Brunch Roundup

It is axiomatic that women love brunch. The New York Times, in its recent expose on "man-dates" revealed that men rarely ask each other to go out for a meal together, and certainly never for brunch. True to form, I am always on the lookout for a good brunch place, one that will equally serve to impress out-of-town guests as well as reward myself after a long week.

My current favorite has to be Nolita House, which offers live bluegrass music on Saturday and Sunday (although the music doesn't really get started until after 12:30 p.m.). The breakfast pizza is the standout offering here: a generously sized thin crust topped with egg, bacon, sausage, potatoes and cheese, baked in a brick oven. It sounds like a heavy dish, but it actually taste airy and chewy. At my recommendation (insistence), my vegetarian friend ordered the pizza pork-free and found it as delightful as I promised. I also highly recommend the mac and cheese, even though I am a creature of habit and will not likely stray from the pizza anytime soon. A dining companion learned this the hard way when he ordered the brick oven eggs, which turned out to be a lackluster cousin of the quiche. Best of all, all entrees are reasonably priced (~$9-$12) and come with your choice of sangria, mimosa or bloody mary.

Paris Commune in the West Village is the place to go for French toast. So many places offer French toast that is a scant better than what I can whip up in my own kitchen, serving thin sliced bread drenched in store bought maple syrup. At Paris Commune, you get thick slices of bread with the egg mixture soaked throughout and cooked until golden brown, topped with fresh fruit. Because I generally dislike French toast and pancakes after three bites, I not so secretly hope that whoever I'm dining with will order the French toast so I can sneak a bite and also enjoy my farm fresh organic egg omelettes or frittata.

I tried Bubby's in Tribeca recently and was impressed by the wide variety of brunch options. The specials that Saturday sounded particularly appetizing, with fare such as apple bacon and cheddar omelette and house smoked duck hash. Intrigued, I gamely opted for the duck hash, which turned out to be, well, more duck than I cared for. It was tasty, but my stomach may not have been prepared to eat something so rich so early in the day. My dining companion had a chanterelle-and-scallion omelette, which was simple and delicious. Her dish came with the choice of cheese grits or home fries and, although I may have looked crestfallen when she selected the home fries, the home fries were an excellent choice. They were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and perfectly salted on all sides. My inner Southerner does want to return for the cheese grits though.