These days, brunch in New York is a culinary bright spot, including everything from reinvented Benedicts and hashes to unique cocktails foamy with egg whites and seasonal garnishes. Thanks to creative chefs committed to fresh, local and multicultural ingredients, this midday, often-on-a-weekend meal runs the gamut of farm-to-table, seasonal, small plates, Italian and more. Whatever your tastes, these restaurants have tweaked the meal that for many is a favorite. And all these spots take reservations, so you can keep your trip on schedule.
Buttermilk channel’s short ribs hash and hearty Bloody Mary (this page), and its legendary pecan-pie French toast (opposite page, lower left).
Scrapple and More Chef Adriana Maldonado has infused her Austin, Texas, roots into the brunch menu at Playa Betty’s (320 Amsterdam Ave, 212.712.0777). The popular Upper West Side spot offers breakfast Dharma bowls with a mix of grains, eggs, protein, beans and vegetables of your choosing. Another bright spot: brandade (a salt-cod dish) baked in a crispy bacon-lined cup topped with baked egg and buttermilk sauce. Cocktails are decidedly Tex-Mex. Micheladas and mescal Bloody Marys flow freely or, for a twist on juice, try the frozen Paloma, a grapefruit tequila slushy with sea salt and pink peppercorn on the glass rim.
ItalIan pancakeS and Great BellInIS Step into the special atrium dining room in the historic Rockefeller town houses, home to Il Gattopardo (13-15 W. 54th St., 212.246.0412), and you’ll find yourself in one of Gotham’s most elegant yet inviting spots. Salerno, Italy-born Executive Chef Vito Gnazzo offers an Italian take on classic brunch items, including the frittatina del giorno and ricotta pancakes. Or try the spaghetti alla carbonara, with egg yolk, pecorino cheese guanciale and black pepper, and a wine from Il Gattopardo’s extensive list, perhaps the sparkling Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve NV, served by the glass or bottle. Bloody Marys, Mimosas and Bellinis are also on hand.
a claSSIc Hotel experIence Downmarket hotel brunches, with their all-you-can-eat steam tables, are most assuredly a thing of the past. Case in point: The Carlyle Restaurant (35 E. 76th St., 212.744.1600) in the famed Carlyle Hotel. The sophis56
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