Sunday Brunch Buffet
Occasionally an inquiry appears on this board asking for comparatives on downtown's elegant Sunday brunch buffets. We have been (happily) taking guests to the Ritz-Carlton or the Four Seasons, having found the Drake somewhat gone to seed. This morning for the first time we tried the brunch at the Signature Room (on top of the Hancock) so here's a report. 1) The pastry was remarkably good---best cheesecake I have ever eaten; danishes were flaky. 2) Variety was good although not nearly as good as at the other two. There was an omelet station, two or three hot entrees, carved meat, some fruit, a nice array of seafood, waffles, and a spread of pates and smoked fish. 3) Every hot entree I sampled was stone cold, as was the lobster bisque. 4) Replacements on the line were not timely; many dishes stood empty. 5) If you do go, you must raise hell if you are not seated at a window table. Although I had made the reservation two weeks in advance, we arrived fifteen minutes early, and all of us were clean and tidy, we were shown to the worst table in the house, away from the windows and directly beneath the buffet line with no view but of the backsides of the chafing dishes. When I complained to the hostess, she responded airly, "Oh, EVERYONE wants a window table". Well, yes. Why else would anybody go to the 95th floor for breakfast?
