cherrypatter nyc
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prune: a consistently classic brunch
sometimes we’re in the mood for a classic, perfectly prepared brunch, and when we’re in that mindset the place we really want to go is prune. so many restaurants treat brunch as a second class citizen — the eggs are either too runny or too hard, the hollandaise sauce is thick and goopy, and the accompanying starch is cold — or they treat brunch as this over the top expensive elaborate experience like five points or telepan(while good, just too much fanciness for a sunday morning).
fortunately, whenever we can manage to make it to prune and deal with the lines (and there are always lines), we are happy clams. now that s. is just a wee bit bigger and his naps come later in the day, we have begun to be able to visit prune once again (there was about a two year hiatus). our approach is to arrive around 9:30 while we wait for the doors to open bang on at 10. to make the wait a little easier, there is a playground across the street — a bit grungy but somewhere for k and s to run around before being squeezed into prune’s super adorable but super tiny space. and for those without time constraints or little ones, brunch is served till 3:30 so sleeping in is definitely possible.
on our most recent prune visit, the classic eggs benedict was served with perfectly poached eggs covered in a light and tangy hollandaise sauce accompanied by crisp potato rosti (we did notice that they have cut the size of that rosti in 1/2, but the dish is still plenty filling). j got his constant of soft scrambled eggs (they seem to do them perfectly wet the way he likes them) served with bacon, another rosti and an english muffin. we also figured we’d pig out and try something new for us (not for prune) — the most delicious airy ricotta served with raspberries, dried figs, toasted pine nuts and honey. k and s split the dutch style pancake though they seemed to prefer the merveilles, little fried bits of dough kind of like a beignet served with the ricotta. and then, for the perfect send off, the bill comes with some excellent scotty dog licorice from economy candy.
prune’s brunch menu includes many other tasty items including what they call the youth hostel breakfast with fish pastes, liver wursts, lanjaegers and grainy breads, a rich and satisfying spaghetti a la carbonara, a smoked fish plate from russ & daughters with salmon, sturgeon and sable. to make the morning more festive, they offer more than ten kinds of freshly made bloody marys. since our last visit, prune has also happily upgraded their coffee and glassware. in addition to brunch, during the week prune has a lunch menu that i have been eager to try (the burger is supposed to be very tasty) as well as a consistently good dinner menu foucusing on whatever is freshest in the market. prune, 54 east 1st street between 2nd and 1st avenues, manhattan, new york, .
I’ve definitely been wanting to go tu prune, and it’s a woman chef and owner, n’est ce pas?