My Life in Meals

Have you ever had South African food? Me neither. In fact, I didn’t (and probably still don’t) even really know what constitutes as South African food. I came across Braai on Wined and Dined’s trusty list of all you can drink brunch spots in the city. The menu looked interesting, and I am always up for trying new things!

This place is really a hidden gem. It’s small, but fully equipped with vaulted reed-thatch ceilings and tree trunk lined walls, making you feel like you have escaped into an African Oasis. The “mimosas” included in the all you can drink special were actually made with pomegranate juice instead of OJ. They were awesome, and I love the glasses they were served in! They also start you off with some scones for the table with butter and apricot jelly. I’m not generally a jelly fan but this was really fresh and tasted homemade.

Everyone’s food was really really good. I wish I had tried South African cuisine ages ago! Here’s what we got:

The Fish Parcel consisted of deep fried fish and calamari served with slapchips in vineger. The calamari was huge and the fish was nicely seasoned, although it could have been slightly more crispy. Nonetheless, still delicious! It was even served in a newspaper, like they do at authentic fish and chip spots in London.

The Mini Braii Burgers, consisted of two mini lamb burgers topped with grilled shitake mushrooms and caramelized onions. Perfectly cooked medium and delicious toppings.

Ostrich Benedict, which consisted of sliced ostrich, poached eggs, served on english muffins with hollandaise sauce. I had never tried ostrich before, and expected it to be very tough and gamey but this was actually very tender. A unique twist on a classic dish!

Braai
329 West 51st Street
New York, NY 10019-6422
(212) 315-3315
Website
Price: $$-$$$

For Mother’s Day this year we took our mom to my all time favorite brunch spot, Essex Restaurant in the Lower East Side. They have a great pre-fixe menu, which includes 3 bloody marys, mimosas or screwdrivers. My biggest word of advice for this restaurant would be to never come with out a reservation. Every weekend - regardless of it being a holiday or not - it is utterly packed, and you will be waiting all afternoon for a table.  Another word of advice - like most of its LES surroundings, its also utterly “hipster”.  I jokingly asked my brother-in-law why he didn’t break out the skinny jeans for the occasion!

We started with some bloody mary’s, mimosas, and the complimentary kaiser rolls. Skip the bread and save your calories, it’s cold and nothing special! Main entrees pictured below. They were all delicious, although we voted that next time we would replace the CEO out for something different!

The CEO – chorizo, scrambled eggs & onions served with corn tortillas.

Half-Pound Angus Burger & Fries, topped with a fried egg and jalapenos.

Mexican Matzo Brei – scrambled eggs, tortilla crisps, monterey jack & avocado with black beans & pico de gallo.

The Deep South – chicken fried steak with biscuits, eggs & sausage gravy.

Overall, Essex is my favorite brunch in the city for two reasons. First, it has awesome food, and second it includes drinks! What more can you ask for? Just remember to make a reservation on OpenTable at least one week ahead of time (if not more), they fill up fast!

Essex Restaurant
120 Essex St
New York, 10002
(212) 533-9616
Website
Price: $$

On Tuesday, I blogged about the free street cart food being given away via Tenka deals. I work on the Upper West Side, where these trucks rarely ever visit so I was pretty disappointed I wouldn’t be able to get in on the free deals. I love my street carts! Imagine my excitement walking out of the subway on Friday morning and seeing the Frites ‘N’ Meats truck parked right outside my office that day. TGIF! Around 1:00pm I ran down to the cart to receive my free Angus Burger. I thought the line would be longer but I got my food within ten minutes.

Frites ‘N’ Meats has a really innovative method of ordering. They have laminated menus, where you can circle what you want with a Sharpie. This is pretty cool because it wipes right off with a little spray and water and they can use them again the next day. This cart also only uses the finest ingredients: the breads are from Balthazar’s, the cheeses from Murray’s, and the beef from DeBragga & Spitler.  I ordered the Angus Burger, with cheddar cheese, jalapenos, onion, tomatoes, ketchup, mayo and mesclun greens, on a brioche bun. I also ordered a side of hand-cut Double Fried Belgian Fries with the Spicy Chili Aoili sauce. Although the burger was free, I ended up paying $5 because I got fries and the sauce, as well as the jalapenos and cheese on the burger. Still not bad for an Angus burger and fries that will run you about $20 bucks at any decent restaurant in the city.

I ate half the fries on the way back up to my office. They were piping hot, extremely crispy, and perfectly seasoned. Delicious start! When I got back to my desk I opened up my burger and was pretty impressed about how good it looked considering it came from a street cart. When I bit into it I was even more impressed by how it tasted. It was perfectly cooked “medium” and the brioche bun is both a classy and tasty touch! I opened up the spicy chili aoili for my fries, but was disappointed that it really wasn’t spicy at all. It tasted more like mayo with a tiny drop of hot sauce and garlic.

The burger was pretty big, and I saved the other half for my boyfriend. He warmed it up and ate it the next day and it was still delicious! All in all I will definitely be returning to the Frites ‘N’ Meats truck next time they are in the neighborhood.

Frites ‘N’ Meats
For current location, check out their Twitter or Blogger.
Website
Price: $$ (For a street cart)

Over the past two years, New York City has seen an enormous amount of All You Can Drink (AYCD) brunch spots pop up. I have taken it upon myself to try many of them - hey who doesn’t like unlimited mimosas with the company of your friends on a lazy Sunday afternoon!? Here is a great list of AYCD brunch spots compiled by Wined and Dined (some of my favorites include Essex, HK Cafe, PS 450 and Bondi Road).

This weekend I was lucky enough go to Barbounia, a Mediterranean restaurant located in Flatiron/Gramercy, for their AYCD brunch. Add on $15 to any entree on the menu and get a never ending flow of Champagne cocktails with your meal. I had been to Barbounia before for a lunchtime office holiday party and was pretty underwhelmed, especially since I had heard good reviews from those who have eaten there before for both brunch and dinner. Brunch however did not disappoint, the dishes were flavor packed with Mediterranean and Greek spices, the service was excellent, and the decor is breathtaking with its high arched ceilings and long oak carved tables.

We started with a few appetizers to share amongst the whole group. First came the platter of five spreads: hummus, tzatziki, roasted eggplant, taramousalata, and spicy feta, as well as a plate of falafel. This falafel was not your average run of the mill street cart variety, the ingredients were extremely fresh and they were perfectly crisped on the outside and moist and flavorful on the inside. Additionally, alongside your appetizers they provide you with huge complementary loaves of thick and buttery bread, almost comparable to an Indian style naan. This bread proved to be the perfect accompaniment to our assortment of Mediterranean spreads.

I wasn’t able to try everyone’s food, but here are the three dishes I was able to attack! First was my own order, the Crab Benedict, which consisted of jumbo lump crab meat, spinach & truffle oil on top of an english muffin, served with a side of home fries. It was a lot more fishy (both smelling and tasting) then I had expected, which put me off a bit. Let’s just say it was not my favorite dish of the afternoon.

Next was the Moroccan eggs with lamb, which arrived in a sizzling skillet filled with sunny-side up eggs in tomato sauce, lamb, paprika & garlic. This seems to be one of their signature dishes and I would really recommend it to anyone who has brunch here. The lamb was perfectly tender and the tomato sauce on the eggs had a bit of a kick (For all those who are vegetarian, this dish is also served with out the lamb).

Last was the Barbounia burger , the all-star of the three dishes. The burger was made with Black Angus beef and topped with pancetta, Vermont cheddar cheese & harissa aioli. It was perfectly cooked - extremely moist, juicy and flavorful. The fries that accompanied it were thin cut, crispy, and perfectly seasoned. For burger lovers, this is a must try!

We finished off the feast with a dessert to share amongst the group, Apple Crisps, served with maple ice cream & caramel sauce. Not really the most adventurous thing on the dessert menu - but nonetheless this classic was done right, satisfied everyone’s sweet tooth and was the perfect end to the meal.

Barbounia
250 Park Ave South
New York, NY 10003
(212) 995-0242
Website
Price: $$$