northampton brunch

[Sambossanova]

Its my 21st birthday this weekend and parents wanted to take me somewhere nice for brunch. I live in the northampton area but would be happy to go to deerfield or greenfied or anywhere else thats not too far and pleasant.

[fatheryod]

curious to hear where you ended up & how the big day went. i am always in the market for a good new brunch locale!

[Sambossanova]

Green Street Cafe. It was pretty good. What a good brunch should be....simple, fresh and tasty. the dishes were all pretty standard (eggs florentine french toast etc...). There is no liquor license so no bloody maries but yes to mimosas. The atmosphere doesnt bring exude "special occasion" ambience but that was a good thing in my mind. Thanks.

[Teraesa22]

Have you ever been to the Delaney House? They have an excellent sunday brunch. It's close to northampton-just down the road a bit in Holyoke.

[memememe]

Green Bean. The best place for breakfast in town, if you ask me. Service is a little slow, but everything is fresh and delicious. however, it's not "nice" if by nice you mean upscale.

[bewley]

I would second this, but does the Green Bean take reservations? And, does it serve wine (mimosas, etc.)?

It seems quite casual, but the menu and atmosphere look promising.

[caughtstars]

I love the Green Bean too, but it doesn't take reservations and there is always a wait on the weekends.

[Big Fat Moe]

The best and most special brunch is at Green Street Cafe. Call ahead and ask for a table by the fireplace. Perfect.

[andytee]

i forgot about green street. good call!

[andytee]

if you want to get away from the long wait in northampton, make a trip up to greenfield to check out the new brunch at the hope and olive. you can check their website for a menu.

i've never been to their brunch, but like them a lot for lunch and dinner. and since it's your 21st, avail yourself of a lovely brunch-y cocktail.

in noho, sylvester's seems to be the classic choice, expect to wait about an hour for food that is little better than good.

[caughtstars]

I love Green Street's brunch, though I haven't been for a few years..

[mjoyous]

Skip Sylvesters. Service is poor to erratic, and the last time we ate there proved it ought to be the last time. Came in at the end of breakfast, took forever to get served although the dining room had emptied, and the food wasn't even adequate-- cold, prepared with no concern. Server never came back to check on us, and we eventually were given the bill as we were walking out the door, since we had spent our "dining" time all alone.
Try Essalon Cafe on Rt 9 (headed towards Amherst) if you're up to driving--have had lunch there and it was decent.

[fame da lupo]

Skip Esselon, portion sizes are small.

[fatheryod]

second the suggestion of hope & olive in greenfield. some friends were just here this past weekend to celebrate their son's birthday (he goes to hampshire) & everyone dug the brunch quite a bit.

their site: www.hopeandolive.com

[andytee]

i really like hope & olive, probably one of my favorite places in the valley. as i said, i haven't been in for their brunch yet, but it's only because we have a newborn at home, and while that is a joy and a blessing, it makes eating out a bit more complicated.

for what it's worth, our first meal out with the newborn was at H&O, for a birthday dinner with my mother-in-law.

they have a wonderfully flexible ambiance, where a baby fits in gracefully to a extravagant birthday dinner with a bottle of wine, scallops, paella, and creme brulee, and its equally comfortable to be at the bar with a beer, a delicious burger, and an ear of grilled corn. a few weeks ago they were out promoting their brunch at the greenfield farmers market and were giving away delicious egg sandwiches on rosemary bread with good cheese and grilled onions and bacon.

anyhow, take a look and if you are up for a drive check them out. probably less than 30 minutes from noho, and easy free parking and no wait. if you consider the 30min-1hour wait at most noho places, the drive is a bargain. but the main point is the food, and it's good.

[fatheryod]

managed to make it there for brunch today & it was as fine as usual. my wife had a cranberry stuffed french toast thing that was quite excessive ($9) and i had the flanged flarney garney breakfast sandwich ($8.50),which is lovely egg,bacon & cheese sandwich with carmelized onions,aoli and tomato. the only duff touch was some melon with my wife's meal that was as hard as the season. typical. but my spicy bloody mary and her mango mimosa ($6 each) were both great, and the vibe and warmth of the place are exceedingly pleasant. i saw they're gonna be doing a special party for the election, with dinner served until 8 and the bar open until the california returns come in. i may well avail myself of the option,

[bewley]

I wish I could have attended.