Our friend Moses was in town this weekend, which was awesome. We really miss him being all the way in Portland and all. Wanting to spend some time at brunch this morning, we hung out in his old neck of the woods, near the 34th/35th Avenue area, and decided to go to Locale.
We went on the early side, which was great since it wasn't yet crowded. However, an hour into our meal, it was packed, which is testament to its popularity. Although I've been for brunch before, here are some new things we tried:
Locale Burger - I wanted something different than eggs, so I went for the burger. And besides, I've never had it here before, so I wanted to see how it'd measure up to others in the nabe. Overall, it looked mighty impressive, boasting a big, fluffy bun with two pickle slices on top. The meat was pretty good and juicy, but I had higher expectations for a grass fed product. Maybe it was too greasy, but something was detracting from it being outstanding. Maybe it needed some spice (in the form of a sauce) and an earthier bun to bring up its level of sophistication.
Poached Eggs with Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy - This was Dan's dish and he really liked it. Not all of it was stellar, as he mentioned the biscuits were kind of dry and not particularly flaky, but he said the eggs were perfectly cooked. They were beautifully runny and the gravy definitely made the mediocre biscuits a lot tastier. At the end though, he was a part of the clean plate club.
Texas Toast Stuffed with Nutella - This was Moses' entree of course, as he's a total Nutella freak. He even asked for extra Nutella on the side if you can believe it. Praising it to the heavens, he loved the Nutella aspect as well as the texture of the French Toast, which was crunchy and lovely - but also very rich.
Southern Omelet with Grilled Chicken - Since Paul is super serious about staying in shape, he ordered this with egg whites and sans cheese, due to his dietary restrictions. He really enjoyed it, along with the crispy, well done hash browns on the side. It was nice to see that a healthier version of any egg dish can be accommodated.
I was a bit disappointed in the coffee offering, as they didn't have basic skim milk or any other kind of alternative creamer. It was all full fat, heavy stuff that quite frankly would've upset my stomach, so I drank the coffee black.
Service and Cost:
The servers were really nice and you can tell they were hustling on this busy morning. Even though it took a little longer than usual to get the food out to us, our glasses of water and coffee were always refreshed.
Costs are reasonable and for the above mentioned meal, including coffee and some morning cocktails too, we paid about $23/person including tax and tip.
2 Mmmms
Locale - 33-02 34th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106
718.729.9080
N/Q Train to Broadway
I'm not sure why I keep doing this to myself, but I attempted to go to Sanford's again on Sunday at no avail. Instead, my friend Jenny and I headed to The Strand, which was just a few blocks down from Sac's, where we started at the Queens County Market.
When we got to The Strand, it was already pretty full and they were just setting up for live music. We didn't want to be too close to it so we can hear ourselves speak, and therefore situated ourselves at a table towards the middle of the room.
Overall, the brunch was pretty solid and the options are exciting to say the least. Here's what we ordered:
Pulled Pork Omelet - I've actually never seen this type of dish on the menu and was curious as to how it would taste. It was really hearty to say the least and the pulled pork was flavorful albeit a bit fatty. Once I got some nice meaty chunks in, I was happy, but overall, I think they could've made the meat a little leaner. The omelet came with a side of a hash brown cake with roasted red peppers on top, which were fabulous and a super thick slice of Texas Toast. The latter was stellar, but I could only have a little bit because it was all so filling.
Chicken and Waffles - Jenny went for this classic Southern dish and was really happy. The quality of the chicken was quite good and it included a mix of white and dark meat. The batter was semi sweet, which almost felt dessert-like and coupled nicely with the spongy (and also sweet) waffle. A side of good quality maple syrup and maple butter was a good way to put you over the edge - especially if you didn't mind the calories.
Coffee - Even though I didn't have this, Jenny ordered it. Served in a cute little French press, each serving gave you about 2 full glasses of coffee, which came at a great value of $3.25.
Service and Cost:
Unfortunately, I can't say that the service was anything to brag about, but it's also something you come to expect at a busy beer-garden-like place like The Strand. We had to wait a while for the check and pretty much flagged our waitress down, but aside from that, the people were cordial and upbeat.
Costs are affordable, setting us back about $18 including tax and tip.
2.5 MmmmsThe Strand Smokehouse - 25-27 Broadway, Astoria 11106
N/Q Train to Broadway
This past weekend, my We Heart Astoria colleagues and I brunched at Bear, which turned out to be a fabulous experience. After much admiration of the menu (scallops and eggs, the grizzly burger, beer battered fluke, etc.) we finally went in and gave it a try.
I must say, it was quite fabulous, as it had plenty of options and some pretty neat ones for vegetarians too, which was relevant to our party. Here's what we tried:
Scallops and Eggs - Naturally, this menu item just jumped out at me, since it's so different from what you'd see on traditional brunch menus. I couldn't be happier that I got it, as what arrived were 3 beautifully seared scallops (cooked to perfection) and embedded in to a sunny side up omelet. The dish was simple but really well executed, as the eggs were a little bit runny and coated the silky smooth scallops like a blanket. Further dressed with arugula, which gave the omelet a peppery bite, each ingredient complemented the other and overall produced a well-rounded dish. It's an absolute must!
Stuffed French Toast - We received a complimentary portion of Bear's stuffed French Toast, which looked a bit rustic, but tasted spectacular. As you can see from the above shot, the pieces of French toast sandwiched a filling of apricot-ricotta and honey. It almost tasted like a custard, which was very dessert-like and the French Toast itself was soft and resembled the texture of bread pudding. Simply put, it was some serious stuff, that I recommend splitting.
Meg, Mackenzi and Kellner also ordered other things, such as the tomato omelet you see above and also the grilled cheese sandwich. While I didn't taste these two things, they looked fabulous and the girls attested to its goodness. The tomato omelet especially looked attractive to me since it combined little cherry tomatoes with ricotta cheese. YUM!
One other thing I wanted to briefly touch upon is the crazy looking drink you see above. While we didn't try it, we admired it from afar, as it was a Bloody Mary on steroids if you will, with a giant piece of celery, broiled bacon and a whole hard boiled egg. Now that's what I call liquid brunch!
Service and Cost:
As always, the service was warm and friendly, and we were graciously greeted by Alex, Bear's co-owner as well as Natasha his sister and Bear's executive chef. We just loved how intimate and homey it all felt, and we were comfortable to just relax and hang out as long as we wanted. Think everyone felt the same, as we saw people comfortably sinking into their seats and enjoying their brunch.
Costs are inexpensive, given the awesomeness of the food:
$14 will buy you a main dish, unlimited coffee, and 1 mimosa or bloody Mary. You can't beat that!
3 Mmmms
Bear - 12-14 31st Avenue, Long Island City NY 11106
917.396.4939
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.bearnyc.com
