Permanent Brunch @ NYC *

Swiss Sugar-Cured Cottage Bacon

The novelty of brunch is that one may leisurely enjoy breakfast foods long after morning menus are typically folded. So what’s so special about a permanent brunch?  With The Wolseley being the pinnacle of all such establishments, in the UK the phenomenon of an all-day-breakfast is fairly widespread. When I first moved across the pond, in an albeit cliché move, once a week I organized a meal that had six girls scurrying all across London in search of the perfect brunch. Ladies Brunch, as our Google Group came to be called, was not just a calendar entry, but over time become a real community. The paradox of living in a big city is that it is easy to feel isolated. The simple reassurance of knowing that I would have familiar faces and sympathetic ears around me  on a regular basis provided a stability that was invaluable during my transition to life as a professional.

Ever since my temporary relocation to NYC, once such a central part of my routine, brunch has fallen by the wayside. I missed my Ladies. I was loathe to be victimized in the aggressive Manhattan brunch rush. Unable to resist siren call of a new restaurant, this weekend I braved a journey to the East Village, torrential rains, and a one-hour wait time in order to learn an important lesson: how to send food back at a restaurant. Thanks to the magic of Google, I’ve actually just discovered a quirky instructional video on this topic, however I would still like to share my personal experience.

A team of chefs and waitstaff working together for the first time can be expected to have growing pains; they are only human after all. Although the nifty iPod terminal with video screen projection failed as a techie interpretation of the waitlist, our server dealt briskly with each impatient, entitled New Yorker and maintained order with good old fashioned pencil and paper. Indeed, there were a few things that were very right. Bacon is the incarnation of surfeit, and establishing the city’s only artisanal bacon bar is a step worthy of pork-crazy David Chang. Yet, notwithstanding singular flares of brilliance, as a colleague of mine likes to say, “attention to detail is everything.” I’ve been eating so many strange foods lately that at first I thought a sour milkshake might have been a dish intended to cause a polarizing reaction. Upon polite inquiry, we were told that perhaps the coffee flavor was so rich as to befuddle our taste buds. Vindication was achieved when it came to light that vinegar had been accidentally added. How embarassing.

Yes, the offending item was removed from the bill. Yes, the unadulterated version was quite decent. No, I will not be returning for brunch. If you live in Manhattan and Sunday companionship and comfort food is what you seek, follow the example of my friend Seun. Welcome a few close friends into your home, sip champagne, and cook. To be cared for is to know that someone cares.  

Details: 95 1st Ave New York, NY 10003-2902 (+1-212-533-3315)