Pleasant surprises at Perilla

Saturday, KS and I met at Perilla in Greenwich Village for brunch. Perilla, Top Cheffer Harold Dieterle's baby, was surprisingly empty-- but that meant it was reasonably quiet and relaxing for a catch-up brunch.

Perilla is an attractive restaurant, comfortable and classy in an understated way. The space itself is long and narrow, and the striking striped-wood tables make for agreeable visual accents. Beware the bathrooms, which are well-appointed and visually clean but (at least on my visit) not the sweetest-smelling of locations.

But what about the food, you ask? Easy, now. Brunch started with two complimentary lemon pound cake bites. Cake? Yes please. I took a small bite of one of these and it was, in a word, "great." Yep: buttery, appealing crisp edge, lemony zing, all there. Addictive, to say the least.

They look small, but they pack a buttery punch

And then came the real food. KS ordered "two eggs any style"--poached, please-- along with a side of grilled toast and homemade jam. The eggs actually emerged as the "Poached organic eggs" entree (with smoked salmon, english muffins, the works), but they only charged her for the plain poached eggs. The toast was hearty, and the "grilled" part was a creative touch. Overall, a success-- and a lot of food for $8 total!

Eggs with the works

Bread on the grill

Butter 'n' jam

I ordered the "fresh fruit." Again, at $5, this is one of the better bargains in the city, since what emerged was a substantial bowl of plum sections, blackberries, strawberries, grapes, and pineapple. All were fresh and high quality, and the lack of "filler" fruit (grapefruit, rock-hard honeydew, etc.) was very much appreciated.

Fresh fruit extravaganza!

And that was that. For a very low-key, upscale, incredibly enjoyable brunch, Perilla was perfect. And the reasonable pricing and generous portions make it a candidate for one of the best value brunches in the city. On that basis, it earns four Offset Spatulas and a hearty LWF&D recommendation.

Perilla
9 Jones Street, between Bleecker and W. 4th
212-929-6868

Brunch at Cookshop gets 'er done

Over the holiday weekend, I met up with PR for brunch at Cookshop. Usually I expect something of a scene there, but maybe because people were out of town, it was actually relatively low key. There were empty tables. The servers seemed laid back. It was actually quite... pleasant.

They started us off with a couple of slices of bread-- standard fare, rustic slices of the kind you see at a bunch of places around town. Add some soft butter and you've got a good carbohydrate base, especially if brunch is a palliative for the night before (not that it was in this case. I'm just sayin').

Starting things off

PR went straight for the eggs and bacon. The Cookshop Scramble came with caramelized onions creme fraiche, and chives; there were big pieces of thick bacon mixed into the eggs, and the whole mixture was plopped on a big ol' buttermilk biscuit. The side salad was studiously avoided as PR made her way through the protein. While the portion was too huge to finish, she gave her hearty approval of the dish overall.

A whole mess of stuff

My choice was the relatively paltry Seasonal Fruit Salad. I'm not sure what season they were going for, actually, since this salad contained the following fruit: banana, grapefruit, orange, pineapple, strawberries. I'm not too big on banana, grapefruit, or orange (note: this is why you should ask what things contain before ordering them), but this salad was decent overall. Everything was fresh enough, and while it was rather small for $6, it did the trick.

Fruit salad in tiny cup

I'm not sure I'm really qualified to assign a spatula rating based on one tiny fruit side salad, but frankly I'm not qualified to assign spatulas in any situation, so I'm going to do it anyway. Cookshop receives three Offset Spatulas. Is it the best restaurant in the city? No. Is it pleasant? Yes. Would I go again? Sure. And there you go.

Cookshop
156 Tenth Avenue, at 20th Street
212-924-4440

New-restaurant jitters at Print

Here at LWF&D, as you may know, we don't do brunch very often. But AV is a fan, and so occasionally we do venture out to an eating establishment around midday on a Saturday or Sunday to see what all the fuss is about. This Sunday, we decided to check out the offerings at the newest brunch contender in town, Print at Ink48.

At least from our perspective, Print has location going for it- it's incredibly close to my place, so it's perfect for a roll-out-of-bed brunch. It's also a serene place to be: the designers of the restaurant did a great job with the furnishings, from a large wooden communal table to live floral accents to chic metal chain-link curtains. Low leather banquettes dividing the room were comfortable; wicker chairs were adequately spacious and supportive. Oh, and the ceramics-- mentioned by name on Print's menu-- were actually quite beautiful.

Service-wise, Print is still getting its sea legs. The place was fairly empty when we ate, so there seemed to be too many runners for their own good-- a water-filler came by approximately once every five minutes; one runner came by with an extra serving of toast just as AV had received his first (ample) plate, looking determined to wedge it onto our crowded table before AV suggested it might not be destined for our table.

But how was the food? Well, the meal started out with two tiny baguettes accompanied by a small block of butter decorated with grains of sea salt. AV approved the bread, which is always a good way to start a Sunday morning.

Bread in a bed

For an entree, AV chose the two eggs any style with roasted potatoes, toast, and sausage. The aforementioned toast was ample and multi-grain, so extra points are awarded for that. The remainder of the food, AV said, was serviceable-- not blow-me-away delicious, but not bad. He did have to request ketchup, salt, and pepper, but once asked for, they were all brought over promptly.

A hearty breakfast

Needless to say, we didn't need four MORE pieces of toast...

I decided to go straight for the liquid lunch and order a green tea. What arrived was a Bodum french press full of perhaps the most delicious tea I've ever had. It was delicate and fragrant and decidedly lovely. Upon inquiry, it was revealed that it was Mighty Leaf tropical green, which may well be my new favorite tea.

A perfect cuppa

On balance, it was an exceedingly pleasant brunch. Everyone was polite and friendly, if still a little sure of themselves. The food was neither astonishingly good nor prohibitively bad. But there are two gripes worth mentioning: first, AV and I found not one but two hairs decorating our plates (one on the toast plate, one in my teacup), which doesn't gross us out disproportionately but should be a red flag to the non-headcovering-wearers in the kitchen and service staff. Secondly, when the bill arrived, my tea was $7. Yes, you read that right, SEVEN DOLLARS. That may well be the most expensive tea I've yet encountered in the city. I know that Mighty Leaf is on the expensive side, but $7 was more than the fruit salad I was considering ordering; I had naively assumed the tea would be less expensive. Especially for brunch, where hot beverages like coffee and tea are de rigeur, it's unfair to price gouge like that. Print, you're still young, so there's time to make amends. Lower your prices-- on tea and on food-- and you'll stand a chance of upgrading your current status from a shaky three Offset Spatula spot to a four spat destination.

Print
653 11th Avenue, at 48th Street
212-757-2224

From Vegas with love: Part 2

So I mentioned that our first meal in Vegas was a scrumptious lunch at Mon Ami Gabi. It was so good that the next morning, after waking up at 3:30AM (yes, really) and hitting the gym right when it opened at 6AM-- typical Vegas behavior-- we dashed across the street once again for breakfast at the French bistro.

Service-- and the overall experience-- was markedly worse this time around. It took a good twenty minutes or so to get tap water; my tea order came much later, at the same time as all the food. When I tried to order just a side of cheese with my tea (yes, I know this is weird; see also: jet-lagged stomach; 3:30AM wake-up time), our waiter actively made fun of me. And not in an endearing way, let's just say.

Nonetheless, we did end up getting the food we wanted, eventually. AV went with a Western omelette. Oh wait, what I mean is, he attempted to order a Western omelette to the incredulous derision of our waiter. Finally it was settled that a Western omelette wasn't a possibility, but our benevolent waiter COULD provide a ham & cheese omelette with the addition of peppers. Spectacular. The omelette came with hash browns and thick slices of toasted bread. No butter or jam, of course; that had to be wildly flagged down later.

Omelette of scorn

You'll be happy to know that the waiter ultimately did grant me my cheese. It was thick-cut cheddar, slightly sweaty from having sat under the heat lamps. It was crowned with four sprigs of random garnish (watercress?). They charged us $1.50. What can I say?

Hard earned cheese

Most importantly, we were fed and ready to take on the town, so we paid and split. Our recommendation? Hit up Mon Ami Gabi at lunch or later. The food is good; if you go strategically, you'll have service to match.

LWF&D sucks it up and does brunch

My views about brunch have been well documented; while I definitely respect the institution, and the average brunch menu certainly offers quite a few delicious treats, there's pretty much nothing I can eat and therefore the prospect of brunch turns me into something of a curmudgeon. But sometimes, hypothetically, there may be people in one's life who have differing views from oneself, and sometimes those hypothetical people express a desire to do something that one wouldn't necessarily do on one's own, like, say, have brunch. And sometimes one likes that person enough to suck it up and do brunch.

And so it was, on a quiet, clear, sunny Labor Day morning, AV and I found ourselves at local French bistro Marseille, having brunch at a sidewalk table in the crisp morning air. The meal began with the brunch version of the bread basket, a small plate of sliced multigrain breads and tempting mini muffins, along with a triangle of butter and a ration of jam. AV was a huge fan of the mini muffins, and the tiny bite I had revealed a scrumptious, cakelike interior with all sorts of buttery deliciousness hidden inside. Mmmm.

The carbs

Then for the main event: AV had been craving eggs benedict, and so eggs benedict were ordered. The plate came with a heaping handful of mesclun salad, which AV enjoyed; some home fries, which were average; and two english muffin halves topped with ham, egg, and hollandaise. AV termed it a satisfying brunch-- nothing was standout exceptional, but everything was a solid version of what it was supposed to be.

The eggs

For my part, I had already eaten breakfast and lunch, so I joined the fray with a fruit salad. While at $7.95 this was almost absurdly pricey, I'll admit it was actually quite good. A base of pineapple and tiny mango dices was complemented with an array of fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. There was none of the underripe cantaloupe and honeydew filler that plagues most fruit salads, and all the fruit involved was ripe, sweet, and succulent. Truly well done.

The fruit

And so it was that LWF&D did brunch. Was it the best brunch ever? Don't think so. Was it solid? Definitely. Dare I ask, was it... pleasant? Sheepishly, I admit it actually was-- it was nice to be sitting outside on a lovely morning, nibbling on a fruit salad and partaking in a quintessential Manhattan ritual. I wouldn't say I've become a believer, but sometimes a three Offset Spatula brunch is just the thing for a weekend morning.

Marseille
630 Ninth Avenue at 44th Street
212-333-2323

Josie's East can't reverse my hatred for brunch

I am about to make a bold statement, one that will make most of my readers exclaim, "What?!?" and express their disagreement. Here goes: I hate brunch. I. Hate. Brunch. It's always at the wrong time, disrupting two mealtimes; it's over-hyped and over-priced; and all the yummy things on the menus I can't eat. Yes, I know you love brunch, it's your favorite meal of the week, it's such a relaxing time, especially in the summer, when you can sip unlimited mimosas and ease your way into oblivion on a Sunday afternoon before easing your way into the workweek. Well, let's put it this way: I understand, but I don't agree.

So last Sunday, my parents were driving back to Massachusetts from Long Island, and they wanted to stop in for a meal. Well, in late morning/early afternoon on a Sunday, that means brunch. So I picked a place near the Midtown Tunnel egress, made a reservation, and gritted my teeth. Around 1PM, AV and I met the illustrious Mom and Dad for brunch at Josie's East.

Fighting the foot traffic in Times Square left AV and me running a few minutes behind, so when we arrived M & D were already at the table. There were slices of coffee cake awaiting us, along with a small dish of applesauce. I tried the coffee cake, which looked much, much better than it tasted. The apple sauce (not pictured) was fine, perhaps even a bit orange-scented, but it puzzled me slightly. Were were supposed to dip the coffee cake in it? Spread it on there? Eat it plain out of the dish? AV, M, and D solved that conundrum by simply leaving the applesauce alone; I took a few spoonfuls and left it at that.

Looks goods, tastes bland

We placed an order and waited a fair amount of time for the food to arrive, despite the fact that the restaurant was only half-full or so. Finally, the food arrived. Mom had ordered the peppercorn-crusted rare yellowfin tuna salad, which comes with baby arugula, roasted fennel, oven-dried Roma tomatoes, shaved parmesan, and "organic golden balsamic vinaigrette." She requested romaine instead of arugula (one of the things I'll never understand about my mother...), a request that was fulfilled without argument. She actually liked this salad quite a bit and gobbled it up. From my perspective, it looked, well, okay, even though the "shaved parmesan" actually looked eerily similar to the powdered stuff that comes in a green can.

Pretty tuna, like a deck of cards

Dad had gone with the veggie burger, an interesting choice. It was covered with cheese and roasted portabello, which he dutifully peeled off and offered to the table ("Mushrooms scare me."). I ate the mushrooms, which were actually quite delicious. As for the burger itself, described as an "Organic three-grain, mushroom, soy cheese veggie burger," Dad reported that it was mushy. Such is the life of non-Boca veggie burgers.

Veggie burger accompanied by more veggies

AV selected the eggs benedict, also known as "toasted organic whole wheat English muffin, grilled Applegate Farm un-cured ham, natural poached eggs & our classic dairy-free hollandaise." Unfortunately, despite the delicious-sounding ingredients, apparently this was thoroughly disappointing and thoroughly cold. The accompanying potatoes were cold; all the ingredients were cold... sigh. AV ate it without complaining because that's the kind of guy he is. But I'm disappointed on his behalf.

:-(

My own selection, since I had eaten my own breakfast/lunch before we left (in yo' face, brunch!), was just a simple fruit salad. With watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, blueberries, and strawberries, this was actually a pretty good and fresh fruit salad. But it was tiny. After finishing this one quickly, I ordered another. And let's be real here: for $5, the cost of each salad, they should really give you a vat of fruit. Oh well, at the very least it was tasty.

Delicious but pricey

After all was said and done, I was cold (yes, it was eighty-plus degrees but I was cold), so I ordered a tea. It looked sort of cool, so I include a picture here:

Like a beaker. Of tea.

Overall, even if I were a huge brunch fan, Josie's would be somewhat disappointing. It trumpets fresh, organic, yadda yadda yadda ingredients, and it prices its dishes accordingly, but the food actually isn't that high quality. So it ends up just being overpriced and mediocre. I don't plan to return to Josie's for brunch, but I'd even steer clear for lunch or dinner. It gets two Offset-Spatulas and a "look elsewhere" recommendation.

Josie's East
565 Third Avenue, at 37th Street
212-490-1558