A Sunday in New York is not Sunday - without Brunch.  New Yorkers take their brunches very seriously, and I like that.  It is so much fun to relax with your friends/loved ones over good food in a place that makes this time so special.  Last Sunday, Lynn and Devin and I had such an experience.   We met at Hundred Acres in Soho for a wonderful brunch.  We were seated in the middle room (photo) and in no time were sipping perfect mimosas.  First, we started by sharing sticky pecan corn muffins. Amazing!   I loved my soft scrambled eggs with asparagus, gruyere cheese, scallions, creme fraiche and cornbread.  They both ordered the "chilaquiles", crispy corn tortillas with red chili sauce, two fried eggs, pickle salad and cilantro.  The food was wonderful, the service attentive, the ambiance enjoyable.  We all left happy knowing we had once again found a  restaurant that legitimizes Sunday Brunch in New York.


HUNDRED ACRES
38 MacDougal Street
New York, NY  10012
PH: 212-475-7500

 

Where NY is concerned, if there's one place that everyone can identify, it's Times Square.  One of my favorite places from which to observe this landmark, is the Broadway Lounge in the Marriott Marquis Hotel.  It's on the eighth floor and the room where the window tables are located,  slightly overhangs the front of the building for a better view.  The menu is casual, but the food is excellent and service is great.  The picture above right, shows the central elevator for those who prefer a rooftop view during dinner.  Whether you choose to eat on the roof or on the eighth floor, the hustle bustle of Times Square won't disappoint you.

MARRIOTT BROADWAY LOUNGE
Marriott Marquis
8th floor
Times Square, NY
PH: 800-228-9290

Washington Square is a gathering place frequented by street performers and artists and everyone who enjoys their company.  There is also no shortage of students since the NYU campus sits nearby.  This arch was built around 1890 to replace a wooden one which commemorated the centennial of Washington's inauguration.   A fountain like the one in the beginning of the FRIENDS show, collects lots of barefoot waders.  A fun place for free spirits.


WASHINGTON SQUARE
Fifth Avenue
Manhattan, NY  10012
PH: 212-387-7676

Otto (pronounced with a long O) is a fun place to visit.  The bar area is nice and roomy and bustling.  Very appropriate since the restaurant is designed like an Italian train station.  This establishment used to be a popular restaurant called One Fifth (the address), where I was fortunate to have dined in the eighties.  It is now owned by famous chef Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich.  The Italian fare is excellent and inexpensive.  There are a zillion wine choices by the bottle, but plenty by the glass.  Devin, Christopher, Lynn and I all ordered different things and sampled it all from the middle of our table.  We started with a bruschetta and a salad, followed by three different pizzas and a home made ravioli.  Dinner was fun, fun, fun with everybody eating and drinking and happy to be a part of it all.  This restaurant is so popular right now that you need to make your reservation a month ahead and they won't accept any requests beyond that time.  Even though we had pizza left to take home, we sampled one dessert.  We ordered the Otto Banana Tartufo which is banana gelato, chocolate brownie, carmelized white chocolate, and spiced peanuts.  We were hoping it would be a good choice - and it was!


OTTO
1  Fifth Avenue
New York, NY  10003
PH: 212-995-9559

Every now and then I try to throw a new experience into the mix.  Last weekend it was a personal essay writing class.  I attended an intensive one day class by Gotham Writers' Workshop, given at Hunter College West at Lexington Avenue and 68th Street.  Lynn did the same except that her class was about writing children's books.  We were a little skeptical about sitting in class on a Saturday from 11am to 6pm, but once inside, we found our classes intriguing.  Hopefully sometime in the future you will be reading something published by one of us!


GOTHAM WRITERS' WORKSHOP
555 Eighth Aveune,  Ste 1402
New York, NY  10018
PH: 212-974-8377

Lynn is a Justin Timberlake fan so it was apropos that Devin and Christopher suggested we meet them at Southern Hospitality for dinner.  JT and two others own this restaurant that serves amazingly good comfort food.  My pulled pork platter was excellent!  I told myself I was being good by not ordering a bready sandwich which made it much easier to love the mac 'n cheese and the corn bread!!  A very down-home yum!


SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY
645  Ninth Avenue at 45th St
Hells Kitchen, NY  10036
PH:  212-265-1000

Whenever I feel the need to leave the cement for some "green", I usually end up in Central Park.  This time Devin suggested we take Otto for a walk in Riverside Park.  It's a narrow public park along Manhattan's Upper West Side at the Hudson River. Operated and maintained by the NYC Dept of Parks and Recreation, there are lots of options for leisure.  (I'm pretty sure this is the park in the movie "You've Got Mail" where Tom Hanks met Meg Ryan at the end)   Pictured is a pier where you can take out a kayak on Sunday in exchange for leaving your ID until you return.  How great is that?  There are enclosed dog parks for small and larger dogs, there is a promenade for walking, skating, and biking,  there is a marina, there is a field for games, and there was a restaurant that I definitely want to visit in the future.  It's called the Boat Basin,  near W. 79th Street within the park.  I'm sure there were other things to see and do, but tomorrow's another day.  

RIVERSIDE PARK

Upper West Side

Manhattan, NY

Lynn and I were ready for a few days away and were in a New York state of mind.  We couldn't wait to get there and jump in with both feet!  We checked in our hotel and called Devin to meet us for a late lunch.  It was perfect timing since he was able to join us for the afternoon.  We decided to eat in the area so we wouldn't lose any time.  Devin chose the Market Cafe.  It was new for all of us but he always walks by and notices how busy they are and thought we should try it since the lunch crowd was back to work.  We grabbed the window table in time to watch a quick thunderstorm blow through while we enjoyed our visit.  It's a small restaurant (hence the cafe), but the food was anything but.  Our choices were delicious and very filling and the service was terrific and friendly.  Our weekend was off to a great start!

MARKET  CAFE

496  Ninth Avenue

New York, NY  10018

PH: 212-967-3892

                                                                       

BIG DADDY'S,   New York

Yesterday, Bill and I took his granddaughters to New York for the day for their maiden voyage.  We had a great time!  We wanted to eat at a "kid friendly" restaurant which can be a challenge on Sunday Brunch Day in New York City.  Devin and Christopher suggested we meet them at Big Daddy's on the upper west side.  That was perfect since it gave us a subway ride opportunity from Times Square.  We loved the decor, the service from Q (or is it Cue?) was excellent, and the food was outstanding.  That is my lunch pictured above, the Garden Grinder, which was delicious and filling.  I love sweet potatoes and jumped at the chance to try them in this form.  We were all pleased with our choices and sorry that we weren't hungry enough to try one of their shakes or sundaes.  You don't need kids to enjoy this restaurant,  I will definitely return.  Usually, when I eat at family type restaurants, I keep my expectations in check, but lunch at Big Daddy's was off the chart!

BIG DADDY'S

2454 Broadway at 91st Street

New York, NY  10024

PH:  212-677-2004