My Life in Meals

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: $$

I never can seem to find enough time to eat breakfast in the mornings, like many of you reading this I’m sure! I’m not a fan of cold cereals or yogurts, and hot breakfasts just take to much time.

There is one way however in which you can make an egg in under ONE MINUTE. That’s right, under one minute AND not an ounce of butter or olive oil needed. My mom has been making this for me since my childhood and it’s cooked in the microwave. You must be thinking “gross, that’s going to be weird and rubbery”. Not at all! Just follow my directions step by step and you’ll have a perfectly cooked and delicious egg in less then a minute.

Procedure:

1.  Crack one egg in a small microwave-safe glass bowl.

2.  Cover bowl (with a microwave cover or tupperware cover, or whatever you have on hand!)

3.  Microwave for 30 seconds.

4.  Pause 10 seconds, then microwave for an additional 10 seconds.

VOILA, your egg is ready! Just garnish with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy. I personally like to add a little srircha to mine!

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: $$$

This is a great and easy scramble recipe to make on a lazy weekend morning! You can really make this with whatever ingredients you have in your fridge at the time. I just happened to have some fresh spinach and mushrooms that needed to be used, and always keep some spicy sausage on hand in the freezer. I noticed that the thyme really makes this dish, so if you have some on your spice rack do make sure to include it (you can also substitute it with oregano or Italian seasoning).

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 2 spicy Italian sausage links
• 1 cup spinach, frozen or fresh
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced (red or white)
• 4-5 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure:

1. Whisk together eggs, milk, veggies, chili powder, thyme and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl.
2. Remove the casing from the sausage, crumble with your hands, and saute in a pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil for about 5 minutes on high. Remove from pan and mix into the egg mixture.
   
3. In the same pan, heat the remainder of the olive oil and saute garlic for one minute. Add the egg mixture to the pan, and cook approximately 5 minutes on medium heat, scrambling the egg every minute or so.
4. Serve with whole wheat toast or english muffins and ENJOY!