Figuring out where to take the mom(s) in your life for brunch is no easy task. No two moms are alike! Some just want a nice, quiet place where they can hear themselves think, others prefer a booth over a chair that doesn’t offer long-term sitability. And if small kids are coming — it’s going to be a whole thing.
Instead of blanket recommendations, I thought I’d share some highly specific suggestions, many of which were inspired by my colleagues here at The Times.
Cloudlike Eggs, Hotel Booths and Flexible Menus
Some moms just want really good eggs. You might consider taking them to French Louie in Boerum Hill, where the cloudlike soft scramble of the eggs Louie with crab and hollandaise can be tucked into while on the lovely (covered!) back patio.
Or they may want to melt into one of the booths at Comodo in Kips Bay or Le Crocodile in Williamsburg, because no one knows comfort quite like a hotel restaurant. (At the former, go for the en moladas; at the latter, go for a croque-monsieur and as many pastries as humanly possible.) Our own Florence Fabricant recommends the Whitby Bar and Restaurant at the hotel of the same name just a few blocks south of Central Park, where she usually goes for the slow-cooked salmon, the scallops and the duck breast special.
With small, excitable children, eating outdoors may be the play if weather permits. Mina’s, the Greek-inspired cafe at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, looks down on a large, spacious courtyard full of picnic tables. Even better, there’s a playground just around the corner at 45th Road and 21st Street. (Get the kid-friendly granola with coconut milk and berries or the adult-friendly roast beef sandwich.)
Moms who eat halal can dine in peace at Al Badawi on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights. Must-orders include the mansaf (stewed lamb in a yogurt sauce over rice with almond slivers); the mezze with steaming, warm pita; and what might be Brooklyn’s hottest “pizza”: the saj flatbread with ground pistachios and mixed cheeses.
At Llama San in the West Village, moms can enjoy Nikkei cooking, the intersection of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine (a rare treat outside Peru.) Or dig into the modern Hawaiian fare at Noreetuh in the East Village, where the eggs can only be found tucked into the crab or kimchi fried rice, or on top of chicken fried in mochi batter.
Moms who can’t tolerate gluten or who don’t eat meat will enjoy the flexible dining at the Mediterranean restaurants Olea or Miss Ada, both in bucolic Fort Greene. These restaurants have plenty of gluten-free and vegetarian or vegan options, and you can take a nice walk in the park afterward!
And as they say in “Hamilton: An American Musical,” it’s quiet uptown. Despite its boozy name, Maz Mezcal on the Upper East Side has been a longtime neighborhood favorite for neighborhood lifers seeking a delicious but distraction-free brunch (chilaquiles, chilaquiles, chilaquiles). And moms who enjoy the quiet as well as a full-blown Italian dinner at 1 p.m. will appreciate you for taking them to nearby Uva — reservations recommended.
In Other News …
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Openings: The chef Atsushi Kono has brought yakitori omakase to Chinatown with his new restaurant, Kono; Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook’s Brooklyn outpost of their Philadelphia restaurant Laser Wolf opens on Sunday; and the Bronx night market officially opens this weekend.
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Priya Krishna reported on the proliferation of drive-through Vietnamese restaurants and the line owners toe between serving fellow Vietnamese Americans and a broader clientele.
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Heading to Nashville soon? Colleen Creamer put together this handy guide on all the new activities and dining spots worth trying in Tennessee’s capital.
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