Brunch Gang NYC

Place: Sala

Neighborhood: Flushing, Queens, 189-11 Northern Blvd.

Mimosa Rating:

The scoop: David and I have been to Sala for dinner, and we thought the food and service were good. At dinner, we were told about their brunch special, which features $5 entrees. Needless to say, we were excited to come back to try their Sunday brunch.

Dining area at Sala

Sala is located on the outskirts of Flushing, Queens, close to Bayside. We drove to the restaurant and lucked out by getting a spot right out front. When we walked into Sala, we were greeted by Johnny, who we remembered from our previous time there. The bar is near the restaurant entrance and on the other side of the wall is the dining area. There was only one other table occupied when we arrived.

Brunch at Sala is served on Sundays between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. A group of women came into the restaurant around 1:30 expecting to have brunch, but they were surprised to find out that brunch ends early. We were also surprised by this. I don’t know anyone who wants to brunch at 8:30 in the morning. I assume the restaurant does this so they can serve lunch from 1:30 until dinner time, but they might want to rethink that. They should either serve breakfast and lunch or brunch. Maybe add more lunch items to the brunch menu and scrap lunch all together? Just a thought.

Outside Sala

Sala’s decor is pretty simple. I was disappointed the main dining area didn’t have any holiday decorations. The bar had a little decorations. They have a great outdoor space at the front of the restaurant. It would be a great place to have drinks during the warmer months.  The service at Sala is good. Johnny was the only server working at that time and he is very friendly. Unfortunately, the brunch food isn’t up to snuff.

Bottoms up: Sala offers brunch cocktails — mimosa, bloody Mary, bellini, red/white sangria, mojito and mango mojito — for $5 each. I ordered an orange juice for $3. It was typical OJ from a container. They put ice in the glass which I thought was a little strange. I’ve never been one for ice in my OJ.

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Pancakes $5 / Three buttermilk pancakes with ham, bacon or sausage

Pancakes

When these pancakes were placed in front of me, I thought they looked good. They seemed to be cooked right. The edges of the pancakes didn’t taste bad. They were a little dry for my liking, though, and as I made my way toward the middle of the pancake, it started to taste very battery. I think the batter was too thick and they didn’t allow the pancakes to cook all the way through. They just didn’t taste right. There’s an option to add apple, strawberry, blueberry or cherry to the top for an extra $2, but I passed. The side of bacon was very crispy. I don’t like soggy bacon, but this was a bit too crispy. Somewhere in between would have been better.

Eggs Benedict $5 / Poached eggs on pita chips with hollandaise and home fries and ham, bacon or sausage

Eggs Benedict

Unfortunately, this was not one of the best Benedict dishes David has had. I get that they were going for a Mediterranean vibe by having the eggs served on pita chips, but they were just too flimsy. Serving the eggs on pita bread would have been a better idea. The bread is heartier and would have soaked up the yolk more. The home fries weren’t anything special. They lacked flavor and weren’t very hot when served. He wouldn’t order this dish at Sala again. 

Burger $5 / 8 oz. burger. Add cheese for +$1.50. Add fries for +$3

Burger

Since everything was so cheap and we were hungry, we ordered the burger to split. Good thing we did because I was still hungry after eating less than half of my pancakes. The burger was the best dish of the three, however, it wasn’t that great. I found the patty to be a bit on the greasy side. I know the menu states that the burger is eight ounces, but it seemed smaller than that. The fries were OK.  They were a nice salty addition to the sweet pancakes.

The final bite: To say I was disappointed with Sala’s brunch is an understatement. I had high hopes after having dinner there.  Although the service is good, you get what you pay for. The dishes are cheap in price, but also in quality.

Reviewed by: Stephanie

Place: Strawberry’s Sports Grill

Neighborhood: Douglaston, Queens, 42-15 235th St.

Mimosa Rating:

Outside Strawberry's

The scoop: Strawberry’s seems like a random place to brunch, but I was in Bayside looking for a place not too far away. The restaurant/bar is located in the next town over, Douglaston. Literally steps from the LIRR train station, Strawberry’s — owned by former Mets and Yankees player Darryl Strawberry — is a fairly large space with three dining rooms and a large bar in the front. Memorabilia and pictures from his playing days and from various New York teams hang on the walls, and the ceiling of the back room is covered in team flags, which was pretty cool. Strawberry’s offers a brunch buffet with one mimosa or bloody Mary for $15.95. The buffet wasn’t served in the main dining area where everyone was eating, but in another room off to the side. There were a lot more options on the online menu than there were offered at the actual buffet (there was no omelette station or egg dish). In fact, they had more lunch than breakfast items. Even though they had numerous servers and not that many patrons, the service was just OK.

Mimosa

Bottoms up: We both opted for a mimosa. David didn’t like it; I thought it tasted all right — nothing to write home about. Since the drink’s color was a darker shade, it leads me to believe that there was more OJ than champagne in the cocktail. I ended up drinking mine and most of his.

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Buffet room

Where do I begin? This should have been a red flag: The food looked like it had been sitting out awhile. Based on when brunch began and when we arrived, I’d say probably for two hours. And no one else in the restaurant was brunching. Even though there were burners heating up the trays of food, every item I tried was cold. The only thing that was hot were the tongs, on which I burned my hand. The buffet may be all you can eat, but after one bite, you don’t want any more.

Here’s a brief rundown of each buffet item:

Tater tots: Soggy and greasy
Biscuit: Dry, not soft and flaky as are most biscuits
Bacon: Decent; David thought it was too well done
Sausage: Typical sausage links, probably frozen
Fruit: Fruit was fresh

Mini croissant: The best thing at the buffet; buttery
Mac & cheese: Overly cheesy
Waffle: Very cold and hard. Syrup was not provided
Sausage gravy: Extremely thick, unappetizing
Home fries: We didn’t actually try these because they were sitting in a bed of oil in the tray

American and tomato omelette

Egg omelette / With American cheese and tomato

Our server seemed surprised there was no omelette station and offered to have our egg dishes made in the kitchen. (I don’t know how you wouldn’t know if someone was next to the buffet making omelettes, but I’m actually scared to know what their idea of an omelette station is.) It was a shame that they didn’t have the two ingredients I wanted in my omelette — mozzarella and green peppers. As you can see, the omelette contained a lot of cheese, some of which wasn’t melted. I added pepper and ketchup, and the dish still didn’t even taste average. I make better omelettes at home.

The final bite: I wasn’t expecting a gourmet brunch at Strawberry’s, but I did expect the food to be edible. I did like the decor, and I’m sure this grill has better bar food (it didn’t get four stars on Yelp for nothing), but do yourself a favor and do not come here for brunch.

Reviewed by: Stephanie

Place: Ovelia Psistaria Bar

Neighborhood: Astoria, Queens, 34-01 30th Ave. (at 34th St.)

Mimosa Rating:

Outside Ovelia Psistaria

The scoop: I was headed to Astoria for a party, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to check out a brunch in the area. I did some research and decided on Ovelia Psistaria Bar, which is located on bustling 30th Ave and is just a short walk from the 30th Avenue station on the N and Q lines. I made a reservation to be safe, but since I was brunching solo, getting a table wouldn’t have been an issue. Ovelia has outdoor seating, but on a 98-degree day, I went with dining in the AC. The restaurant has a Miami vibe — it was open, airy, bright and sun-drenched. The music playing was a bit too loud and techno-ish for my taste. It made me wonder if the large party seated next to me had trouble hearing each other talk. I’m not sure if Ovelia turns into a lounge at night, but I could definitely see that. The service was good; the server made recommendations and explained dishes, and my water was refilled frequently. After I finished my meal, the check was presented in a cool, neon case (see photo below).

Mimosa

Bottoms up: All brunch entrées come with a bloody Mary or mimosa and orange juice, milk, coffee or tea. I went with the mimosa, which was strong and refreshing. The drink was champagne heavy. After such a big meal, I had a hard time finishing the mimosa. I didn’t get a second beverage as I’m not a coffee or tea drinker.

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Stuffed French toast $15.50 / With Greek yogurt and honey whip; Greek sausage

Stuffed French toast

I was deciding among three dishes, and the server recommended the French toast instantly. When the plate was placed in front of me, all I could smell was cinnamon — a very good sign. I also noticed that I was given sausage instead of bacon, which is what I asked for. The sausage looked different from the links or patties you are normally served at brunch. This sausage was in a small-circular shape. One bite into the juicy and flavorful sausage, and I was glad they mixed up my order. My server informed me it was American-friendly Greek sausage. The French toast had decent flavor. I’m still trying to convert from regular yogurt to Greek yogurt, and I was a bit worried there would be too much yogurt stuffed into the bread making it overpowering, but that wasn’t the case (although I did scrape off some here and there). The yogurt added a tasty twist to a traditional brunch dish, which also came with chopped apples, melon and green grapes on the side. The French toast wasn’t the only thing stuffed as I was very full after this meal (I don’t know if I’d classify this dish as light like the server said). I do think $15.50 for French toast is expensive, but since it came with two drinks, I’m going to let it slide.

Cool check case

The final bite: I wouldn’t mind going back to Ovelia to try one of their sandwiches (I saw them on other people’s plates, and they looked good). If you’re in Astoria on the search for some good food and won’t be bothered by a loud atmosphere, check out Ovelia.

Reviewed by: Stephanie

Place: Bourbon Street Cafe

Neighborhood: Bayside, Queens, 40-12 Bell Blvd.

Mimosa Rating:

Outside Bourbon Street

The scoop: After doing research on brunches in Bayside, Bourbon Street Cafe looked like my best bet. Located on the busiest street in Bayside, Bell Boulevard, Bourbon Street is a restaurant/bar with a New Orleans theme, hence the Mardi Gras beads placed on each table. The space itself is big: It has three rooms that include a bar and two dining areas. It has decent lighting, and I had no problem hearing the other people in my party. As for the actual food, I expected a lot from their brunch since it was voted “best brunch on a NYC budget” by the New York Post. And they’re right — to an extent. All brunch selections include a complimentary bloody Mary, mimosa or screwdriver, assorted bagels and muffins, a fresh fruit cup, coffee cake, and coffee/tea. You’d think, ‘You can’t go wrong with that!’ Well, you can … when the food isn’t . I have to say that our server was very nice. She checked on us numerous times and updated us when our food would be coming out, without us even asking. The manager of the restaurant also asked us how everything was going.

Mimosa

Bottoms up: All four of us ordered mimosas to go with our meals. Everyone but me was given a mimosa; I was given a screwdriver. I swapped with one of my friends, and once I had a sip of the real mimosa, it was hard to tell the difference. The mimosa was watery. I’m not sure if this was because they didn’t use enough champagne or they used a cheap brand. It lacked the champagne flavor that makes a mimosa so good.

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Fruit cups

Fruit cup / Complimentary

The fruit cup was a pleasant surprise and the best part of the meal. Pieces of watermelon, canteloupe, honeydew and pineapple were fresh and tasty.

Assorted bagels and homemade muffins / Complimentary

A basket of breads, bagels and muffins came with our brunch. The everything bagels tasted stale, but the mini chocolate chip muffins were decent. Actually, they tasted more like corn muffins with chocolate chips in them.

Banana waffle

Banana waffles $14.95 / Served with your choice of bacon or sausage and fresh bananas

The first thought that came to mind when my waffle was placed in front of me was, “I should have gotten eggs.” That’s never a good sign. Although the menu didn’t indicate the waffle as Belgian, that’s what I expected. What I got was a jazzed-up, less stiff version of an Eggo waffle. I expect more from restaurant waffles. I expect them to be fluffy with a golden brown outside. That’s usually what you get when you order waffles in a restaurant. I chose bacon for my meat, and it was pretty good. I liked the bacon more than the waffle.

Bourbon Street breakfast taco $14.95 / A soft taco filled with eggs, jalapeno jack cheese and fresh avocado served with our homemade salsa. Includes your choice of bacon or sausage

Breakfast taco

While the breakfast taco was a big portion, it lacked any real flavor. I think they try to blind you with the size of it. I felt like I was eating it just to fill myself up; I didn’t enjoy it. The potatoes contained too many onions. However, I did like the sausage.

Omelets of your choice $14.95 / Our delicious homemade omelet filled with your choice of three: mushrooms, cheese, peppers or broccoli. Includes your choice of bacon or sausage

Cheese omelette

The cheese omelette was good. If you only asked for one stuffing, they shouldn’t skimp on it, and they didn’t! I thought the bacon was the best part of the meal because they made it extra crispy. Bacon should be well done (but not burnt), and a lot of places make it very rubbery because they are trying to just get it out of the kitchen. The potatoes were good because they had some sort of seasoning on them and didn’t taste like every other home-fried potato elsewhere. My one question about the meal: Where was the toast? They didn’t offer any, and it wasn’t on the menu. Maybe because of the bread basket?

Coffee cake / Complimentary

Coffee cake

This was the last part of our meal, and I think it was supposed to act as a dessert. Honestly, they should have ended the meal with our entree because the coffee cake was very dry. After one bite I didn’t want any more. That’s saying a lot because as I’ve mentioned before, I love sweets.

The final bite: I really wanted to like Bourbon Street Cafe. The servers were very friendly, and you definitely get a lot for your money. But the food just wasn’t that good. Quality should trump quantity, in my opinion, and that’s not the case at Bourbon Street.

Reviewed by: Stephanie