Brunch NYC/BK

[Heisenbergcooksblue]

I need a great brunch spot for a bunch hungry guys who know food.. Killer bloddy Mary's are a must.. Cool atmosphere (it's a buddies bday) good wholesome innovative comfort food with a twist..in Manhattan or Bk

[Motosport]

If you are going when the weather is nicer try Riverpark and sit outside on the East River. Excellent Bloody Mary's and innovative food.

[kathryn]

When is the brunch? How many people? The law prohibits serving liquor before noon on Sundays, BTW.

"Innovative comfort food" sounds like a contradiction in terms...

Not sure what you mean by "wholesome," either.

For the best brunch in town, purely based on food:

The Breslin - lamb burger with thrice fried fries, deep fried PB&J, full English breakfast, grilled 3-cheese sandwich (with cheese on the outside), excellent bacon, great pastries

Clinton St Baking Co - blueberry pancakes with warm maple butter, biscuit sandwich with cheddar, egg, tomato jam, and bacon

Prune - dutch baby, deep fried monte cristo, "prune juice" (lemon, orange, lime, and grapefruit)

Minetta Tavern - black label burger, ham baked in hay, shirred eggs with morels or truffles, latkes with poached eggs, brioche french toast, duck hash

Locanda Verde - "tre-stelle" juice (pomegranate, blood oranges and valencia oranges), sheep's milk ricotta with truffle honey and burnt orange toast, pastries, poached eggs with cotechino hash, spinach and tomato hollandaise, shaved porchetta sandwich

Of the list I provided, Minetta Tavern & Locanda Verde take reservations, the others don't and also have long lines, esp Clinton St. I also really enjoy Public, Joseph Leonard, and Spotted Pig for brunch, but no reservations at these.

Prune is known for their long Bloody Marys list (there's about 10 different kinds, each Bloody is also served with a beer chaser) and I've had some really good brunch cocktails at LV and The Breslin. I've tried them at Clinton St and Minetta, but they were good but weren't especially memorable.

The most memorable Bloody Mary I've had recently was at North End Grill, where they do a few variations, including one with a smoky scotch.

[Heisenbergcooksblue]

Kathryn, how is that you've become so astute to the NY brunch scene? I can clearly see you know your way around the city's culinary food matrix. Kudos to you! Thank you for taking the time to provide such an in-depth answer. I will consider all your options and get back to you.

[Spiritchaser]

You would be hard pressed to find someone on Chow to give better NYC dining insights then Kathryn and she has given you some great suggestions but I would just like to add The NoMad. They take reservations, it's a lively place, innovative food as well as some of the "standards" (albeit elevated). They also have a great bloody mary program.

[kathryn]

Had some cocktails in the library there yesterday, service was a little scattered (only 1 server for 7-8 parties in the room). Cocktails were excellent as usual though I overheard a good number of people grumbling at the host station as the NoMad was fully committed for brunch & had no tables remaining, though you can dine at the bar. So definitely make a reservation if you plan to go nowadays.

[Heisenbergcooksblue]

Yes!! NoMad is next on the list..I will make res ASAP ...I went to the bar outside the library a week ago for drinks..( drinks were great ) It was little before happy hour.. Crowd seemed a boujie( meaning stiff) but heard the vibe gets better.. Looking for the same cool casual crowd as Breslin?? And food?? What are your thoughts?

[kathryn]

Try Public, Joseph Leonard, and Spotted Pig.

[Heisenbergcooksblue]

Breslin = Amazing!!! Just what I was looking for.. April Bloomfield can cook! Thanx

[kathryn]

Glad you enjoyed it!