Jaime's bday brunch @ Spoon...

Look a little...familiar?? Possibly, oh, from THIS lovely set??

I'm a little behind--this was from near end of July--I put the camera down for a bit and just...ATE :) Birthday is coming up so gear up for Stone Barns, possibly Marea (!), L'artusi or Otto, and a new vietnamese place in Williamsburg whose owner I've been in touch with since back in...June? ^_^ so excited!! Should be effin' TASTY for once :P It's a watermelon/champagne concoction from the house.

ANYHOODLE...so brunch was a whole ordeal @ tblsp brunch (at Spoon, of course). About...10-11 womensfolk and LOTS of food. We all hovered around similar egg skillets, pancakes, etc and there were so many of us I didn't want to be that d-bag holding everybody up while shooting their food!

That was Mansi's fruit/granola yogurt parfait. This shit u don't get @ McDonald's or...some deli, amigos. Look at the grains!! :) I tend to not get yogurt granola berry thing-a-ma-bobbers @ restos b/c I feel like I can cobble together a much better version and pay infinitely less for infinitely tastier--but, Spoon's got me smackin' mah lips and rubbin' my hands together.

I also like judging a place by the scones/breads/muffins they put out--and Spoon had some tasty stuff, of course. There was a cornbread with...I'm not even gonna try to remember--BUT i remember a raspberry scone (perfectly, thinly/delicately crisp on the outside and moist on the inside--without being cakey), a brown sugar/maple muffin, and some other thing that was good but I don't remember. *note to self--take notes while eating...and possibly start new series of photos with me and fork/knife and plate*

Doesn't that look like something I need to consume in a cabin but not in some disgusting hermit eating dirt way?? This had 2 eggs, home fries, bacon, spinach--i forget what else but it was by far the healthiest (and yes filling) version of crazy breakfast eggs I've had in terms of recognizable roughage and...whatnot :P There were 2 other variants of this egg skillet bizness, rotating tomatoes or whatever else int here. I didn't get one which wasn't in skillet form--I think it was Abby's that had bruschetta and artichokes or something. YARR...i was debating on getting that and my egg skillet stuff too. Sorry it's so vague--I can barely remember. So much for just enjoying food and not noting it for the blog!! :) Breakfast pizza maybe? Damn you Spoon for not having the brunch menu up!

Besides being farm-to-table fresh (which totally had that vibe in decore anyway that put it over-the-top quaint see mason jar drink!), they have ur obligatory Stumptown coffee to make it JUST that...'artisanal'-y :) Piece de resistance methinks would be the yummay house blueberry maple syrup (available for purchase, I believe!). I'm no syrup fan--so excessively viscous and saccharine...makes me gag (not in that repulsive way, in that....compulsive way!)

BUT...this and the syrup @ Five Leaves...mmmmm I will intravenously consume ANY DAY!!! And that is *not* ice cream, homeskillets, that is...pure...buttery...heaven. Oh little blueberry oblivious to the frothy warm silk enveloping it! YOU SILLY LITTLE BLUEBERRY!! YOU DON"T EVEN KNOW!!! :)

That's all. I'm tired. I still have more july brunches to post!! Aug was full blackout of meals tho I did enjoy quite a few--like Moules Marinieres and Provencale ^_^_^_^^

brunchy-brunch-brunch @ French Roast...

I have no idea why but I really really like poached eggs. Other than that I love my eggs sunny side up for the most part--and when I was a wee lass in Viet Nam, my mom would soft-boil eggs for us before any big travel dates, sprinkle a little salt in there, stir it up and breakfast a-hoy!

ANYWAY...so I've taken a shining to eggs benedict mostly out of my adoration for poached egginess, and affection for smoked salmon as well.

And a weird curiosity as to what the big deal was with hollandaise sauce based on hearing about it in multiple movies back in the day. Yes--some obscure reference to hollandaise sauce or somebody screwin' up how to make it. Don't even remember which movie it was :)

Anyhoodlekins...I went to French Roast the other weekend w/ Julia for brunchy brunch brunch on the UWS. We initially were going to go to the Polar Rink by the American Museum of Natural History but well--let's just say it was a rough night so I opted for food.

I like French Roast for the most part--but the 'taters were greasy and bland (and...a strange color which I'm assuming is due to whatever...weird..possible chili oil they used but...it wasn't even spicy!). The english muffin the eggs benedict were on were a little on the paltry and far from hearty side--the hollandaise was a bit heavy, but the egg was poached to perfectionnnnn.

Julia got the salmon omelet with sweet potato puree. A little odd w/ sweet & savory--but I'd grub on that orange pile of mash any other day.

Not too sweet. Still a lot of texture as u can see with little yammy-spokes protruding from the pile :) I have to say tho--FR plating aesthetics not so hot. I want my food PRETTY!! Not slopped on and rushed out! "Rustic" plating...is only for the really good sh*t! :D

The other dish I like @ FR? The Salad Lyonaise (which I surmise isn't on the wkd menu--neither is the french onion soup WTF?!). What's in a salad lyonaise? POACHED EGGS. yes. on a bed of frisee, with some bacon bits, and bits of taters and other salady-goodness. including tomatoes. SUPER CLOSE UP TIME!

My fave place for eggs benedict--which you can get WITH spinach AND smoked salmon (woohoo!) is at Cafeteria. Brunch here of course is notoriously...crowded. BUT SO TASTY. esp the mac & cheese with smoked gouda and bacon. Everything just tastes cleaner and healthier and leaner yet heartier there. Not that much more expensive either.

Amy's Bread & Ronnybrook Farm Milk Bar!...

Part of turkey day brunch avec Mama Ly in the city. Ate @ Chelsea Market (on 16th and 9th ave) since Momofuku Milk Bar was only open for pickup! :( Then got groceries (pancetta, porchetta, olive/black truffle tapanade etc etc) to make Turkey day dinner & grubbage for the drive down to DC the next day...

And yes, they quoted There Will Be Blood below.... heheheheeh

Eggs Kaush..something. Eggs in casserole! like at Viceroy (18th & 8th ave) and Relish (North 3rd & Wythe in Williamsburg). Came with roased potatoes w/ pepper & chives.

I swear though...somethign about poached eggs...i'm still fixated with them...

Mama Ly got the free range roast chicken w/ what looks like fresh mozarella, tomatoes, and a salad with really good vinaigrette!

Apparently it's diff from what the menu says (some kinda...cheddar. WHATEBBS). it was tasty. organic and all that ish but all that matters was that it tasted fresh and was prepped quite well yaaaaay.

The Ronnybrook Farm chocolate milk is whole milk but INFINITELY "thinner" and cleaner taste than most chocolate milk--even the chocolate soy milk. No aftertaste, no...lactose-y...intolerance...harshness. Tastier than Horizon Organic Chocolate milk (omg did i...did i blaspheme? HA!! HOCM def pales in comparison exponentially...and i once thought very highly of it. esp when buying it in bulk @ costco :D or whole food's :))

That said...Mama Ly's hot chocolate was also damn festive and good...

And to end with: almond buttered toast from Amy's Bread. Very soft--brioche-y kind of bread, subtle almond paste (not crazy sweet like how the Sicilians prefer it!--sweeter than Almondine)...