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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