Restaurant: Vinegar Hill House

Vinegar Hill House
72 Hudson Ave between Front & Water Streets
Vinegar Hill (near DUMBO), Brooklyn
Tue-Thu 6pm-11pm; Fri-Sat 6pm-11:30pm; Sun 5:30pm-10pm
Subway: F to York or bus to York Av - Navy St, or walk from the Bridge!


I love the tiny, weird neighborhood of Vinegar Hill, but unless like me you like wandering inaccessible neighborhoods or know that commune of hippes who live by the admiral's house and don't have a door on their bathroom, Vinegar Hill House is sort of the only reason to make the trek. But it's really good! The food's tasty in that new-Brooklyn way, and the decor isn't too sepia, and it's just friendly and comfortable and lovely and off-the-beaten-path AND you won't have to wait an hour for brunch. Cute bar, too!

Restaurant: The Breslin/Stumptown

The Breslin
Ace Hotel
20 W. 29th St.nr. Broadway
Mon-Fri, 7am-11:45am, noon-4pm, and 5:30pm-4am; Sat-Sun, 7am-4pm and 5:30pm-4am
Subway: N, R, W at 28th St.; 1 at 28th St.


On the one hand, the Breslin is kind of ridiculous. It's in this super-hip hotel, the Ace, in a kind of douchey neighborhood, Murray Hill, and it's a bit of a scene. There is an Opening Ceremony (a high-fshion mini-chain) in the lobby, and the "lobby bar" is totally goofy. However! It's also pretty cool-looking, and the food (by chef April Bloomfield, of the Spotted Pig) is terrific, and let's face it, sometimes a little sceney can be fun!

The dinner - sort of a locavore, top-drawer, high-end take on gastropub, which I do realize is already high-end - is very good, with lots of homemade charcuterie and house-made pickles and sticky-toffee pudding. But the brunch, which is well-priced and much less crowded, is among the city's best. I have had: perfectly poached eggs, grapefruit with ginger sugar, Greek yogurt with homemade granola, delicious coffee, and among the best hot cross buns I've ever tasted and I am serious about my hot-cross buns! Also, they start serving early, which I love.

There's a branch of Stumptown Coffee in the hotel, which is typically good if you're someone who cares a lot about coffee in that Portland way, and is notable both for the very friendly baristas' absurd , L.A.-circa-'04 getups and the excellent pastries, provided by the Breslin.

(And, let's face it, I also like Opening Ceremony.)

Restaurant: Prune

*Prune
54 E. 1st St. nr. First Ave.
Mon-Thu, 11:30am-3pm and 5:30pm-11pm; Fri, 11:30am-3pm and 5:30pm-midnight; Sat, 10am-3:30pm and 5:30pm-midnight; Sun, 10am-3:30pm and 5:30pm-11pm
Subway: F, V at Lower East Side-Second Ave.

Prune is one of the spots where I always recommend people come for brunch. I mean, the dinner is spectacular, and special, and creative, and interesting-in-a-good way (I suppose you'd call it nose-to-tail "New American," maybe with French country influences? Anyway!), but brunch is much cheaper if you're not doing a special occasion! And it's amazing, and the place is just as cool and casual and friendly and they're just as inclined to be playing Talking Heads or Dolly Parton. Brunch here is very popular (their Bloody Mary menu is legendary) and of course it's tiny, so if you don't want to wait, come before the first seating at 10. Everything is perfect, be it the stewed tomatoes, the fresh juices, the perfect Eggs Benedict or the various quirky, hand-written things that have never occurred to you.

Or, come in the evening for a drink and a homemade deviled egg. Either way, you'll be so glad you did. (For what it's worth, last time I brunched here, Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy were waiting for a table.)

Restaurant/Bar: Freeman's

*Freeman's
Lower East Side
End of Freeman Alley (off of Rivington)
Subway: F/V to 2nd Avenue


*You MUST get to Freeman's early, I mean indecently, Miami-early. (Okay, 6.) It gets level-12 douche-tastic later, I am sad to report. So, early. But it's worth it! While the dinner is delicious, I love to go just for one of their amazing cocktails (the Bramble is my favorite!, and some hot artichoke dip, and maybe an order of devils-on-horseback...brunch is good, too.*

*NB: there's taxidermy

Restaurant: Egg

Egg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
135 North 5th Street, Brooklyn
Subway: L to Beford Avenue


Egg is some of the best breakfast in New York. It's southern-style - think biscuits and gravy (including a veggie version!), country ham, and at lunch, pimento cheese - but everything's locally-sourced and the atmosphere is pure Williamsburg. Long lines on weekends after noon or so.