BEAUTY & ESSEX
Having had this place recommended to me on several occasions, by both friends and New Yorkers, I had to give it a visit during my short trip to New York. It was formally a furniture store (hence the furniture sign on the right hand side), but has now been transformed into a state of the art restaurant, with four distinct dining rooms.
The unusual entrance is a brightly lit pawn shop with everything from vintage jewelry to used guitars! Past this collection of vintage goods is a grand circular stair case, where antique steps snake their way around a two story custom chandelier. There is a aura of luxury in the restaurant as your are surrounded by velvet covered booths and stunning twinkling lighting, you know that nothing is spared here.
We were showed up stairs to our table, which was just in eye shot of the mirrored bar (pictured above). The pawn shop theme ran throughout the dining room, they had more vintage necklaces encased and hung in frames of varying shapes and sizes.
The drinks menu was bound in a beautiful rich leather cover, I spent at least 15 minutes reading through each one. They all seemed to be fairly classic but had unusual and interesting twists to them. Because it was brunch I wanted to go for something light. Any other day I would have gone straight for the Mojito, but I forced myself to go for something different, and god was it worth it. I went for the Emerald Gimlet, which consisted of; Grey Goose, basil, lemon nectar & fresh lime. It was so delicious and fresh, and far too easy to drink. My mum went for Sapphire Seventy Five, which had blueberry-brown sugar, Bombay Sapphire, prosecco & Thomaso's sour mix.
The dining room quickly filled up. It is the perfect place to go for a pick me up drink the morning after with a big group of friends and there were plenty of people doing just that. I noticed that everyone was going for a bottle of Champagne with their breakfasts. I asked the waiter and she informed me that they do a fantastic deal for Saturday and Sunday brunch, which includes 4 dishes and a bottle of champagne for $75 dollars!
The food menu was mouthwatering to read to begin with, there were dishes that catered for every type of person. To have a quick look at their brunch menu click here.
The food menu was mouthwatering to read to begin with, there were dishes that catered for every type of person. To have a quick look at their brunch menu click here.
My mum and I love sharing plates, the menu is designed perfectly do to that. All the dishes come out in either 3 or 4 small portions. We started off with the moorish Red Velvet Waffles with Cream Cheese Frosting. I am not a fan of having heavy pancakes or waffles for breakfast but these were to die for. They were light and fluffy without being stodgy, the cream cheese glaze added extra moisture so that they basically melted in your mouth. It wasn't long before I noticed that these were obviously a staple when coming here, as every single table had ordered them.
Next we went for the Eggs Benedict with crispy Serano ham & hollandaise sauce, served on a lightly toasted sweet bun. The combination of the creamy sauce, with the crispy salty ham, the sweet bun and the perfectly cooked poached egg was just heavenly. Along side the eggs we ordered tomato tartar, which was diced tomato served on a parmesan crostini with a sunny side up quail's egg and a little sprinkle of parmesan on top.
These accompanied the eggs benedict so well, adding a little bit of freshness. The little morsels were gone in seconds.
To wash that all down I finished off with one of my favourite brunch cocktails, a Bloody Mary. This was bar far the most unique drink that I have ever tasted. It was made with bacon Ketel 1 & chocolate stout infused bloody mary mix. I know my description is not going to do this drink justice, but you have to try it to understand. It almost tasted like I was drinking a spicy version of my mums Bolognese, the bacon gave it a smokey after taste that was followed by a warming spice from the mix. I would definitely order it again, it was one of a kind!
To wash that all down I finished off with one of my favourite brunch cocktails, a Bloody Mary. This was bar far the most unique drink that I have ever tasted. It was made with bacon Ketel 1 & chocolate stout infused bloody mary mix. I know my description is not going to do this drink justice, but you have to try it to understand. It almost tasted like I was drinking a spicy version of my mums Bolognese, the bacon gave it a smokey after taste that was followed by a warming spice from the mix. I would definitely order it again, it was one of a kind!
After sitting back, digesting and enjoying the atmosphere, we paid the bill and took a stop to the ladies before we left. The old style bathroom was just as stunning as the decor of the dining rooms. The deep, modern, ceramic basins fitted in perfectly with the 1920's style lighting. There were a vast array of perfumes that sat on the mirrored shelves, you could choose to freshen yourself up with any of them. I have read that there is complimentary champagne in the ladies bathrooms, unfortunately or fortunately there was none available that day, we would have been rolled out of the place if there were!
Now I completely understand why this place was so highly spoken of. If your in New York, definitely put it down on your list of restaurants, it was one of the highlights of my trip and I will most definitely be making a return. Be sure to make a reservation for what ever time your coming as not surprisingly there are usually queues out the door!