A Perfect NYC Brunch

Hello there,
A friend of mine is visiting me this Sunday and I have promised to take him out for a traditional NYC brunch. I'm a NYC native myself, and I was thinking of Barney Greengrass which is an Upper West Side favorite of mine... still, I'd to have a few other choices in mind and they don't have to be necessarily bagels and lox places, so what else can you experts suggest? Most importantly, I'm looking for places that scream "only in NYC" so I can show him properly what it's all about! Thanks! :)

[lynny_lynny]

Good in the village yes it is called Good
also Five Points in Noho...

I took my Philadelphia family to Time Cafe (Lafayette, near Bleecker Street) and they could not stop talking about how "New York" it was. I couldn't see why, frankly, but then again I have lived here so long that it seemed normal to me.

The food is not as gourmet as most of the other suggestions already posed here, but I think it's good, the menu selection is big, and I don't think you'd have to wait in line(or "on line" as a New Yorker would say). Maybe I am still a Philadelphian. :)

Have you tried the brunch at Trattoria dell ARte (see link below)? Even if you pass on the seafood antipasta, the lobster carbonara, frittata or pannetone, you can be perfectly happy with their great bread basket w/ marscapone and preserves and a mimosa.

Link: http://www.trattoriadellarte.com/brun...

No one's mentioned the $20.oo Prix-fixe 3-course brunch at Artisanal. I've been twice in the last six months and had excellent service and food each time.

Insatiable.

I was going to suggest Artisanal. I've had brunch there 2X in the past year or so. The prix-fixe brunch is great...a nice choice of breakfasty/lunch type of items, etc ... of course, you'll have to add a supplemental cheese course at the end .... ! (the last time I went for brunch there was on a Saturday early afternoon and it was not at all crowded..they told me Sunday is a much busier brunch day for them..)

Some other thoughts
Blue Ribbon bakery
Sugar Hill Bistro (Harlem)
Cafe Sabarsky at the Neue Museum

I like the idea someone mentioned about Chinatown - granted NYC isn't the only place with a Chinatown (indeed, Manhattan isn't even the only BOROUGH with a Chinatown) but dim sum is a classic brunchy thing. Lots and lots and lots of posts about this in zillions of threads, but I think a lot of people dig Golden Unicorn, Ping's, Sweet n' Tart and Harmony Palace, among many many others...

Another ONLY IN NYC thing that involves a lot more work, but can be as rewarding as any meal ever had here is to make haste for Russ and Daughters, buy up tastes of herring, nova, whitefish salad, dried fruit, a couple of bagels, a fresh tomato, etc, etc etc, and hop in a cab to Central Park...have a blanket and basket prepacked with a bottle of champagne, some fresh squeezed OJ, utensils...and voila - Brunch for two in THE place that makes NYC NYC.

THM

Very nice idea! BTW, I suggested dim sum and I also pointed out queens so not too worry....

[theannerska]

It is definitely more work, but one of the best and most "NYC" experiences! I've gotta try that sometime...

Norma's in the Parker Meridien is true decadence, but lately it has been disappointing food- and service-wise. At those prices you may not want to risk it. Also there's typically a wait.

Regarding Prune, it is somewhat of an only-in-New York brunch choice given the eclecticism of the menu. Much less of a wait on Saturday, or if you motivate early on Sunday (I believe they open at 10am).

-Motts

I couldn't agree more - on BOTH counts.

Norma's has always been disappointing. Must be the PR machine. It's always gotten good press but always delivered ditzy service and truly mediocre food. The have one of those menus that sounds so much better than it is rendered.

Prune, on the other hand, has become my brunch time favorite. The merveilles are great with their coffee. Great standard dishes and really interesting other selections as well. Fair prices.

Forgetting Tavern on the Green, you have some great suggestions and I'll throw in another, which is the cheaper than Balthazar (same owner) Pastis in the Meat Packing District. They have typical brunch menu with a French cast, it's large, fun and in an area that's fun to wander around in (near galleries, overpriced boutiques, etc.)

I haven't been there, but someone told me that Norma's in the Parker Meridian is one of the best brunches in NYC. I think they have a website if you want to look.

Two places that I really like for brunch are Five Points (great jones st) which has many a brunch post on this board. It works as a nyc thing because of the unusual dishes offered and it's a nice design inside or you get sidewalk seating in the east village. Then there's Good World (3 orchard st between division and canal) which is a funky but nice swedish oriented restaurant that offers a really interesting brunch and they also have bagels and smoked salmon as well as herring etc....plus it's an interesting neighborhood for a walk afterwards. And of course there's dim sum in chinatown as a brunch alternative (unless you're willing to go to queens - now there's a ny idea....)

I second Five Points, and I'd add Prune to the list. It's small, so there's always a wait, but even the line is a bit of a scene.

I'll probably get blasted for this, but I suggest Tavern on the Green. My boyfriend and I took his parents there and sat outside and they had a really good time. The brunch food is pretty good, albeit expensive ($17 omelette, anyone?), and if you can sit outside, the atmosphere is priceless, especially for out of town visitors.

The next day they brunched at Balthazar, which they also loved. So that might be another good idea.

Consider yourself blasted for that Tavern On the Green recommendation. You may be banished to the Olive Garden thread that started up elsewhere....

That said, you Balthazar brunch recommendation is an excellent one here. It's pretty loud and busy, but truly "only in New York". I find Balthazar a little bit "over" when it comes to dinner, but a recent brunch I had there was excellent. Really expensive ($40 for two without alcohol). But the bacon was the best I have ever had anywhere.

don't miss the eggs benedict at balthazar. best i've had. but skip the $12 bread basket. awful.

I guess I'm showing my age and prejuidice (old school) here, but have you considered brunch at The Plaza? Few things say, "New York" like the great hotels.