Brunch Gang NYC

Place: Barrio 47

Neighborhood: West Village, 47 8th Ave. (between Jane St. and W. 4th St.)

Mimosa Rating:

The scoop: We were lucky enough to get invited to check out the brunch scene at Barrio 47  (Thank you, Alex!). We met for brunch at Barrio on a Saturday afternoon around 12.

Inside Barrio’s back dining room

At this time, the restaurant was on the empty side, and it was also pretty cold inside. Granted, it was cold outside, too, but we expected it to be warmer indoors. The inside of Barrio is very narrow (think railroad style).  We were seated in an uncomfortable area in the middle of the restaurant, which was right near the oven and where the chefs prepare the food. We love seeing open kitchens because we like to know that a restaurant doesn’t have anything to hide, but we almost felt like we were too close for comfort. We did see the chef making each batch of truffle fries and seasoning them. That was pretty cool.

The service was decent at Barrio. Since the restaurant wasn’t very full yet, the servers were just standing around chatting. Ours recommended getting cocktails, but we just didn’t feel like drinking on this particular day. It’s too bad because they looked yummy.

Bottoms up: Barrio 47 offers a brunch special that includes one entrée and three champagne cocktails for $29.  The champagne cocktails consist of a mimosa, kir royal, bellini, blood orange, the Passionate, which is made with fresh passion fruit purée, and the Eva, made from housemade hibiscus extract. Although the Gang didn’t have any cocktails, we heard from an outside source that the drinks are of quality.

Chew on this:

Merguez Sausage Hash $15 / Poached eggs, jalapenos, butternut squash

Merguez Sausage Hash

Out of all three dishes, luckily for me I had the best one. The merguez was extremely flavorful and there were a lot of chunks throughout the entire dish. My only complaint was that the eggs were not properly poached. It could be disappointing when you don’t get what you expect, however, the unpoached eggs didn’t ruin the dish because there was a lot going on and the dish was moist from all the fresh ingredients. Toast was served on the side, and I used it to scoop up the tasty butternut squash mixture.  

Grilled Cheese Panini $12 / Manchego & gruyere cheese, baby spinach, roasted tomatoes

Grilled Cheese Panini

I chose the Grilled Cheese Panini because with manchego and gruyere it sounded more appealing than your average grilled cheese sandwich. The cheese was gooey and melted well. The bread had a buttery top and a nice crunch. I think there were mushrooms in the panini, even though the menu didn’t state that in the dish description. The roasted tomatoes were more like the sun-dried tomatoes that were included in the side salad. I gave up fried foods for Lent, so instead of their truffle French fries, which sounded good, I asked for more salad (the dish was already supposed to come with greens). I thought I would get more salad than I did since I wasn’t getting fries. The salad had a peppery bite, which was likely from the light dressing tossed over the top. This sandwich wasn’t bad, but I felt like it was missing something. It could have used more mushrooms, or even meat.

Eggs Benedict $14 / Black truffle & sage hollandaise, English muffin, fries (choice of prosciutto, smoked salmon or baby spinach)

Eggs Benedict

They had me at truffle, but I was sadly disappointed. There were about 2–4 miniature truffles and they did not provide that truffle flavor I was looking for. Although the truffle flavor wasn’t what I thought it would be, the prosciutto was delicious and a good alternative to the usual ham on an eggs Benedict. I did not really taste any sage, and the side salad were just OK. After eating at Blue Ribbon, it’s going to be difficult to find an eggs Benedict that is as delicious.

Outside Barrio 47

The final bite: Brunch at Barrio 47 wasn’t bad. The food was OK, but we think we may have missed out without cocktails. If we go again, we’d order drinks.

Reviewed by: Brunch Gang

Place: Barraca

Location: West Village, 81 Greenwich Ave. (at Bank St.)

Mimosa Rating:

The scoop: Brunch Gang was invited to try brunch at Barraca (thank you, Kylene!). We have brunched at Barraca’s sister restaurants, Rayuela and Macondo, so we were excited to check out this new tapas restaurant in the West Village.

Busy brunch at Barraca

We went to Barraca on a Saturday after a snowstorm. A little snow can’t stop us from brunching! When we arrived around 1:30 p.m., there were a few other patrons in the restaurant, which quickly filled up after we sat down. Barraca’s atmosphere was cozy and comfy. There is a small bar near the entrance of the restaurant. There were small groups of two and larger groups of six scattered about at the various size tables. We sat comfortably at a corner table, with an open table next to us. Barraca’s decor is pretty simple. There is light-colored exposed brick on one wall and white Christmas lights hang from the ceiling and windows.

The wait staff was extremely friendly and were very attentive. Our waiter was well versed with the dishes, and he excitedly offered numerous suggestions and informed us of his favorites. The manager even checked up on us numerous times and discussed the sangria with us.

Bottoms up:

Mimosas

Grapefruit mimosas

Mimosa $3

A $3 mimosa is a steal in the city. Not only were the mimosas reasonably priced, they were pretty decent and made with freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juices. We each had one regular and one grapefruit. Stephanie doesn’t like actual grapefruit, but she preferred the grapefruit mimosa. It was light and fruity. 

Sangria Rioja $10 / Rioja red wine, Aperol, guindilla pepper, cherry heering liquor

I love sangria, however, I am always skeptical about ordering it because a bad sangria is an undrinkable sangria. Luckily, the Sangria Rioja was probably one of the best sangrias I have ever tried. That says a lot for somebody who loves sangria I initially thought about trying the sake sangria, but the waiter said the rioja was his favorite because of the extra kick. I was sold with the thought of it being spicy. Although the drink was not spicy, it was extremely flavorful and fresh tasting, and the bartender didn’t skimp with the alcohol. This would make a perfect summer drink, and I look forward to going back just for the sangria. 

Sangria!

Sangria Penedes $12 / Sparkling cava Penedés, peaches, lavender

This sangria was very different from any sangria I had ever had. It was almost like an infused elderflower cocktail. It was served in a flute and did not have any fruit, much like what you would get with your regular sangria (description has peaches listed, but it may have just been a flavor). All in all, it was pretty delicious if you are into Champagne.  

Sangria de la Mancha $10 / Saffron infused passion fruit, Verdejo white wine, Clementine, Don Q Limon rum

I had a hard time deciding on which sangria to order. I didn’t want to order the same as Victoria and Erica because we wanted to try a variety. The server said Sangria de la Mancha was sweet, but I was hoping it wasn’t overly sweet. Sometimes white sangria can be too sweet. I was happy when I took my first sip. It was like drinking liquid fruit. This sangria was absolutely delicious. It was a refreshing taste of summer in February. I can’t wait to go back and sip my sangria while sitting outdoors.

Chew on this:

Croquettes

Croquets de Setas y Pollo $9 / Chicken and oyster mushroom croquettes

The waiter recommended the croquette as an appetizer. We were served four long and round croquettes. The outside of the croquettes were crispy and the inside was soft and warm. We could taste both chicken and mushroom flavors as neither overpowered the dish. We all liked this starter.

Huevos al Plato

Huevos al Plato $12 / Baked eggs, picadillo de chorizo, scallions, fresh English peas

The baked egg dish was a little smaller than I expected and I would say it was more tapas size. The dish was served with two eggs on top and flavorful tiny bits of tasty chorizo and peas below the eggs. I liked the mixture of the ingredients, however, it would have been a complete meal with a small side salad and potatoes. After finishing the dish, I wanted something more. 

Huevos Rotos con Tocino

Huevos Rotos con Tocino $13 / “Broken eggs” served with crispy potatoes, pork belly, fried green peppers and Teilla cheese

This dish was much smaller than I expected. I think there was only one egg in the whole dish, and there were only a few pieces of pork belly. I was not expecting the “crispy potatoes” to be French fries, but that’s actually what was in the dish. I thought the fried green peppers would provide a spicy flavor, but I was wrong. Overall, I was not happy with my dish. Thankfully, we had decent appetizers and drinks. 

Huevos Revueltos

Huevos Revueltos $10 / Scrambled eggs with onion marmalade, raisins, Manchego cheese, piquillo peppers

We knew Barraca served tapas-style dishes going in, so we asked the waiter if there were any larger plates that would be good for one person. He recommended the huevos dishes. The scrambled eggs stood out on the menu because of its combination of interesting ingredients. When we got our food, we all thought the servings were on the small side. The eggs were very soft in my dish, which I liked. I like raisins, but I don’t eat them often, so I was surprised by how well the mix of regular and golden raisins went with the onion, peppers and cheese. The raisins actually made this dish better than it would have been without them. The waiter had asked us if we wanted bread at the beginning of our brunch and we declined. We took him up on his offer during our meals. I couldn’t imagine having this dish without any bread to soak up the juice left behind. Overall, the Huevos Revueltos had good flavor but was missing something. I think it could have used some type of meat. 

Dessert

Bunuelos de Viento  $9 / Crispy dough bites served with hot chocolate and cream

We all had room for dessert, and the Bunuelos de Viento was calling our names. The bunuelos were served on top of the hot chocolate. They reminded us of zeppoles without the powdered sugar (which they actually needed). The dish wasn’t sweet enough. A little bit of powdered sugar would have went a long way. Victoria thought the dessert would have been more complete with ice cream. 

Outside Barraca

The final bite: We were impressed with the service and drinks during brunch at Barraca, but the food left us wanting something more. We are looking forward to returning for sangria in the summer.

Reviewed by: Brunch Gang

Place: L’Apicio

Neighborhood: NoHo, 13 E. 1st St. (between Bowery and Extra Place)

Mimosa Rating:

The scoop: Brunch Gang loves checking out new brunch spots, so we were thrilled when we were invited to try the White Bloody at L’Apicio. L’Apicio added brunch at the end of November. We were looking forward to seeing whether the restaurant is brunch worthy.

Relax! Take a seat.

The location of L’Apicio is a little odd. It’s in the lobby of what looked like a residential building. It doesn’t seem like it’s a place you’d just stumble upon, if that makes sense. When we walked into L’Apicio, the first thing we noticed was their comfy waiting area and a large bar to the right. We were surprised to see such a large waiting area with couches, chairs and tables. Most restaurants are so limited with space that they’d never have room for a space for patrons to wait for a table. It would also be a great spot to just chill and have a drink.

L’Apicio’s dining area

Although we had a reservation on the Sunday before Christmas, it wasn’t necessary since the place wasn’t full. Because the restaurant is spacious and wasn’t crowded, we think it would be a good spot for groups and children. There was a party of four with a child sitting not too far from us. L’Apicio is a big space and has various sizes of tables and booths. They even have a smaller room off to the side of the main dining area that had walls with openings, like long windows. These openings had shelves which were lined with bottles of wine and wine glasses. Cool, white lanterns hang from the ceiling.

The wait staff was friendly. We wanted to take some holiday photos, and the server had no problem taking several for us. Also, one of the servers came by to ask if we were satisfied with our meals. It’s not very often when a server genuinely wants to make sure you are happy with your meal.

Bottoms up: While the prices aren’t cheap ($12-13 per drink), L’Apicio serves up an interesting variety of  brunch cocktails.

White Bloody $13 / White pike whiskey, pepporoncini, pepperoni

Bloodies!

Steve, who works with White Pike Whiskey, invited us to try the White Bloody at L’Apicio (thank you, Steve!). This bloody is made with that whiskey instead of the traditional vodka. Erica, our resident bloody Mary expert, says this was one of the best bloody Marys she has had. The presentation was very aesthetically pleasing (we loved the pepperoni!). We enjoyed the mix — it didn’t taste like store-bought tomato juice mix. It had more of a tomato sauce taste with a thick consistency and a spicy kick. The whiskey gave the drink a good punch. It was strong, but not overwhelming. The mix and whiskey complemented each other well. To top it off, the bloody Mary was served in a pretty large glass.

Chew on this: L’Apicio offers nine brunch entrées, along with four pasta dishes, individual pastries or basket and a few starters.

Scramble Broccoli Rabe $16 / Sausage pesto, crispy potatoes

Scramble Broccoli Rabe

Being a huge fan of broccoli rabe, I couldn’t turn down the broccoli rabe scramble. The scrambled eggs had a lot going on and were extremely flavorful. The broccoli rabe and sausage made every bite deliciously good. I wasn’t a fan of the potatoes because they were extremely oily. I liked the crispiness of the potatoes, but all the oil was a little too much for me. I didn’t eat all of them. A biscuit or toast would have made this dish more complete.   

Braised Short Rib Hash $18 / Poached eggs, pickled chili

Braised Short Rib Hash

I really like short ribs, so I wanted to give this hash a try. I have also had short rib hash at other restaurants, and L’Apicio’s version was just OK. While it was a somewhat hearty meal and the eggs were perfectly runny, the potatoes-to-hash ratio was a little off. I remember leaving a lot of spare potato cubes on my plate after scrounging around for all of the pieces of hash. The flavor was average and could have used more spices. If you like hash, this dish is good for you. If you’re looking for meat, you may want to order another one. 

Pumpkin Pancakes $14 / Spiced pecans, mascarpone, brown butter

Pumpkin Pancakes

I had a hard time deciding between the fried chicken and pumpkin pancakes. I never order fried chicken, and it would have been a nice treat, but I’m a girl with a serious sweet tooth and a love of pumpkin. There was no way I could pass up ordering the pumpkin pancakes. I made the right decision. The pancakes were warm and yummy, very apropos for the holidays. The pumpkin cinnamon taste reminded me of something specific, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I liked the texture of the pancake. They were cooked to perfection — with the right crispiness on the outside coupled with a moist center. The spiced pecans gave the dish a nice crunch. I didn’t use any of the mascarpone. I didn’t want to take away from the taste of the actual pancakes. I believe the brown butter was combined with the syrup, which I used sparingly. We all agreed that the pumpkin pancakes was the best dish of the three.

Outside L’Apicio

The final bite: While there were some really good aspects of L’Apicio — the spaciousness, bloody Mary and pumpkin pancakes — there were also some not so great things — some steep prices and Victoria’s oily potatoes. All in all, we had a pleasant experience at L’Apicio.

Reviewed by: Brunch Gang

Place: Macondo

Neighborhood: Lower East Side, 157 E. Houston St. (between Allen St. and Eldridge St.)

Mimosa Rating:

The scoop: We actually tried brunching here a year ago, right before we started this blog. Since it was so busy, we ended up at their sister restaurant Rayuela, but Macondo has always remained one of the brunches that we all wanted to try. A couple of us enjoyed yummy drinks during Macondo’s happy hour, and we have read great brunch reviews, so we were excited to finally eat here and were expecting a home-run brunch.

Macondo’s mimosa brunch

Macondo doesn’t accept reservations, but it wasn’t a problem for us on Memorial Day weekend. Macondo resembles a tiki hut with Latin flavor. There are bar stools set up at the very front of the restaurant that are partially accessible from outside, and there is plenty of seating throughout the restaurant. We were initially seated in a cozy spot at a front section against the window, but since the AC was not working in that area and it was blazing hot outside, we moved to a booth at the back of the restaurant. As we walked toward the back,  we could feel the AC and were satisfied — for a short time.

After sitting for about two minutes, we noticed a giant cockroach scurrying around on the floor. Grossed out, we alerted a server, who seemed unfazed and kicked the roach toward another table of brunchers, who also didn’t seem to care about what was going on. Although the server assured us this never happens, we thought the situation was handled poorly. Not only were we annoyed by this incident, but also, the seats at our table were uncomfortable because the cushions were made of an itchy material. Nobody wants to feel itchy after seeing a critter.

Various seating options

Naturally, we asked to move again (maybe we should have just left the restaurant entirely). We ended up at a high table, which we shared with two other people. Although two people were next to us, it wasn’t uncomfortable, and since the seats were high, we didn’t have to worry about our feet touching the ground and a roach crawling up our legs. In the end, the manager comped our drinks, but again, the initial reaction to the critter was not ideal.

Bottoms up: For an additional $11, you can drink unlimited mimosas for two hours.

Blackberry-mint mimosa

Jen and Victoria prefered the blackberry-mint mimosa and thought it had the perfect balance of blackberry and mint. Although we assumed each glass came from the same batch, some were mintier than others. This was a very refreshing drink on a hot day.

Blackberry mint, orange vanilla and guanabana elderflower

Orange-vanilla mimosa

There was really nothing special about the orange-vanilla mimosa. It tasted like a regular mimosa. We’re not sure where the vanilla flavor came from. Maybe vanilla syrup? If so, the drink could have used more to distinguish it from a regular mimosa.

Guanabana-elderflower mimosa

This mimosa was Stephanie’s favorite. It had a very minimal taste, so it’s hard to describe, but we could taste slight hints of guava. We liked it because it was so light.

Chew on this: Although all of the brunch dishes are priced well, the portions are small.

Las Charcas $9 / Yellow corn-black pudding arepa, mushrooms, arugula, onions, quail egg, citric-crème fraiche

Las Charcas

This dish is under the arepas section of the menu. If you are not familiar, arepas are popular Colombian or Venezuelan dishes that are made from ground corn dough. I figured that the dish would come with two arepas, much like an eggs Benedict does. I was wrong. It was like the size of an appetizer. The server described it as a decadent and beautiful dish. It was beautiful and tasted amazing. The combination of the mushroom flavor and the black pudding (made from blood sausage) provided massive flavor, but it was just too small. The quail egg was enough to feed a bird and I only wanted more after devouring it.

El Monumento $13 / Grilled chorizo, fried eggs over mashed green plantain (mangu) & roasted onions

El Monumento

I was deciding between this dish and huevos rancheros. Since a lot of restaurants serve huevos rancheros, I went with the El Monumento. I should have gotten the huevos instead. This dish had so much potential and sounded good, but I was disappointed. I don’t really like runny eggs, so I asked that the eggs be cooked well, but they weren’t. The plantains had no flavor at all. Their texture reminded me of lumpy mashed potatoes. The grilled chorizo had a bit of flavor. I liked how it had grill marks on it. I ate pieces of the chorizo with the eggs and plantain. It tasted all right together, but I didn’t like the taste of each individually.

Salmon Salad  $10 / Seared salmon with julienne cucumber, carrots, radish, arugula & walnuts, in a passion fruit-mustard sauce

Salmon Salad

I wasn’t hungry, so I decided to order a salad and the salmon one sounded tasty to me. As soon as the dish was placed in front of me, my eyes bugged out and I had a laughter of disappointment in my head as I looked at my small dish. I am not sure how they got the idea of calling this a salad, as I was only provided with a couple pieces of lettuce and a shaving of cucumber and carrot. I definitely did not taste any walnuts. On the positive side, the salmon was nice and moist, and since I asked for the dressing on the side, I didn’t really need to use much. Maybe I would have needed dressing if I was actually provided with more greens. Side salads at most restaurants are bigger than what I was served.

Polenta Con Chorizo $8 / Truffled polenta, egg, chorizo, manchego cheese

Polenta Con Chorizo

As soon as this dish arrived, I actually said, “I’m going to scarf this down in about five bites,” … and I did. Like the other dishes, I found the serving size to be disappointing. The polenta was the best thing about it. The truffle taste was strong, and you could see specks of truffles mixed into the polenta. I didn’t taste the manchego cheese at all. The egg on top of the polenta didn’t do much for me. I’m not a big fan of chorizo, so I asked for it on the side, so the other girls could share it. You could see char marks from the grill on the chorizo, which had a little kick to it. This dish is a great option for someone who loves polenta and truffles, but don’t expect to be overly satisfied after finishing it. 

Outside Macondo

The final bite: You know the feeling after a bad date, a date that you had actually been looking forward to? That’s exactly how we felt after brunch at Macondo. The experience, as a whole, left us disappointed.

Reviewed by: Brunch Gang