Served with ketchup and a dill sauce, it was a great non-greasy spin on the typically greasy side.
Safari Style Breakfast Sandwich

Safari Style Breakfast Sandwich

  • Fried egg, sautéed spinach, feta and onions on a toasted English muffin.  Good thing I love sautéed spinach, otherwise I may have thought it was overdone :)

Ostrich Benedict

  • Yes, Ostrich Benedict.  Eggs Benedict with Ostrich – it was definitely interesting and the meat was a bit more chewy than a burger, but overall it was nice to say we tried it.  We will likely not order this one again but worth a try if you like to experiment with different foods and meats.

Last Call:  This food and service was outrageous.  The menu is phenomenal.  It took us a while to figure out what to order.  So there is only one solution, must try this brunch again!  Especially if the cocktails stay strong and the service stays great.

Brunch Review: 4 out of 5 mimosas

The Information:
329 W 51st Street
New York, New York
212 315 3315
http://www.braainyc.com/

→ Leave a comment

Posted in AYCD, brunch, favorite brunch, Great Food, Great Service, Hell's Kitchen, Inexpensive, mimosa, NYC Brunch, South African

Tagged , , , , , ,

AYCD Brunch: New Cocktail

Posted on March 2, 2011 | 1 Comment

Before finally checking out Eataly on Saturday, I made myself a nice large pot of coffee at home.  The best friend was in town from Tampa so we had a full day of sightseeing and shopping planned.

Fast forward several hours, and I seemed to have left half of my coffeepot un-drunk! Since it was time to start getting ready for a crazy night around the City, I decided to drink it instead of my typical 5-hour energy.  But then, rather than drinking it with my milk and sugar, I had the most amazing “Aha” moment:

This would be really great with some Kahlua in it..

What should I name it?

So I made this incredible concoction:

  • 2 shots of Kahlua
  • 2 shots of Vodka
  • 1.5 cups of coffee
  • Dash of cinnamon
  • .5 tsp of cane sugar

And WHAM!  The most delicious drink ever.  I gladly sipped this new cocktail and even made some shots for the girls before heading out.

Although it was delicious as a pre-drinking cocktail with some caffeine to keep you awake, it would also be a GREAT new Brunch cocktail.

This weekend, I have a goal to order this new drink at Brunch.. although it may bit a bit pricey.
Drink up kids!

If you have any recommendations for the new drink’s name, please let me know!

→ 1 Comment

Posted in brunch, Recipes

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Brunch Fail: East Village Tavern

Posted on February 24, 2011 | 1 Comment

Another day another NYC AYCD brunch. Three-day weekends are mini-vacations made for us career-driven, weekend-warrior, stress cases in New York City. The only way to celebrate is with double brunch!

East Village Tavern for AYCD Brunch

We thought East Village Tavern would answer all of our AYCD brunch prayers

After Saturday’s brunchen escapades at Yerba Buena and post-brunch at Destination Bar, I was feeling great. Then, in my champagne haze I was appointed reservation maker for our Sunday Brunch, party of 10. I called 4 places, and was convinced Virage took my name and number, when we showed up on Sunday it was a no-go. Superfail.

So there we were, 10 of us with no place to brunch! So we opted to head toward brunch heaven, aka East Village and pledged to find something, and there it was, what we thought would be a great choice: East Village Tavern. Superfail # 2.

Review:
Nearly everything about this place failed. From the ice in my mimosa, the mimosas being served in a draft glass, a hair in one of the girl’s drinks. Add on some stale beer scent, super-dive-y atmosphere, little-to-no seating and a terrible server, and you have East Village Tavern.

My Rant: Drinks were almost never filled, the food was decent but very much like “bar food”, small portions. Rather than serving us drinks, the bartender was counting her tips. Which brings me to our waitress: What awful service! She was slow, mean, grumpy, lazy… She even came up, no warning and told us that our AYCD deal has expired (limit to 1 hour.. But who ever really honors that anyway)?? There was a gleam of hope when looking at the menu-there was a decent selection of drinks we could order that is included in brunch. In the fail-fashion of EVT, however, there was no flavored vodka at the bar to make our drinks.  Now the food, it was decent.  Sabra had the pancakes.. they weren’t the greatest.  I had the Veggie Omelet and salad.  It was decent, but it came with cheese even though the menu description

did not include cheese.  Britt had the burger, which she claims was one of the best burgers she has had in a while.  She scarfed that thing down in 2 minutes flat!  The other Court had the Chicken Wrap, but she focused on the sweet potato fries.  And Natalie had the Breakfast Burrito.. which she claims was decent.  Eh.

East Village Tavern Burger: Great Burger, better Sweet Potato Fries

The only reasons we didn’t leave this place:
1. We trekked all the way to Avenue C
2. They served the best sweet potato fries I’ve had in a while (And Britt loved her burger)
3. The music wasn’t that bad

Last call: This brunch experience was simply sub-par. I’d skip this venue and never return. (for Brunch).. but check out the Yelp reviews for other reasons to stop by.

Brunch Review: 1 mimosa

Price:  $15.95 AYCD for 1 hour plus your brunch meal

The Info:
East Village Tavern
158 Avenue C
New York, NY 10009
212-253-8400

→ 1 Comment

Posted in All you can drink, Alphabet City, AYCD, East Village, Inexpensive, Manhattan, Poor Service, Seedy

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,