Sunday, January 30, 2011

How do I love thee brunch...

Sunday brunching is a friend of mine, for sure. Brunch on Saturday, for some reason isn't that fun, simply because on Saturday I feel like I'm decompressing from the busy work week. By Sunday, I've relaxed and have taken care of the necessary weekend errands. Ready to eat!

Today, I checked out Prospect Heights' The Spot American Bistro. I've passed this place tons of times riding home on my beloved bike, but I've never gone in. Truthfully, it always looked closed. Today was a different story. I walked into the gently sunlit bistro to be surprised by a bustling crowd. VH1 Soul played on a TV hoisted above the bar. The tables, there were about 50 and benches around the perimeter, were placed close together. The Spot was so organic, so intimate I could have sworn I heard each and every conversation. It was loud, but comfortable, like a friend's house. We had to wait about 20 minutes for our table. My friend had one of many free flowing mimosas and I had a Sprite.

Once we sat down in our corner table, I ran into someone from my NYU days. She recognized me immediately but didn't remember my name. The Spot is certainly one of those "spots" where you'll know at least one person in the room (well, that's Brooklyn for ya)

The best thing about a brunch menu is that it's so diverse. There's never been a brunch menu that didn't satisfy my appetite. In fact, there's always the dilemma as to what to order, as was the case today. I wanted the cream cheese stuffed French toast but had a taste for a turkey burger with lots of grilled onions.

Turkey burger with mozzarella

My friend had the succulent steak and eggs:


Steak and Eggs

My turkey burger came quickly. The accompanying fries were tossed with paprika and a dash of pepper, delish. My plump burger was seasoned well but the onions were undercooked, which I didn't mind too much, I'll take my onions either way. (Next time I will specify that I'd like them to be sauteed) I enjoyed everything about the burger except the bread, it was so ordinary - a bad thing because the bread essentially makes the sandwich and there is surely tons of bread competition out there! For such a hands-on bistro, I expected a Kaiser roll or something of that variety. But, overall, the burger was good, and I'd go back again, especially to check out that cream cheese-stuffed French toast, sounds enticing!


The Spot American Bistro
417 Prospect Place (corner of Grand Avenue)
Brooklyn, New York, 11238
(718) 638-1733

Belly Up!

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