Brunch plus entertainment?

[dgh204]

Longtime lurker, first time poster.

I am poised to have an incredibly uncomfortable dining experience this coming Saturday, and so I am seeking an establishment that serves brunch/lunch with entertainment (define as you see fit) so as to provide a necessary distraction to aforementioned discomfort. The less opportunity there is for idle chit-chat, the better.

So chowhound, are there any places, in the cheap-moderate price range, no more than a 15 minute drive (w/ relatively painfree parking) from Greenpoint that will both feed and entertain on a Saturday afternoon? It will be a party of 3 or 4, two of whom are coming from out of town, in their mid-60s, and one in particular who finds himself generally dissatisfied by food and/or service no matter where I take him. Thoughts?

[Brklynbobby]

Let me take a wild guess . . . in-laws? Why don't you go to Peter Luger? No entertainment, but it's loud in there and you won't be able to hear each other anyway.

[Tay]

Brklynbobby.
"So chowhound, are there any places, in the cheap-moderate price range"

Aside from the lack of entertainment, I don't think PL's would fall into the OP's price range

(BTW, I'm also pretty curious as to the scenario/circumstances. :----) )

[Brklynbobby]

You are so right, Tay. Forgot about the budget part, but they could order burgers and lunch is not nearly as expensive as dinner.

[kathryn]

You mean like a jazz brunch? Where it's loud enough you don't have to make conversation?

[dgh204]

Peter Luger is a great suggestion for lunchtime fare, however, I have taken one of the two before, and he wasn't overly impressed. Though I do appreciate, Brklynbobby, your thoughtfulness in identifying a place loud enough so as not to be heard :)

kathryn, a jazz brunch would be great. Ideally, something cheesey like the Stardust in Times Square, where their singing overpowers everything, would be good (although on a normal day, it would be the last place I'd be caught dead in). I've just run into a wall in finding anything in Brooklyn or Queens that can do the trick. Due to physical constraints, walking/subwaying it is out of the question.

As for scenario...think more along the lines of meet your new mommy.

[Tay]

If you can do it on Sunday and venture out to (Gasp!) SI, I've got just the place for you. :-)

[dgh204]

Saturday is the scheduled day, though Sunday is the 'Raindate.' It makes me feel like some sort of sporting event.

Regardless, I have no fear of Staten Island. I was just there on the 4th, and enjoyed a perfectly eery afternoon at Snug Harbor followed by a SI Yankees game.

[Tay]

dgh204
"Saturday is the scheduled day, though Sunday is the 'Raindate.' It makes me feel like some sort of sporting event"

Sounds like a combat sport...

I thought the buffet brunch at the SI Hilton might have been just the ticket for your somewhat , uhhh, 'uncomfortable' circumstance. Light jazz piano in the background. Lots of time away from the table spent at the buffet. Plenty of idle, innocous conversation/commentary about the buffet offerings. Time spent together dictated by how quickly/slowly patrons choose to spend within a 2 hr framework. Plenty of free parking, $30 PP incl one mimosa/bloody mary(sounds like you'll need it) and unlimited carafes of oj/cranberry juice.For those of us who have out of towners coming into Newark/Liberty and actually want to hang out and talk, they also have a huge sitting area/lounge in which to spend time after brunch is finished.
Unfortunately, it's not served on Sats, nor does it meet your 15 min drive criteria.
So sorry. :-(

[kathryn]

IIRC Bar Tabac has a jazz brunch but only Sundays. D'oh.

[LNG212]

It did when I was there (I guess it must have been a Sunday). The food was good but not all that. But we did have a great time and the music was fun.

[dgh204]

UPDATE

So, I took my out of towners to Le Barricou for brunch. I checked the postings, and it seems it has not been mentioned much, so I shall review.

They cleaned off a table for us as we got there, and we were seated within 5 minutes. It seems that there was a fairly common 10 minute wait after we were seated (@ 12:30) for brunch. The decor was quite charming. A plus right off the bat, they start you off with complimentary croissants - one butter, one chocolate. Delicious. The omelets (which were had by all) were good, not great, but the potatoes in particular were a hit. The bacon was delicious and must have side dish (enough to share for the table). I had read that they took credit cards, and nothing alerted me of otherwise, so to discover they only took AMEX was a little jarring when I went to pay. I was thankful that they had an ATM in the back, but I do not know that I would have chosen the place knowing this.

The music was great - a lot of French soul/jazz. I really appreciate when a restaurant goes to the extra effort of pairing the music to complement the decor; it adds greatly to the charming Parisian atmosphere. Plus, it was loud enough to do the trick of just nodding along with what someone else was saying, without really listening. Though I didn't find it out of the ordinary in loudness as one of my guests did. Very typical for the neighborhood; people just talk a little louder.

Servers were attentive, water was always had at our table, and the food came out quickly. However, had she asked if I wanted another Mimosa, I would have taken her up on it; she never asked.

The charming interior, lovely music, decent food and service will draw me back again at a later time. Maybe next time for dinner.

Afterward I took them to the Putting Lot on Wykoff, which is a temporary miniature golf summer exhibition. It is fantastic, and I would recommend it to most that feel comfortable moseying out to Bushwick.

We ended our afternoon at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. Not the one under the bridge, rather the one in Greenpoint on Commercial Street. It was as delicious as I had remembered, and now that the city has opened a (very tiny) park at the tip of Manhattan Avenue, the perfect place for bringing your ice cream cone and enjoying a late summer afternoon has been found.

Thanks for all of your suggestions!

-----
Le Barricou
533 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
97 Commercial St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

[Tay]

dgh204
See? You didn't need any help after all. :-)
Excellent review. Thanks for posting your experience.