Bloody Mary

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The Stanton Social – LES, New York – Sunday 26 October 2014 – Brunch

Croque Monsieur Satays

Croque Monsieur Satays

Brunch is a completely different meal over here in New York than the all day breakfast that is the norm of Melbourne. For starters, The Stanton Social doesn’t even open until the very civilised time of 11am, which happens to be about the time we normally go for breakfast anyway.

What we didn’t quite realise is that TSS has a menu that is all about sharing rich morsels of loosely breakfast type food. Sharing around five dishes for two people is recommended, but when we viewed the size of the portions, and the rich flavours being amplified in each dish, we settled on three.

Chicken taquito

Chicken taquito

I ordered a Bloody Mary which uses fresh tomato pulp and it was different in a good way. The double espresso I also ordered was different in a very mediocre way and I realise that brunch is not all about coffee the way I’m used to. It happens that instead of ordering any more coffee I tried El Ray across the street which had a terrific blend, producing an espresso with depth and savoury hues.
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Catherine was served her sweet freshly squeezed OJ and we started on our first dish of pierogies filled with potato and goat’s cheese, topped with caramelised onions, with a sauce of truffled creme fraiche. The pierogies were not as soft as I expected but were a delicious start.

Next we turned to my favourite, the croque monsieur satays which could not be any more decadent. The muenster and gruyere cheeses were all encompassing, but not overpowering the ham and brioche, the later still maintaining its shape. It was the kind of dish you want to be able to eat again tomorrow, but only a small taste each time!

Pierogies

Pierogies

To finish we tried the chicken taquito which was the most normal of our dishes featuring good flavour from the chicken minced with spices, the red pepper sauce, and tasty guacamole rounding it out.

As you look around at the staff and customers you know this is one of the hip places for brunch in New York. If the sun went down you could easily see TSS transform into a vibing bar with no effort at all. It is a cool place that would be fun to see back home, but seems special to the big apple.

Stanton Social on Urbanspoon

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AOC – Los Angeles – Sunday 22 June 2014 – Breakfast

Hanger Steak and Eggs

Hanger Steak and Eggs

This is part of a collection of short reviews from my travels around the USA in June.

To a tourist, AOC feels like the quintessential LA brunch experience. Looking around, it is hard to see how a local would dispute this statement.

The reason we are here is we have been brought. Sascha is my cousin, but cousin or not, there must be a level of trust bringing a tourist into the fold. I have no idea where we are, but I like it; and I like the option of cheap valet parking too!

Brunch in LA at AOC is quite different to what we are used to in Melbourne. For a start, you can actually book! I forgot the novelty of not waiting 10-15 minutes for a table. Next, thankfully, there is no lycra or exercise gear. Everyone looks like eating (and drinking) is the objective and not a bonus.

Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary

It might be a weekly occurrence for some here though there is still a sense of occasion. When the food comes out you can see why. It’s huge and comes with way too many perfectly roasted potatoes, but the hanger steak and eggs is delicious! The steak itself is nicely seasoned, really flavoursome, and cooked properly, escaping any chewy texture. Not something I would ordinarily order for breakfast but I would eat again. The Bloody Mary is terrific too!

We finish with an incredible dessert, too difficult to describe but the flavours work beautifully – the creme fraiche softening the hit from the cumquats and the blood orange and pistachios balancing the flavour and texture. The main thing I miss from Melbourne, with only a little over a day left of our trip, is the immaculate coffee. AOC delivers a nice cup of joe but nothing more.

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There is a great deal to like about AOC, and other great brunch places in the States. To add to that, the differences are refreshing. Melbourne does the best breakfast in the world, but it could do with some refined brunch restaurants to add even more breadth to the portfolio.

AOC on Urbanspoon