Petaluma: UES Italian Restaurant with an Updated Image!

After walking by Petaluma (1356 1st Ave., New York, NY) for years on the Upper East Side, I finally decided to try it after it underwent a year of renovations. Something about the new menu and the promotions on the board outside drew me in and made me want to finally try this neighborhood spot. It was definitely catering to a younger clientele than it had previously. 

The $35 All You Can Drink brunch deal was too good to pass up. As soon as my friend and I sat down, we were greeted by a very friendly waitress. She advised us that the unlimited brunch not only included unlimited mimosa, bellinis, and bloody marys for two hours, but that they also had a limited supply of unlimited sangria as well. This was music to our ears! We both decided to start with the sangria to take advantage of it while it was in supply. 

The sangria was very refreshing and STRONG! After just one glass I felt it. This certainly didn't keep me from ordering another round or two of this delicious drink! 

Breakfast Pizza - Bacon, sausage, cheddar, farm egg cream

For brunch, my friend and I shared two entrees. There were so many amazing options on the menu that we couldn't just commit to one. The Breakfast Pizza was a real winner! The crust was crunchy and baked to perfection in the restaurant's pizza oven. The pie was covered in delicious mozzarella cheese with bacon, sausage, farm egg cream, and a touch of cheddar. Every bite was worth it. Nothing was left at the end! This pizza gave me a hint into how good dinner-time pizzas would be when I return!

Cast Iron Eggs Benedict - gnocchi alla Romana, baked hollandaise, packed eggs with bacon added 

The Cast Iron Eggs Benedict was a really unique approach on eggs Benedict. I wasn't sure what to expect, but knew that it came highly recommended from the waitress. I love when a waitress or waiter actually has an opinion on the menu and has tasted the food! The poached eggs sat atop a unique patty, which was called gnocchi alla Romana. It was similar to a polenta cake and was a great combination with the poached eggs. The hollandaise sauce was baked right into the egg, which made the egg extremely flavorful and moist, but not as messy as a normal eggs benedict. We opted to add bacon to this dish, and it was a great choice because it added that savory meaty flavor that every egg dish needs! MMMM!!!

Since I dined here for brunch, I haven't stopped raving to everyone about it. I have wanted to return for brunch for some time, but have been way to busy :( I did go for happy hour one night, and it was chill and relaxing at the bar, with great cocktails and small bites! Definitely not a place to be missed!

Buvette: Popular West Village Brunchin'

My girls and I were in the mood to try something new for brunch and venture to a neighborhood that we don't normally brunch in. We decided to check out Buvette (42 Grove St., New York, NY), which is located in the West Village. It is a cute French Cafe with some outdoor seating that is known for its major lines at brunch and wait times. Also, they don't take reservations! Make sure you go early if you are going to check it out! We were seated in about 40 minutes.

Bike Full of Corks outside

Tiniest, Cutest Menu!

When we were finally shown to our table, we were sat in a tiny corner table, where normally a restaurant would put 2 people, but we were 3, and let's just say, it was nice and snuggly!
The menu we were given was adorable because it was tiny in size. Maybe this restaurant specializes in small things since our table was so tiny??

The Brunch Menu

The menu was pretty straightforward and didn't give many details. I tend to like to find out from the waitress their thoughts on the selections and ask a few questions. Our waitress was extremely unhelpful and basically repeated back to me what the menu said. So much for answering my questions?! When I couldn't decide between the Croque Madame and the Croque Forestier and wanted to combine some of the ingredients into my own kind of Croque for one of those "best of both worlds" experiences, the waitress basically told me no substitutions. Nowhere on the menu did it state this. I also don't understand what is so difficult about adding mushrooms to the Croque Madame, or adding ham to the Croque Forestier?! I guess Buvette doesn't cater to their customer's wishes and serves what they want instead!
I ended up ordering the Croque Madame because it was the more savory choice out of the two, but would have loved to enjoy a few mushrooms added to it!

Cafe American

The Cafe American was perfection. It was much better than your standard coffee at brunch. It was darker, richer, and stronger. It also had that frothy layer that only freshly made black coffees have when made correctly. It was almost like espresso. I loved it!

Bloody Marys

The Bloody Marys we ordered were good and spicy but I regretted ordering them after seeing other tables with Kir Royals, a much lighter drink selection. The Bloody Marys were on the thicker side with horseradish pieces floating around which made drinking with a straw more difficult. This drink was almost a full meal!

Mousse de Foie de Canard - Duck liver mousse

The Mousse de Foie de Canard, which we ordered for the table to share before the meal, came out with the meal instead. We were so disappointed in this, since we were sitting for a minimum of 30 minutes waiting for our food, and wondering where our starter was. When we asked the waitress to check on the mousse and mentioned how we really wanted it ahead of our meals, she returned to the table with our meals and the mousse. How disappointing! To add to the frustration, you could tell that the mousse was prepared in advance because of how the fat was congealed on top of the mousse. Based on it being ready ahead of time, it would have been at our table immediately! On a positive note, the mousse was tasty, rich, and creamy. It spread very nicely on the toasted that accompanied it, and a perfect item for sharing. Although, none of us liked the fat layer on top, and could have done without it.

Les Croque Madam

The Croque Madame was delicious! The bread was toasted perfectly for extra added crunch and topped with a heaping amount of gruyere, a sunny side up egg, and ham! I think there was definitely more than enough room to add mushrooms to this dish though...
I loved how some parts of the gruyere cheese were burnt, since I do love entrees like this a tad on the well done side. The sunny side up egg yolk added the needed moisture to the toasted bread.
My only complaint for this dish was that it came to the table on a saucer plate. It was very difficult to maneuver cutting it without pieces of it falling onto the table. My other friends who also ordered one of the Croques on the menu were served with a slightly larger plate than mine, which made things a little easier. I think Buvette may need to update their place setting inventory a little and get some real plates. Additionally, it is a little surprising that the Croque did not come with anything on the side like vegetables or potatoes. It was served all alone on a tiny plate.

Kir Royal

When we finished our Bloody Marys we decided to order another round of drinks, but switch to Kir Royals! This was definitely a good decision because it added some sweetness to the end of the meal and also was a much more refreshing pairing to our meals. These Kir Royals were probably one of the best ones that I have had. They were made with all the right proportions of Champagne and Creme de Cassis.

Chocolate Crepes

For dessert we decided to order chocolate crepes for the table. Luckily they came three in an order, which was perfect for the three of us sharing! These crepes were small and just the right amount to finish a meal with a taste of sweetness. The chocolate was melted and gooey and so rich! The outer layer was thin, doughy, but crunchy all at once, and made to perfection! Buvette definitely excels in dessert!
All in all, my experience at Buvette was mixed. It was a cute place with delicious food, but definitely lacked in the customer service category. I would still consider returning for brunch, but perhaps dinner time may be less chaotic, where the waitress may be a little more flexible and helpful. I am interested to see how their dinner menu is, since I am sure it tastes lovely. I can say that Buvette definitely would be a place to take a date for crepes!

Boulton & Watt : Savory Brunch with $5 brunch cocktails!

After my fiancé raved about the dinner he had at Boulton & Watt (5 Avenue A, at 1st. St., New York, NY), we knew we had to try it for brunch at some point. We went on a cold Sunday afternoon with a group of 9 of us. The hostess tried to seat us in a corner area where our group would be split between two tables. It was definitely an awkward set up for a brunch where you wanted to catch up with everyone. After some discussion with the hostess about seating us at a different table in the restaurant, she finally gave in. She was saving the other table for a group of 7, which made no sense, since the group of 7 could squeeze into one of our corner tables versus us having to be split between two tables. Our group of 9 definitely fit at the other table with ease, so there was a whole production over tables for nothing.

$5 Seasonal Sangria

When we were finally settled into one table, we were given menus and much to our surprise all the brunch cocktails were $5, which is a pretty good deal for a NYC restaurant. I opted for the sangria, which was refreshing and actually pretty potent. I started to feel buzzed during the first round.

Pickles Jars - 3 for $13 
Pineapple with Habanero, Mint and Basil / Bourbon Jalapeño / Brussel Sprouts with Mustard Seeds, Roasted Garlic, Dill

We decided to order a selection of pickle jars for the table to share. This was a great way to share amongst the table and get a bite of each flavor. We ordered the pineapple with habanero, bourbon jalapeños, and brussel sprouts with mustard seeds. My favorite was the bourbon jalapeños, even though you didn't really taste the bourbon flavor. I think the mention of bourbon was more of a marketing scheme, but the jalapeños were extremely spicy and accompanied with onions and peppers and very varied in flavors. The brussel sprouts weren't as good as I was hoping since generally brusell sprouts are more savory in flavor, versus pickled. I now know that pickling brussel sprouts are not the way to enjoy this treat!

Braised Short Rib and Bone Marrow Benedict -
Bordelaise Sauce on Country Bread 

For my meal, I shared two dishes with my fiancé. The braised short rib and bone marrow Benedict was extremely savory and glutinous! I don't recall really tasting the bone marrow, but the short rib was tender, full of flavor, and melted in your mouth. It was served on bread with bordelaise sauce. The only odd and inconsistent thing about our dish was everyone else at the table who ordered this dish had two pieces of bread and eggs completely separate from each other, making it easy to share and split. For some reason ours came out on the same piece of bread and the eggs were partially attached to each other. The potatoes were fried and perfect. We didn't leave one bite left on the plate!

Boulton and Watt Mac and Cheese -
White cheddar, persuade bread crumbs (we added bacon)

Our other entree, the Boulton and Watt Mac and cheese was also a winner! We added bacon to it which was definitely a great choice! The mac and cheese was topped with broccoli shavings and bread crumbs which added a nice crispy top layer, while the inside of the mac and cheese was super creamy and melty. MMM. White cheddar was definitely a great choice in cheese for this dish!

I would highly recommend brunch at Boulton and Watt. The drinks were potent, while the food was exceptional. Also, the price point of this place was pretty good for the neighborhood. I definitely want to return and try this place out for dinner next!

Burke & Wills - Brunchin' Aussie Style

A few of my girlfriends and I were looking for a place on the Upper West Side to have brunch. As we were browsing the Internet, we noticed that most of the UWS places don't take reservations during brunch, which is really inconvenient when you are a larger group and also have a baby with you. I think at this stage in our lives, we are past waiting an hour to be sat at a trendy place. 

In our searches on Google, we came across Burke & Wills (226 West 79th St., New York, NY), which is actually the same owner of the previous Sunburnt Calf, and they were willing to take reservations!!! Burke and Wills is now the grown up version of the Sunburnt Calf with an updated classy atmosphere, fancier menu, and no all you can drink brunch special, keeping the rowdy rif-raf patrons away. 
The brunch drink menu was more interesting and exciting than a lot of the typical brunch spots, because it featured a Build Your Own Bloody Mary bar. The bar didn't just have different garnishes, but it also had different mixes, liquors, and rims to choose from.

Build My Own Bloody Mary!

The bartender manning the Bloody Mary station was extremely helpful and willing to let us all try each rim, and also each mix before deciding which one we wanted for our drink. I chose the Kaffir-lime infused rim and chipotle mix with vodka liquor. For the garnishes, they had so many choices! We were given a stick and we were allowed to take as many garnishes that fit onto the stick! I chose pork belly, shrimp, and a spicy red pepper. They had plenty of olives, celery, and other garnishes to choose from as well. The pork belly was definitely one of the highlights of my drink, along with the chipotle mix, which was just the right level of spicy. I would definitely return for this station again, since it was a lot of fun to compare with each other what we each chose for our garnish.

Swagman's Breakfast-
2 eggs, hanger steak, pork belly, roasted mushrooms, potatoes

For my meal, I got the Swagman's Breakfast, which was definitely the highlight of the table! It was similar to a full English Breakfast in style, but so much more gourmet! The hanger steak was cooked to perfection with a red center, which is the way I love my steak. The pork belly was a nice addition to the dish, even though I had already enjoyed it on my bloody mary. The roasted mushrooms were plentiful and cooked with the perfect texture and flavor. Oddly, the mushrooms were one of my favorite parts of this dish because they really added so much extra flavor to the dish. The potatoes were nice and thick cut. The side salad was marinated very lightly and added the needed freshness to this dish since it was so hearty and heavy otherwise. The eggs I ordered sunny side up, and they were cooked perfectly.

If I need a brunch in the UWS, this is definitely at the top of my list! It was convenient, low key, and delicious! 

Jones Wood Foundry: Traditional English Grub!

I had been to Jones Wood Foundry (401 East 76th St. between 1st. Ave. and York) for a drink about 4 years ago and hadn't wanted to go back since because the night I was there it was so crowded. The bar was tiny and narrow with barely any room to sit down with the crowd. I hadn't realized that night that there is a whole back restaurant area that is quite spacious and inviting. When our friends suggested we go here for brunch, my fiancé and I were a little hesitant based on my previous experience and the fact that the menu sounded extremely heavy. We ended up giving in and were very pleasantly surprised and happy with our experience. It also helped that it was a cold winter Sunday, where heavy comfort food was the perfect medicine to cure anyone's mood.

Freshly Baked Scones and Muffins
Served with Devonshire cream, homemade jam, and lemon curd

To start, we shared an order of the freshly baked scones and muffins for the table. The order included one scone and two muffins. You could tell they were freshly baked and served with homemade jam, Devonshire cream, and the most amazing lemon curd ever! I loved pairing the lemon curd with the poppy seed muffin for the most lemon filled treat. This gluten filled plate didn't last very long at our table!

Curry Chicken Wings 

My fiancé and I shared two starters and one meal for brunch and it was the perfect amount of food. The curry chicken wings were fabulous and represented the large Indian influence in England. They were not over the top with curry flavor, and gave just the right hint of that Indian flair. They were extra meaty and tender and served with a creamy dill dipping sauce that freshened each bite. I looked online at the current menu, and it appears that this delicious appetizer was removed from the menu! :( This was one of our favorite dishes we had at brunch, so that is quite unfortunate. 

Scotch Egg
Breaded soft boiled egg, Myers of Keswick Banger Meat

The Scotch egg was probably the highlight of the meal for both couples. We were all unsure based on the description of this dish, but because of all of the rave reviews we had read online, decided to try it out. The soft boiled egg was wrapped with banger meat, and then breaded and fried. It was a unique mixture of flavors and a dish I wouldn't think to be as amazing as it was! The creamy sauce that accompanied this dish enhanced the flavors, but I felt it did not need the mustard sauce. I would definitely reorder this dish!

Corned Beef Hash
Braised brisket, potato, red pepper, fried eggs

The corned beef hash was probably the moist disappointing dish we had. I normally love corned beef hash and it usually has tons of flavor with a hearty taste. My fiancé and I both felt it was very bland and also on the small side. We only ate this dish because it was there, but didn't love it. We both spent the rest of the meal eyeing our friends' pot pie!

Foundry Pie of the Day
Chicken curry type of filling. Served with Mashed potatoes or Chips.

Our friends ordered the pot pie of the day, which was served with some type of chicken curry filling and accompanied with mashed potatoes. The curry chicken was very curry-ish, but in a very good way. The crunchy pastry shell of the pie was a definite compliment to the curry and counteracted the flavors of the curry. MMM, I wish I had ordered this dish! The mashed potatoes were very creamy and had a slight butter flavor, but not over the top. I would have liked them to be a little more buttery.

All in all, Jones Wood Foundry was definitely a great spot for brunch. Not sure if I would go there in the summer because of the heavy entree choices, but definitely a great spot to warm up in the winter and enjoy nice cocktails with authentic English food. 

Pies'n'Thighs : Brunch Goodness

After seeing Pies'n'Thighs (166 S. 4th St. @Driggs Ave., Williamsburg, NY) on  Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives a while back, we attempted to check it out last summer on a bike ride, but it was too crowded. We decided to come back at a time when they were preparing for their break between brunch and dinner. We made sure to plan correctly this time and come early enough to make the brunch hour. Upon our arrival, the hostess advised us of an hour wait. We were all starving and almost decided to forgo this place once again and find another place in the area to eat. After walking around for about 35 minutes, we approached the restaurant to check in, and we were told "right on time, your table is ready"! We were very lucky we didn't end up getting a drink somewhere for an hour because we would have missed our table! We were happy the wait wasn't the full hour, but also annoyed because the hostess said we're on time when we were actually early. We could have missed our table. I highly suggest this place take cell phone numbers to call when tables are ready so you can walk around while waiting and not risk missing out on your table. 

We went on an early fall Saturday and the air outside was slightly chilled, but not cool enough that a small place making hot food should not have air conditioning on. My friend that we were with was very hot that day and she hesitated on whether or not to take the table we were given because it was in the front of the restaurant where it was very enclosed. Luckily, the longer we sat, she cooled off. 

Drink Menu

The drink menu was different than most brunch places. It offered a different variety of cocktails other than the standard Bloody Mary and mimosa. I ordered the Cucumber Cooler because of its refreshing ingredients of cucumber aqua fresco with white wine. I figured heavy food may be nicely paired with a light summery cocktail. The presentation of my drink was very low key in a typical diner water glass with a slice of cucumber over the rim. The drink was tasty and refreshing, but definitely not strong by any means. I didn't even get that buzz feeling that I always get half way into an alcoholic drink. Oh well. 

My friend ordered the Bloody Mariko, which was an interesting twist on a Bloody Mary because it had sake in it instead of vodka. It was advertised as being spicy and there was a slight kick, but not spicy like I would want. All Bloody Maries should be somewhat spicy, so if you are advertising spicy, it better be VERY spicy! It basically tasted like there was Tobasco sauce in there and no other spices to add some special flavor!

The boys both ordered the Kalimotxo, which did not sound very appetizing by description, since it was red wine and Coca-Cola. It wasn't really my type of drink, but the boys seemed to love it!

Bloody Mariko, Cucumber Cooler, Kalimoxto

Me enjoying my Cucumber Cooler

Now onto the food!

Brunch Menu

For brunch we had to order the Chicken & Waffles since that is one of their signature dishes, and we saw it on Triple D! The Chicken & Waffles were decent, but not the best I have ever had. It is hard to live up to the Chicken & Waffles sandwich I recently had at the Pullman Kitchen, because of the combination of flavors of everything all being in one bite! At Pies'n'Thighs the chicken was nicely fried, tender, and moist, but didn't have a major flavor. I would have liked the batter on the chicken to be more seasoned to give it more of an exciting, zesty flavor. The waffles were buckwheat waffles that were very tasty, but I would have liked them to be a little crispier. They were topped with cinnamon butter and strawberry jam, which was a nice sweet touch. However, I would have also loved regular syrup on the dish to compliment the chicken since chicken and syrup are always a good team! All in all, not the most impressive Chicken & Waffles I have ever had.

Chicken & Waffles

For our second dish, we ordered the Rob Evans, which consisted of "sausage gravy" with egg and cheese inside of a homemade biscuit. This dish was a winner! I wasn't sure what to expect when I read the description of the dish having "sausage gravy", but I was pleasantly surprised and very happy with this dish. The sausage had a nice peppery flavor which went really well with the creamy gravy and cheese. The egg was cooked to perfection with the perfect texture, and the biscuit acted as a way to soak up all the gooey goodness! This dish is one I would definitely return to Pies'n'Thighs for!

Rob Evans

We ordered a side of grits, which no one at the table was impressed with. It was pretty bland and lacked in flavor in every way. Not even the cheese or the red pepper topping could bring excitement to this side. This dish needed more butter, texture, and seasoning.

Side of Grits

Dessert Menu

Even though we were all full, we couldn't leave Pies'n'Thighs without ordering pie! It would be sacrilegious to go to a restaurant with the word pie in the name and not order one!

Amazing Pie Display

We decided to order the Candy Bar Pie for the table to share, which was a special for the day. It was layers of shortbread, brownie, and almond nougat, in a chocolate shell. The waiter described this as a snicker pie, so we all knew you couldn't go wrong! The Candy Bar Pie arrived at the table and we all were drooling. It was better than described, since when I think of Candy Bar Pie, I think of the one I had at Momofuku, and this one was much better than that! The shortbread crust was crispy and soft like a cookie, just what you want on your pie! The brownie was as fudgy as can be, while the almond nougat was creamy, sweet, and crunchy! The outer shell of chocolate melted in your mouth and acted as shield to keep this gooey goodness all together in one piece. I may need to pre-order this pie next year for my birthday, because I may be dreaming about it till then!

Candy Bar Pie - Special of the Day

Im in Heaven!

I would rate my experience at Pie'n'Thighs as good, not excellent. The drinks, Chicken & Waffles, and grits were not the best, but the Rob Evans and the dessert were unfathomably delicious! I also love the chill atmosphere and unique character of this place with most of the tables and chairs being made out of old desks from a school. Next time I am out in Williamsburg, I may have to return for a Rob Evans and Candy Bar Pie!

Our nice window seat!