No Breakfast? No Problem.

When I can't order an Omelette, I order Cake.

Instead of sipping a fine Cab in Napa on President's Day, I attempted to not get hit by a cab in New York as I sloshed through the yucky, mucky snow with Aish. We originally wanted to go to this crazy diner called Shopsins but it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. At least I checked online before we walked over so it wasn't a complete bust.

I suggested going to Max Brenner (http://maxbrenner.com/locations/usa/restaurant-nyc/) since we wouldn't have to wait. I made a reservation on OpenTable...just in case! We were ready to feast on Omelettes. As a side note, I already talked up this dish A LOT so we were both excited to order them!

When we arrived, it was clear a reservation wasn't necessary. If we had arrived 30 minutes later (say around noon), it would have been a different story. Better safe than sorry! We gave the server our order and were promptly SHUT DOWN. No breakfast after 11am! Even on a holiday! Instead of sulking, we made the adult decision of ordering a dessert instead.

Apparently this culture does not include breakfast after 11am!

I knew I didn't have to look at the menu! I was in the mood for the Melting Heart Truffle Heart Cake & Shake. It consists of a milk & white chocolate heart cake served with creamy vanilla ice cream, red berries and an iced milk chocolate shot.

SO CUTE!

You may be wondering: what is in the martini shaker? Melted milk chocolate of course! I drizzled it all over everything and, at one point, directly into my mouth. Whatever, it happened.

Aish went with the Banana Split Waffles, made with caramelized bananas, vanilla ice cream, sugar krispies, milk chocolate ganache and Choco-pops (little balls of chocolate).

Is that a Banana on your plate? Oh ok, thank you for clarifying.

Her dish was very tasty! The waffles were not warm in temperature - likely pre-prepared. If they were a bit warm, they would melt the ice cream, which would have been better.

Overall, I do like this place but not as much as I used to. It may be because I've gone to so many other places in NYC that are better that the novelty has worn off. I think I'm also bitter about being able to order the Omelette I really wanted - ha!

Cheers,

Liz

 

The (Blair Witch) Greenwich Project

Hidden Gem Close to Stern!

You know your life needs an intervention when a group of friends takes over 50 emails to schedule an evening together. A full-time MBA program is no joke. Once you add internships, relationships, and other obligations (like sleeping, exercise, remaining sane), you enter into a never-ending email chain of suggested dates and locations. We bit the bullet and scheduled drinks for tonight, after many of us were done with night class. It was aggressive and it perfectly suited this group of incredible friends. 

As we walked near campus (carrying super sexy backpacks doesn't encourage one to venture far), we found the Greenwich Project (https://www.facebook.com/GreenwichProjectNYC). We were ready for drinks!!!

Bklyn '76

My first cocktail was from the menu. It was a mix of gin, rosemary honey, lemon, sparkling wine and house lavender bitters. I loved it! I appreciated the balance of the drink and the other ingredients prevented the gin from tasting too junipery or pine needley (yes those are words!). The glass added to the experience; it was delicate and elevated. Just a class act.

I loved the cocktail menu. In case you didn't like the bartenders' suggested cocktails, there were general categories you could order from: boozy, sour, spicy, sweet, refreshing, etc. I thought this was clever and matched the general vibe of the place. A lot of customization and attention to detail. 

I decided to be adventurous (a current theme in my life) and let the bartender have free reign with a dessert cocktail. The server asked for general direction (what I didn't like and what I preferred) and then let the bartender take over! 

Bartender's Choice

My drink ended up including hazelnut liqueur, Grand Marnier, and heavy cream (I believe about 2 cups...woof). Although the taste of the cocktail was pleasant, it was far too heavy too enjoy. I should have been more clear that I wanted a sweet drink, not a glass of heavy cream. Either way, this is what happens when you live on the edge and through caution (and the menu) to the wind. 

I would consider coming back here for dinner. Among my group, we split the doughnut dessert and no-bake cheesecake. Both were great, although the filing in the doughnuts led to questionable consumption. It was a bit...well, order it and let me know!

Cheers,

Liz