Solbar

An amazing stack of junior sized lemon-ricotta pancakes with blueberry syrup, pinenuts and powdered sugar during breakfast at Solbar.

Ad Hoc brunch

Ad Hoc serves a reservations worthy 3 course brunch on Sunday. Our first course was a colorful fruit salad with marshmallow meringue sauce.

Fried chicken with mushroom sausage gravy, bacon and waffles. Enough chicken to take home for dinner!

Brunch doesn't need dessert, but the dense walnut brownie with whipped cream and raspberry sauce was too good to pass up...

Dobbs Ferry

The ultimate combination of savory & sweet brunch at Dobbs Ferry: sunny side up eggs, crispy fried chicken, bacon, waffles and sausage gravy.

French Blue, Breakfast

Breakfast at French Blue is a fun affair. I loved the blueberry pancake, which is more like a blueberry muffin in a pan, with rhubarb maple syrup and a petite french omelet.

The baked eggs are served with polenta, spicy chorizo and swiss chard.

The other baked egg dish is with tomatillo sauce, fried plantains, and rancho gordo beans. The buttermilk biscuit is a perfect add-on with indulgently rich brown sugar butter.

The Bowery Diner

 

The Bowery Diner is a great, modern diner with an excellent brunch - starting with doughnuts! This one is orange blossom, with a delicious bloody mary behind it.

I loved the chocolate frosted doughnut oozing with pistachio cream.

 The Colombian breakfast is amazing and worth returning many times for - thick cut slices of bacon, crispy on the edges and scored into chunks; spicy sausage; fried eggs; plantain cakes; salsa; queso fresco; avocado and fried eggs. Amazing.

The burger is also a hit - thick and juicy in a buttery bun with a side of fries and a pickle.

Bread and Roses

Bread and Roses is a cute little cafe with great bakery that makes a perfect spot for lunch or a break from walking around. Broccoli and roquefort quiche.

Boulangerie Eric Kayser

The pastries at Boulangerie Kayser are my hands-down favorite. The chocolate-filled, sugar coated beignet didn't last long enough for a photo; the pan au chocolate had a rich dark chocolat and the right amount of flakiness.

Le Fumoir

Le Fumoir in Paris may have the best brunch ever - in a dark, cozy room with the shades closed as not to wake anyone up too early, brunch was a feast of courses that left me wanting to go back to bed, starting with yogurt and pastries.

Next up were eggs benedict with a crunchy english muffin and thinly shaved jambon.

The best part is not having to choose between sweet and savory - after the egg course it was on to pancakes and waffles.

Piscolabis

Piscolabis in Barcelona has lovely outdoor seating on a beautiful boulevard and is a great place to sample traditional tapas. We started with the classics - iberico jamon and manchego.

And of course, pan con tomate.

Fried courses - croquettes and tempura vegetables with romesco sauce.

The eggs scrambled with cheese and chorizo over crispy potatoes was amazing. This could have been breakfast every day.

The squid was gorgeous and light.

A foie gras "slider" with apples and balsamic.

Coppelia

Coppelia is the perfect diner with Cuban influenced fare in a low-key but hip setting. The oxtail empanadas was rich and crunchy with crema fresca, cojita cheese and pico de gallo.

A dish of scrambled eggs with peppers accompanied by a fried rice with beans, chorizo and cilantro with an arepa is great for brunch.

The Huevos con bistec is perfectly pounded thin juicy steak with fried eggs and traditional rice and beans.

But maybe the most exciting part is the dessert menu created by Pichet Ong. With desserts ranging from angel food cake with meringue glaze to salty peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, the desserts are impossible to resist.

Prince St. Cafe

Thank you, Prince St. Cafe, for being open today! After being holed up inside for the hurricane, a cup of coffee and eggs benedict with a smear of creamy pesto spread was perfect.

Community Garden Cafe on Cleveland Pl

A new cafe (official name is unclear) has taken over the former What Happens When/Le Jardin Bistro space on Cleveland Pl. The menu has soups, sandwiches, salads, desserts and brunch - like the creamy biscuits and gravy served with fruit & salad - and is best eaten out back in the spacious and lush garden.

Pies 'n' Thighs brunch

On blustery winter days, the brunch at Pies 'n' Thighs is perfect. This rich sausage gravy with an egg on top of a buttery biscuit is the ultimate comfort food.

Of course, the crispy fried chicken with a biscuit is also a good choice, with a side of black eyed pea salad.

Babycakes biscuits

What better way to start the morning than with a doughy, vegan biscuit from Babycakes with a dollop of non-dairy cream and jam?

Francois Payard Bakery

This doughnut from Francois Payard is perfect for a decadent breakfast, with vanilla custard and an orange blossom glaze.

Five Leaves

Brunch at Five Leaves in Williamsburg is great, especially on a sunny day. Most of the seating is outside, and it's perfect to take in some sun with a coffee and a delicious brunch. The ricotta pancakes are amazing - very thick and topped with honeycomb butter, strawberries, blueberries and banana.

I loved the egg sandwich - the eggs are cooked with sage and cheddar in between a panini.

La Esquina

Most of the time I order pancakes or french toast at brunch, but the waffle at La Esquina is the exception. It's thick, soft and comes sprinkled with cinnamon and disks of butter coated in sugar - it's irresistible.

The light watermelon hibiscus agua fresca is refreshing and a great compliment.

Fiat Cafe

I love a high-concept brunch, but sometimes it's nice just to have simple, reliable weekend morning food. This is why I love Fiat Cafe - the cafe is low-key and the menu straightforward. To start, they bring a basket of croissants and pan au chocolat with jam.

The pancakes are straight-up, light and fluffy topped with fresh fruit and a steal at $5 - an easy treat I'll be going back for.

Pulino's

This weekend I went to check out brunch at the much-hyped Pulino's to try their breakfast pizza. The salsiccia was great, with sausage, bacon, white cheddar and eggs, although it could have used one more egg.

The bianca tradizionale was also delicious, with mozzarella, pecorino, black pepper and drizzled with pork strutto (rendered pork fat)...yum.

Brinkley's: brunch

I've been meaning to stop by Brinkley's for brunch since they began serving it a few months ago. Since the last time I was in, they thankfully rearranged the tables for a much more open bar area and a more utilized back area for dining. The eggs benedict were great, with a thin and crunchy english muffin, perfectly poached eggs, thin slices of ham, roasted tomato, kale and a delicate hollandaise sauce served with a side of thick, oval sliced potatoes.