Recovery Sundays

On this sunny Sunday morning we found our recovery in the delicious form of the $10.95 brunch special at the East Village gem, Flea Market Cafe.  The decor reflected the name perfectly; a collection of antiques, collectibles and garage sale finds that made the room feel more like your grandmother's basement than a New York restaurant.  It was cozy and fun to look around as we sipped the complimentary coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice--pondering everything from vintage signs to a bike tacked up on the wall.  We settled on brioche french toast with fruit, tomato/spinach/chedder omelet with home fries and salad and a hot baguette with jam.  As the days grow colder we will definitely return to Flea Market--for the unbelievable deal and mouth-watering meals--next time we're trying the carmelized apple pancake!

Flea Market Cafe is located at St. Marks and Avenue A...and also boasts a sunset menu from 5-7 every day; $15, $17 or $19 for 1, 2, 3 courses respectively, plus a glass of wine or beer!  There's no missing your old cafeteria when you can get the delicacies of this foodie flea market for under $20... MSS

Flea Market Cafe Menu

Recovery Sundays

As a newly certified Manhattanite, I love exploring all the things this island has to offer. From the featured “Friday’s Bite” to the trends of “Tuesday’s Fad”, the options for entertainment, culture, and fun are seemingly endless. This week, however, I decided to take a trip across the Brooklyn Bridge to enjoy brunch with family and friends at one of the most celebrated breakfast spots ‘outside the island’, Downtown Atlantic. 

The service and food were just what I wanted on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and with some good company and conversation mixed in, I found myself in utter brunch bliss.

Complimentary Spiced Carrot Bread

A hearty, garden fresh Bloody

Fancy Eggs and Buttermilk Biscuits

The meal started with a basket of fresh, warm spiced-carrot bread – just the treat for our cold, winter hands. From there, we ordered the restaurant classic “Downtown Eggs Atlantic”, which boasted two perfectly poached eggs layered over a toasted English muffin, smoked salmon, and dill hollandaise. My sister tried the down-home family special - “Fancy Eggs and Buttermilk Biscuits with Southern Gravy”. The gravy was a hit with the whole table, featuring a special, spicy kick that is part of the Downtown Atlantic secret sauce. The Bloody Mary’s tasted garden fresh, and the bakery situated perfectly near the exit gave us something sweet and savory to nibble on as we ventured out into the Brooklyn cold.

Brooklyn Beers on Tap

Downtown Eggs Atlantic

Homemade Cookies

A quick subway home and I was back in Hell’s Kitchen, but Brooklyn’s charm stayed with me the whole ride. Next time you're in search of some old fashioned fun, quiet tree-lined streets, and a break from the hustle of Manhattan, look no further than across the Brooklyn Bridge, and be sure to check out Downtown Atlantic while your there. 

XX MC

Downtown Atlantic

Recovery Sunday

Pirate Mike doing his thing at Iggy's

63 and sunny this weekend led to a lengthy and boozy brunch on Saturday before the Heineken Inspire Encore concert--mental notes: Donnybrook's irish brunch leaves a little something to be desired in the food department, pirate Mike at Iggy's on Ludlow and Rivington makes a mean (variations of mild, medium, hot and VERY hot) Bloody Mary and a combination of Diplo tunes, free heineken and black light walls is pure perfection.

Diplo

Heineken vision

However, all this led us to spend much of today curled up in bed. The still balmy weather forced us out around 3 though and after wandering the New Museum on Bowery (check Monday Marks tomorrow for a full recap) we were ready for some good and greasy recovery grub.  Pulino's, Keith McNally's relatively new restaurant, shone bright red across the street and surprised at the rare lull we saw through the windows, we hurried over.






While the service was spotty and the pizzas (funghi/pancetta and salame picante) upsettingly bland--the spectacular mozzarella burata, flavorful cannelloni beans and peaceful buzz of eating in a golden glow of liquor bottles and hanging prosciutto, made 5pm Sunday recovery at Pulino's something to look forward to as the weather cools and getting out of bed is increasingly challenging.









Pulino's Menu

the entirety of Pulino's corner of Bowery seemed highlighted with red--how could we resist??

Canelloni beans with vegetables, pecorino and bruschetta

Funghi/Pancetta and Salame Picante pizze

Mozzarella Burata, prosciutto with apples 

the exposed kitchen was the most bustling section of the room

Recovery Sundays

Finding the perfect brunch spot in New York isn't hard, especially when your standards are to eat anything with eggs and drink spiced bloody mary's. With the limitless dining options in NYC, we can set our sights on the perfect "recovery spot" that will be sure to go above and beyond the needs of a hungover post-grad.

Good Enough To Eat - 483 Amsterdam Avenue

Good Enough To Eat, a brunch spot that produces "comfort food and home-cooking" definitely hit the Sunday spot for me and my friends when we headed to the Upper West Side for a post-Saturday night cure all. 

Some specialities include the "Lumber Jack", pictured on the left with two pancakes, bacon, eggs on the side, and maple syrup. Needless to say, you could feed a small family with this. Good Enough To Eat also gives two freshly cooked biscuits to every diner at the start of the meal, with homemade strawberry butter on the side.

The WallStreet Omelette with homemade biscuits and strawberry butter

If you're looking for a new place to meet with friends, rehash Saturday night's debauchery, and enjoy some home-style cooking (or if you're just looking to avoid the gym on a Sunday afternoon) Good Enough To Eat is the place to go.

Brunch Menu - Good Enough To Eat

XX MC

Recovery Sundays

Sundays in New York are filled with street fairs, churchgoers, and crowded brunch spots. The city exudes an old world charm; shops don’t open until 10, afternoon siestas are a necessity, and people watching becomes a sport. If you’re anything like me, however, I often find myself nursing last night’s shenanigans until 1pm, ordering take-in, watching a marathon of Teen Mom, then going to sleep. Not exactly how they do it in the old world.

Luckily, there is a place that calls my name, as well as many other hung-over razz girls, to its open doors on a Sunday afternoon. This place is called: Juice Generation and has been “juicing New York City since 1999”. The company provides freshly squeezed, organic smoothies and juices made from local ingredients that maintain the founders commitment to the environment and to  “produce the most food and juice with the least amount of waste”.

Juice Generation is also the founder of the widely acclaimed “Cooler Cleanse”. The cleanse consist of a 3 day or 5 day juice-only diet, where consumers can choose amongst a variety of flavors at the Juice Generation store, then conveniently have their juice selections delivered to their doorstep.

The workers at Juice Generation also have an unrivaled commitment to their customers; I once found myself standing outside their doors at closing time longing for a Multi-V Squeeze smoothie, and they willingly reopened the store to serve my needs.

If you have yet to try a smoothie from Juice Generation, I suggest you get off the couch this very minute and run to the nearest location. There are only four in New York, but no matter the distance, I promise that you will not be disappointed. I can say without a doubt that if Bowdoin had a Juice Generation on campus, I’d forego Thorne Dining Hall on Sunday brunch just to taste their Sunshine Day smoothie.

 

Juice Generation

Flavors to try: Antioxidant All-Star, Peanut Butter Split, Peaches and Dreams

Locations: 117 West 72^nd Street, 27340 Broadway, 644 Ninth Avenue, 171 West 4th


XX MC