Hashbrowns
by Celia Cheng
May 27th, 2008
EGG
135 N 5th St
(Bedford Ave & Berry St)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-302-5151
$
What they call “hashbrowns” at Egg, I call a fireball of a deep-fried potato! It’s about the size of a baseball, deep-fried until crispy and golden brown. Round, full and spiky in shape, this hot potato is soft and steamy on the inside. For a potato lover, this is one dreamy hashbrown and a good accompaniment to the rest of Egg’s famed brunch selection.
Posted in American , Brunch , Williamsburg
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Bibingka (Philippine rice cake baked in banana leaves with feta & Gouda cheese)
by Celia Cheng
April 28th, 2008
CENDRILLON
45 Mercer St #A
(Broome & Grand St)
212-343-9012
$$
Cendrillon’s bibingka is a sweet and savory cake that I could eat all day long as a snack or dessert. Made with galapong — rice soaked overnight then ground into a wet batter — it’s lighter and fluffier than most Western cakes. Sprinkled with sugar, Gouda and French feta cheese and then baked under high heat on banana leaves, the top caramelizes, becoming a crusty layer that adds a contrasting savory flavor to the sweet spongy cake. Filipino food is certainly not light, and after a copiously delightful meal at Cendrillon, it’s hard to imagine having a cheese-crusted cake, but no matter how stuffed you are, a piece of bibingka is definitely the way to end this perfect ethnic brunch.
Posted in Brunch , Cheese , Dessert , Filipino , SoHo , Sweets
Huevos Rancheros
by Cristy-Lucie Alvarado
March 17th, 2008
DUMONT
432 Union Ave
(Metropolitan Ave & Devoe St)
718-486-7717
$$
This dish should be called “Huevos Sophisticados.” It is the cleanest, most organized huevos rancheros I have ever come across. The whole dish is served in a shallow bowl. First come the black beans, then a scrambled egg patty with a heavy drizzle of charred tomato salsa on top, and off to the side are guacamole and a giant, but neatly folded, flour tortilla. Dumont fine-tunes this typical Mexican breakfast with elegant details. White cheese is melted into the beans, adding a subtle flavor but a distinctive stringy texture. The guacamole is tasty and makes a crisp, refreshing contrast to the hearty beans. Finally, the charred tomato salsa adds a beautiful creamy orange color and a faint smoky flavor. This dish is a heavy one, so take your time and enjoy it.
Posted in American , Brunch , Eggs , Williamsburg
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Toad In A Hole
by Cristy-Lucie Alvarado
March 17th, 2008
FLATBUSH FARM
76 St. Marks Ave
@ Flatbush Ave
718-622-3276
$$
Since Flatbush Farm’s brunch menu is so simple, I had to go with the kitschiest name on the list, and it certainly paid off. The toad in a hole, also known as one-eyed jack, is an egg that has been fried in a hole cut in a slice of bread — in Farm’s case, a thick, buttery slice of homemade brioche. Way to kick it up! It’s topped with melted Cheddar then sprinkled with chives. This brunch dish hit my stomach like a brick, that is, a warm, delicious, savory little brick that sent me straight back to bed.
Posted in American , Bread , Brunch , Eggs , Park Slope
Chicken Biscuit
by Celia Cheng
September 19th, 2007
PIES-N-THIGHS [CLOSED]
351 Kent Ave
@ S 5th St
347-282-6005
$
The chicken biscuit at Pies-n-Thighs is rich and probably artery-clogging, as most yummy Southern foods are, but it’s undoubtedly worth it. A thin chicken breast cutlet battered and deep-fried in buttermilk, breadcrumbs and hot sauce and placed in a biscuit spread with honey butter and hot sauce, Pies-n-Thighs chicken biscuit is a gift to this world. I’m gnawing on my fingers just describing it. As much as I have cravings, this one makes me feel like a heroin addict. I might start convulsing if I don’t get another fix soon.
Posted in American , Brunch , Chicken , Williamsburg
