Ai Fiori

High end, hotel restaurant in the newish Setai Hotel on 5th Ave. and 37th St. Large dining room on second floor overlooking less glamarous 5th. Ave. The lunch on Saturday boasts all sections of the menu at megawatt prices. We were seated at a four top and enjoyed the moment. A Fisher amber from the Alsace comes in a pretty bottle and is tasty. Ai Fiori has an extensive wine list as well. My friend and I shared two pastas. A Ligurian crustacean of seafood finely added over black squid pasta. The other dish was a tortelli(large ravioli) with ricotta and a sauce of marscapone and a red wine glaze. Total cost of the small plate pastas was close to $50. They were fine, dishes- the seafood pasta ligtly creamy and delicate pieces of scallop and sepia. The tortelli(pictured) glistened and also was mighty fine. For dessert a chocolate caramel(chemuex) with vanilla ice-cream was a divinely decadent finish to a pricey albeit tasty meal.
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Vandaag

A stellar brunch experience starting with the space- bright, light, and modern corner restaurant. Northern European with emphasis on Dutch. Unusual flavor combos make for a comforting yet exotic experience. A latte and Dutch hot cocoa started us off. Latte was perfect and hot chocolate was spicy from cinnamon and...was delicious. A piece of sweet bread rolled around a jam center served on a slab with butter and fig jam was also a winner. The star of the brunch was the Dutch pancake. Served in a round white bowl, it was perfection to look at and eat. Speck, gouda with rind,bits of Fujji apple and topped with Juniper apple syrup. Purely orgasmic. Cleanest, bathrooms by European standard.
MUST GO!

Smorgas Chef

A charming spot that boasts some Scandanavian design elements like preserved trees and wooden benches, plus looks out onto a lovely part of the hamlet. Smorgas Chef has been around awhile and with good reason, the food is good. Scandanavian cuisine is enjoying a rebirth of sorts in NY and this is a fine place to sample some. At brunch, there is a prix fixe for $17.95 or a la carte dishes, we went with the latter. The pancake with vanilla sauce and bacon pictured for $14 and an egg white salmon and jarlsberg omelette for $16. Both were solid choices with the eggy pancake sprinkled with a few strawberries being the clear winner. A delicate plate of cookies sprinkled with powdered sugar topped the meal for $5.
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Kutshers Tribecca

Oh, nostalgia reigns supreme. A unique concept of a resort capitalizing on fond memories of it's dining hall opens a restaurant. The dining room is a modern retro 1950's affair. Some old pics remain in the front of the house. Updated faves and new ones appear on the very pricey menu. Matzoh ball soup, latkes, stuffed knishes, Catskill trout, Short ribs in red wine to name a few. Matzoh ball soup was a flavorfull broth and veggies though the matzoh was underseasoned. The latkes served with caviar is a new twist, homemade apple compote is also quite good. The short ribs in wine were tasty and the whipped mashed amazingthe Catskill trout with Meyer lemon confit was tasty. A chocolate bread pudding with poached pears and caramel brandy sauce didn't rock my boat. $115 total for two.
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Palm One Steakhouse

There is no school like the old school and I'm the headmistress. Original locale sports wood booths, celebrity caricatures and the owner greets you like you haven't been here in a million years- how's the family? You come to the Palm for classics. Starting with the lobster bisque(pictured) with sherry cream you are sent straight to heaven. If you start with the lump crab meet served in an elegant silver serving dish you are also headed straight up with fresh seafood.
The steaks here are taken seriously and my rib eye(medium rare) was meat perfection. Juicy, a little fatty, bone in of course. Brussel sprouts as a side were slightly overcooked, but with a shallot flavor. A warm bag of donuts for dessert were darkly fried, warm, tasting like cornmeal served with chcocolate sauce and raspberry puree.
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La Promenade Des Anglais

The latest venture from the Allegretti team wins you over with food and attentive service. Brunch starts with fine breads and olive oil with sea salt on the side, though we requested butter. I had the egg white omelet(pictured) with apple wood smoked bacon and home fries for $15. My dining companion went with the blueberry pancakes with pieces of blueberries, blueberry preserves and lemon curd on the side for $12. The pancakes were certainly well conceived, cooked and delish. Don't miss the stellar dessert of chocolate mouse, salted caramel , marshmallow and crunchy bits. The divine concoction for $10 is one of the best deserts, I devoured in months. 461 West 23rd. St. London Terrace.
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Zenon Taverna

Zenon Taverna is an old school real deal food joint in the heart of Greek Astoria. It boast white washed walls and plaques transporting you to Greece/Cyprus. They offer some of the standard fare plus enormus meze platters for two that are a feast fit for a Greek God. Two of us had the Seafood Meze for $23.95 each. Fourteen dishes in all. Skordalia, taramosalada, Greek and Cypriot salads....and more meze. Olive and pita are on the table for dipping. Then comes the seafood- salmon, octopus, grilled squid, fried calamari- all expertly cooked. Our friends lamb chops were enormus cooked medium rare to perfection. This is a fun spot for a group where the management cares deeply about the food they serve.
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Bigelow's New England Clam Shack

Bigelow's is a Long Island institution since 1937. It is a stand alone shack, where you sit around a counter and chow down on some chowder while chatting with the friendly owners or other patrons. It is definitely a one of a kind spot. A cup of New England clam chowder is a little old school and underflavored for my taste. Better is the fried clam sandwich which is fried to order for $9.95. Pieces of battered clams fall out of a fresh bun and the fries with some skin on action are super tasty. Cole slaw is fresh and made in house you can add it on for $3.00. This is a real summer Long Island thing, but a fun jaunt from Manhattan via the rails and a $5 cab from Rockville Center.
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Tertullia

Tertullias is quiet early for Sunday brunch and I like it that way. The draw at Tertullia is the wood burning oven and having been to Spain several times, I was excited to try Seamus Mullen's latest Spanish endeavor. Brunch is a tad cheaper though not much.
Churros con choclate for $7 is a good place to start. Light, sugary donuts with rich chocolate though not as rich a sludge as you would find in Spain or at Dough doughnuts in Brooklyn. I ate the Desayuno Tertullia for $14 which was two poached eggs, housemade face bacon, crusty bread, crispy mini fries and Spanish style peppers. This is a homerun dish, with flavor all over the place.
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Bien Cuit

This high end bakery was opened by Le Bec Fin bread baking alums is one of amazing quality and prices to match. Bien Cuit means well done and their breads are done to a beautiful color. That said some of the loaves run to $8. but they do sell half loaves a very key concept. The space is open and generous with bakery elves bringing fresh baked goods to the front for display. Classics like croissants will set you back $3. I bought a half a country white for $4, chocolate chip bread cookies, and teeny linzer like cookies for $.50 each. The linzer like cookie dark with high quality raspberry jam was the best this side of Salzburg. The bread is formidable and well cared for from yeast to oven. If you crave top notch restaurant quality at matching prices this spot is for you. 120 Smith St.
MUST GO!

The Cardinal

The Cardinal is a newish, North Carolina restaurant in the East Village. A cozy duplex with exposed brink and a funky setting for some slammin' Southern eats. I went for brunch which was surprisingly empty given the high quality of the food, or not so surprising in the East Village where quantity and booze reign over quality. I went for the smothered fried pork chop with eggs and grits $16. I was asked if I wanted cheese on the eggs and grits and of course I said yes- I was later charged $2 extra for the cheese. No matter, when the food is this good. The pork chop arrives beautifully fried sitting in a bed of gravy with espresso in it. Eggs, cheesy and fried the way I asked plus the cheesy grits with some pepper on top. Oh and a housecured piece of bacon. Add to the mega flavor on the plates two types of housemade barbecue sauce. One that is mustard base kicks it all up a notch as if the food can be kicked up any higher.
Looked at someone's sweet potato pancakes and cannot wait to come back here for more.
MUST GO!

Print Restaurant

Brunch at Print House Restaurant is a first class though pricey affair. Brunch starts on Saturday/Sunday at 11:30. It is a chic restaurant within a hip hotel on the far reaches of Clinton on 11th Ave. The maple/bacon sticky bun pictured is only available at brunch and it is divine. Warm and oozing maple with bacon bits it is tops. The rich hot chocolate(also pictured) with housemade marshmallows was pretty perfect. The theme of Print is farm to table and this spot executes this perfectly. I went with a poached egg over challah with green beans, pancetta, pea shoots and mushrooms. Crispy green beans, runny egg all made for a great taste sensation. ($16) The bargain of the brunch was the insane sticky bun which at $3 is well worth doggie bag to take some home. Seamless service.
MUST GO!