Wafels & Dinges Restaurant

A group of us gathered one EARLY Sunday morning, hoping to have some of my favorite pancakes at Clinton Street Baking Company. When our expected wait of an hour turned into TWO hours, and then we heard it would be THREE HOURS, we collectively said Oh HELL NO, and walked north to find a better option, ANY option. Three hours for pancakes? You must think I've lost my mind and then some. No. NO NO NO NO NO. I'm mad we even waited that long, but sometimes optimism can be a real kick in the head.

We walked two blocks up and saw the brick and mortar version of the Wafels & Dinges, an amazing Belgian wafel truck that was really at the forefront of the food truck movement. In fact, back in 2008, I organized a Wafels & Dinges Day at the talk show where I worked. Everyone chipped in about 10 bucks and the Wafels truck came just for us outside work. Sigh..that was a great day. But back to the future...

He's putting BACON in the wafels--thank you, Sir. THANK YOU.

We walked in, immediately ordered at the counter (where they serve sweet AND savory), and were seated in under five minutes. Hello, THIS is how I like to do brunch. Screw that waiting in line nonsense. And I had an icy cold, bracingly strong iced coffee-- FINALLY!

I like to start with savory first thing in the morning, so I ordered the chicken and mushroom wafel. It sounded so good, and tasted even better. It was like a wonderfully comforting stew. Impossible to eat with your hands, but I'm not complaining. I was not expecting the savory wafels to be so incredibly flavorful. Bright, green herbs and BACON cooked into the wafel!! It came with a side of lightly-dressed arugula and pickled, tickle-your-tongue onions. Killer combo.

ABF ordered the Wake Up Grumpy: an egg, bacon and cheese with two savory wafels replacing the biscuit. Drizzled with a generous portion of honey, it looked gorgeous, and ABF gave it two forks up, happily.

For dessert, ABF & I shared the sweet raspberry wafel, lightly dusted with confectioner's sugar and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with honey. This was great- ABF is coming around to really liking raspberries (one of my favorite foods), and I'm happy to share with him. As tasty as this was, I actually rate the chicken & mushroom wafel as even more fantastic.

See that stunning chocolate concoction? I think that was my friend Travis's pick-- I was so full at this point I couldn't even fathom trying it, but it smelled glorrrrrrrious.

The prices are reasonable, coffee is strong, flavors are fab, and the servers were all cheerful and welcoming. Skip waiting ANYWHERE for brunch and try out this spot!

Wafels and Dinges

209 East 2nd Street

NY, NY 10009

(866) 429-7329

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Eggs-cellent Eats (Morrell Wine Bar)

I had a bit of a dental emergency recently. If you know me, you know how uptight I am about my teeth. It turns out that I grit my teeth so hard that I actually CRACKED one. Yep. I'm THAT strong. Well, it made eating a bit of a challenge, especially on the right side of my mouth. I wasn't sure what was going to happen at the dentist's office (this was a first for me), so I decided to have lunch BEFORE the appointment. 

Pre-dental work wine

I popped into Morrell's Wine Bar, which at 2pm was pretty empty, and took a seat at the bar. Morrell's is in the heart of Rockefeller Center, a certified tourist destination and a convenient location for many of us working New Yorkers. 

The deviled eggs sounded delicious AND easy to eat, so I ordered them and had a glass of Chardonnay.

They also brought me some delicious bread (I stuck to the softer, oniony kind) and very cold, very hard butter. The bread was chewy and flavorful, and I made sure to keep chewing only on the left side.

The deviled eggs were truffle-scented with fried, crispy chicken skins. Soft, salty, fatty, and a teeny bit of crunch at the end (just enough for a sensitive tooth). 

How are these eggs so gorgeous?? Smooth, perfectly filled, and every bite was a delight. 

The wine was a One Rock Chardonnay from Long Island's North Fork (#drink local), and while I'm not overall a "Chardonnay person," this was great. Light and crisp and lovely.

I loved the wine with the eggs! Why don't I make deviled eggs at home? They are so delicious! Granted, they are not cheap-- Morrell is not a Cheap Eats place, but it is always well-done and satisfying. 

PS: For those of you wondering, it turned out I didn't need a crown after all, just a deep filling. And it hardly even hurt! My teeth and I are doing much better now.

Morrell Cafe & Wine Bar

1 Rockefeller Plaza  

NY NY 10020 

(212) 262-7700  

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British Breakfast (London)

For someone who's not a fan of flying, I sure am learning to suck it up and do it anyway. It helps when something as delicious as a British breakfast is waiting on the other side.

I took a girls' trip last month with my good friend LaShauna-- her fantastic idea, and my absolute delight to join her. We started early on a Thursday morning, looking for a breakfast spot even though it was nearly lunch time. The Gallery Pub was just the spot!

It's a dozen or so steps from the Pimlico tube stop, mere minutes from the place we were staying, and thankfully, was still serving breakfast at nearly noon!

We each got the Light Breakfast (£7.50, or about 12 dollars at the time): 2 eggs (LOOK AT THOSE GORGEOUS YOLKS), Irish back bacon (soooooo good), sausage, the requisite broiled tomato, and toast. It might be the American in me, but I just don't get the mushy tomato. Don't like it, don't get it. If any of you out there are UK citizens, please enlighten me on the appeal of it. I'm also sure there are many American bites that are equally confounding to you!

The breakfast was stomach-filling and heartwarming. The pub was quiet, relaxing, and the perfect start to our stay. You can see why I'm a bit smitten with British eggs, can't you? And a hot cup of tea is always a delight.

English Breakfast, of course!

The Gallery was also a delight-- beautiful interior, helpful staff, a leisurely place to start your day (and a hopping one to end your night, if you're around at that time)! You can get a fantastic, solid British breakfast here for a song!

The Gallery
1 Lupus Street
London SW1V 3AS, United Kingdom
+44 20 7821 7573

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Friend of a Farmer: Breakfast

After a deeply disappointing dinner, I returned to Friend of a Farmer at ABF's request-- he'd had one of the best breakfasts EVER there, he insisted, and I should give it one more chance.

I was meeting up for a weekday breakfast with my friend Jeannie-- she lives a few states away but was in town for a conference. I couldn't pass up the chance to spend some time with her!

We got a cozy two-top in the upstairs area, where I've never sat before. Cute room! It has a fireplace, a country feel, and warm tones all around the open-air layout.

I was really hungry and almost picked a breakfast that came with pancakes, bacon, and more-- but opted not to get that one. I wasn't in the mood to take chances, so I ordered something I love: Eggs Benedict.

The dishes are very bare bones, no frills or even a fruit twist on the side. Mine came with a very small portion, maybe 2 heaping tablespoons, of home fried potatoes. My eggs, however, were perfectly cooked and delicious. The Hollandaise was very light with a bracing lemon kick to it, thin but very flavorful.

Lonely Omelet

Jeannie ordered the Farmer's Omelet, which came with spinach and cheese. She asked for an English muffin on the side instead of home fries (see my dish-she wasn't missing out on much!), so when her omelet arrived, it looked a little sad in the skillet with all that empty space where potatoes would have been. Aesthetics aside, Jeannie enjoyed her omelet!

We both got French press coffee, and this was fantastic. Velvety smooth, rich, and not a hint of burned or bitter flavors. Stellar brew!

The service was wonderful-- our server was friendly and funny, came at the perfect times to check on us, and while he did NOT rush us out of there, he was also quick to bring us back the bill so we could head out for a lovely walk through Manhattan..with a stroll right past nearby fancy-pants Gramercy Park, of course. Prices are also very reasonable (about 20 pp for breakfast and a pot of coffee, including tax & tip).

Friend of a Farmer definitely redeemed themselves in this instance, and I wouldn't hesitate to come back again for breakfast!

Friend of a Farmer

77 Irving Place

New York, NY 10003

(212) 477-2188

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Jazz Brunch: Langan's

Back when I worked in the TV news world, my coworkers & I passed many a happy hour at Langan's, steps away from our office, subway stops, Times Square, etc.

My friend LaShauna was visiting that weekend and had just scored tickets for After Midnight (starring Dulé Hill of Psych fame- GO SEE IT!) It was pouring rain, cold outside, and she went to the nearest spot, Langan's.

It just so happens they also have a lovely jazz brunch on Sundays: 15.95 for an entrée and a drink (mimosa, Bloody Mary, champagne)! And all the while, you enjoy the lovely, soothing sounds of jazz. Not the erratic up-and-down jazz that isn't really my style, but the soothing, rhythmic type.

A bread basket came out right away, and the chocolate-chip studded slices were just as tasty as you might suspect. I toyed with the idea of getting more, but decided to remain mature and civilized.

LaShauna ordered their French toast, which came with fruit compote and nothing else. She asked for maple syrup (which they quickly brought), only to take one bite and say "Wow, this doesn't even NEED syrup." High praise, indeed!

I ordered the Eggs Benedict. It came with the usual Canadian bacon & Hollandaise sauce, and a side of home fries that had onions aplenty (I love onions), and a side of mixed greens with just the right touch of dressing. The Hollandaise sauce was very lemony, which was different from what I'm used to, but still good. The greens were amazing, and the eggs were perfectly poached!!

Times Square is famous for having lots of overpriced, overrated food, but you can't really beat brunch (and a drink!) for less than 20 bucks (don't forget to tip)!

Langan's

150 W 47th St

New York, NY 10036

(212) 869-5482

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Somerset Diner (New Jersey)

Despite all my time on the East Coast, I don't think I've ever eaten in a Jersey diner-- until this summer! It was for the non-bachelorette weekend of That Sara, and after a night of celebrating, we all needed some REAL FOOD.

We waited about 30 minutes for a table here at the Somerset Diner-- this place was never less than packed.

I started with the a cup of strong, hot coffee. Thank you!

That Sara ordered a macchiato, I believe, and it sure was pretty!

Complete with rock candy stirrer! 

Amid a sea of options, I finally settled on the Irish Scrambler skillet (9.99!) with corned beef, onion, potatoes, and Hollandaise sauce. However, I found out they had CHIPOTLE Hollandaise sauce, and asked if they could sub that in my dish. Yeah, I was kind of THAT person. It was good, but I wish there had been more of a chipotle flavor to it.

We all had some spin on eggs that morning.. eggs with a lot of other stuff to bring us back to life again. V had the Farmer's omelette, with fresh, oozy mozzarella and lots of veggies.

That Sara got another skillet, hers with basted eggs and bacon. I was so close to getting hers, but the corned beef and Hollandaise won me over. If I could have had my eggs basted instead of scrambled, that would have been ideal --but I didn't want to get TOO demanding.

The staff was super friendly, and our server didn't even blink at my special request. There was a bit of wait for coffee, but our server was working a ton of tables and made sure the coffee we did get was fresh. I think I had at least 3 cups that morning!

The food was hot, fresh, and came quickly, the price was right, the service was great, and overall, my first Jersey diner experience was a delicious success!

Somerset Diner
1045 Easton Ave
Somerset, NJ 08873
(732) 828-5424

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