this guy poured me a nice one and check out that oven

had a ladies brunch on sunday this past weekend at August, which i wrote briefly about below in “BBB”.  more photos and laughs to add to the memories and archives.  adrienne, ghislaine, michelle, and i waited a small amount of time for a nice table upfront.  near the oven – thank goodness because i took out my new bike sunday for a good ride in 27 degree weather.  stood by that hot son of a gun and had a nice dry french cider beer.  we watched and caught ourselves pointing and “oh man”-ing as the hot food was being dished out to each hungry soul.  we all read, reread, and read again the menu and i couldn’t really decide on much until i closed my eyes and did a “finger point wherever” kinda deal.

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referring back to my post about brunch and how sometimes all ya want is a solid sandwich? had one of these moments about a week ago.  i’ve been scoping out the deli scene.  seriously… a good sandwich should not have to cost ya ten bones for a nice one.  shaved boar’s head brand on toast wheat with lettuce, tomato, mustard, i like the jalapenos on there, and sliced right down the middle? sound really good? yeeeeeeaah and guess what… it’s right on your corner most likely i.e. that DELI!

all the  countless old timer diner’s that sprawl this amazing city have an appeal that puts you at ease and you enjoy the simple perks of food and the undying comfort of the “diner experience”! i live on east 11 street but just up 3rd ave at 15 street is Joe Junior. i was walkin my way up to the whitney museum on a steaming hot 17 degree day last week and popped into joe’s to check out their sandwich board.  

perched myself at the counter across from an old-timer just reading and suckin’ on some chicken bones.  i took a look at the faded plastic menus… breakfast all day (typical), burgers, funky fried things and SANDWICHES.  a dude came up to my left and before he sat down, he yelled out “special soup, bread, salad with that dressing i like and a coffee…thanks.” … “Right away boss.” 

that's a dude right there

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a holiday.  a spectacle really  that comes once (maybe even twice) a week.  brunch in the city is almost as common as swiping your metro card and is hyped as christmas before halloween even hits.  i might even be able to name a few people that wouldn’t really know what to do with their weekend if it wasn’t for  brunch.  i admit… i love the idea of rolling out of bed at 1 pm and still having the opportunity to get eggs and pancakes at fairly respectable dining establishments, but i still want the non-pretentious aspect as well.  it’s a meal kids. i gotta FEED myself!

what part of town you live in, how far you want to travel with that achey liver, budget, atmosphere, etc. all play a part in the decision making process.  very rarely do you see people brunching alone.  i do a lot actually.  this is only because sometimes  getting everyone together midday for some grub on the weekends is almost as stressful as it was planning your friday night -which literally only happened about 12 hours before. unless you’re a creature of habit, then you probably already have in mind what you want to eat, when, where, with whom – in which case, it all turns into a mindless excercise of showering, clothing, and getting yourself there.

me on the other hand, always want to try something new.  it also helps that i have friends that keep an open mind for suggestions.  a few places that i’ve rather enjoyed in the past and have revisited on various occasions are as follows (all of them are downtown, yes, but as the brunch oddessy continues, the list will grow) and items that i recommend as well:

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