Brunch With the Stars at Gallow Green

So many of my favorite things are coming together for brunch tomorrow: 1) BRUNCH! 2) Bryan Greenberg (I'm still reeling over the cancellation of How to Make it in America) 3) Emmanuelle Chriqui 4) Gallow Green, and 5) raising money for charity!

Join Microsoft, Bryan Greenberg, and The Olevolos Project tomorrow 5/3 for brunch at Gallow Green (530 W 27th St) at the McKittrick Hotel (Home of Sleep No More) from 12:30-4pm and help them raise money to support the educational and affiliated needs of disadvantaged and orphaned students from the Olevolos Village of Tanzania. Founded in 2007, The Olevolos Project continues to nurture a passion for learning and helps develop young village leaders through formal schooling, tutoring programs, and extracurricular activities. 

The star-studded host committee includes Alex Gannes, Alexis Nataf, Ambyr Childers, Andrea Szempruch, Delroy Lindo, Dory Gannes, Eddie K Thomas, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Geoff Stults, Hilarie Burton, Hill Harper, James Lafferty, Jamie Chung, Jamie Hector, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jonathan Azu, Justin Danko, Kelly Brady, Margo Gannes, Matt Levine, and Victor Rasuk.

DJ favorites Mel DeBarge and JUS SKE will be spinning the tunes throughout the brunch on the rooftop. The event will feature raffle prizes and a silent auction; all proceeds from which will be donated to The Olevolos Project.

Tickets for the Brunch Party are $150 per person (includes buffet brunch, unlimited cocktails and a gift bag) and VIP tables can be reserved for $2000.

Pitch Your Brunch Fork Here

I always like to impress my brother with awesome NYC food when he visits, so when he came for his last trip I made a point to plan a delicious and all-you-can-drink meal that would be sure to wow him. We headed east to The Pitch and Fork and were seated in a cozy booth by the front of the rustic, yet charming, restaurant.

Pitc

One of the first things I noticed was the giant piece of taxidermy over the bar--it's definitely cozy--but then you see "bottomless brunch" on the menu and you're reminded that you are super far away from any place where a pitchfork is used for anything but decoration and the place suddenly feels chic.

The brunch menu is split into a couple of sections--appetizers, "like breakfast," and "like lunch"--to help you decide what you're in the mood for. You can make any entree into an all-you-can-drink 2-hour brunch for just $27 (that goes for the $10 granola or the $24 organic brick chicken). We started with the devils on horseback ($9) and highly recommend you do too. These little balls of bacon wrapped dates wrapped blue cheese are heavenly and they definitely don't skimp you!

Devils on Horseback ($9)

I opted for the grilled spicy shrimp ($24) with grits, fava beans, summer squash, ancho chili, bacon, and basil, which was basically a fancy way to say shrimp and grits. The Grits were perfectly cooked, and the whole dish just flowed seamlessly. I ate every last bite and could have eaten more.

Grilled Spicy Shrimp ($24)

My brother went for the classic steak and eggs (go big or go home right?), which was a rib eye served with eggs and potato hash ($24). The steak was a pretty large hunk of meat for any meal, let alone brunch, and everything was cooked wonderfully.

Steak and Eggs

We figured we had to have the entire Pitch and Fork experience so we asked what was available for dessert and knew what we had to order when our waitress told us about the donuts with bacon glaze and, get this, Pop Rocks! Do yourself a favor and get the donuts so that I don't have to explain the sensation of exploding candy in your mouth while you're trying to savor the warm doughy donuts saturated with powdered sugar and maple bacon glaze, ok?

Taking a look at Pitch and Fork's dinner menu, I'm definitely intrigued. Continuing on what seems to be a trend, they have bacon wrapped bacon for an appetizer and their shepherd's pie sounds pretty legitimate. Combine the awesome menu with a covered back patio, and this place seems to have it all. Ultimately, it was a successful meal and I'll definitely be back!

Pancakes to Blow Your F****** Mind

I also can't forget to mention the other best part about February...Pancake Month at Clinton St. Baking Company!

I'd highly recommend getting there early, grabbing your flapjacks, and then hightailing it over to City Bakery for your hot chocolate fix. Again, don't think. Just do it. Go. 

Now.

What are you waiting for?

Seriously?

French Toast Haiku

Stuffed with strawberries. 

Touch of mascarpone. Melts.

Ooey gooey yum.

Try for yourself at Astor Bake Shop in Astoria.

Feeling Mad?

I suppose one could feel mad in several different ways - crazy, upset, insane, in love. I'm not sure of the exact mood the people over at Pranna were feeling when they named their new brunch party, but with three drinks and a delicious entree, you will have a mad awesome time at their Mad Brunch, all for only $28.

I love brunch. So when I was invited to Pranna, a new-ish Thai fusion mega-restaurant in Flatiron, this past weekend to give their's a whirl, I was very excited. Boyfriend in tow, we arrived at noon (a bit earlier than most of the NYC brunch crowd, but people trickled in shortly after) and were both in awe of the sheer size of this place. I'm not sure if Pranna becomes a dance club at night, but it totally could. It's very New York, from the glass ball chandeliers to the aqua-toned leather on the walls and the swank bathrooms. Upon sitting down at a comfy booth for two, we were offered the first of our three drinks. We both ordered bellinis, but the other choices were mimosas, screwdrivers and bloody mary's. I found it a little odd that the drinks were served in plastic flutes for such a posh place, but I'm not one to judge a place for its glassware. They probably have their reasons. 

The brunch menu is pretty vast when you compare it to other similar places. The menu was split in half with breakfast-y/egg-y things on one side and lunch-y dishes on the other. The lunch dishes looked great, mostly all Asian-inspired like the 7-Spiced Seared Tuna Salad and the Signature Thai Drunken Noodles, but I have to have my huevos for brunch. I ordered the Lobster Benedict and my boyfriend got the Steak and Eggs. The Benedict came with two lobster tails and two poached eggs each on a bed of sauteed spinach on top of an English muffin. It was served with curried cauliflower and potatoes (an interesting spin on home fries) and a fresh spinach salad with a tangy, peppery dressing. The lobster and eggs were cooked well (the yolks still ran when I poked them), but the English muffin was a bit soggy, like maybe it had been sitting for a while before being served. I would have liked it a little more if there was slightly less butter on the spinach and a fresher muffin. Flavor-wise though, it was great. I was a big fan of the cauliflower and potatoes as I thought the curry flavor was original and unusual for breakfast. My boyfriend wasn't a fan of the curry or the cauliflower, but that just meant I got seconds. The double helping of spinach on the plate, although healthy, was a bit redundant and I wasn't uber-pleased with the dressing. The steak and eggs were pretty standard. The hangar steak had a nice marinade and was cooked just the way it was ordered. It also came with the cauliflower and potatoes and the spinach.

Lobster Benedict

Steak and Eggs

The DJ started around the time we received our second drinks, and that was a fun addition to brunch. The music was advertised as global beats, and I'd agree with that, though there was definitely some Rihanna in there. 

Overall, brunch at Pranna was a good experience. The service was a bit slow and haphazard, but everyone was very nice. We waited around for a while after pondering a third drink, but then decided to be productive with the rest of our day. The food was a nice splurge from our usual brunch diet and the ambiance was enjoyable. After seeing what the place looks like in the day, I definitely want to go back and check it out at night.