First and foremost I should mention that within our party of six, we all arrived (and ate) at different times due to some scheduling issues, and the wait staff handled it all with grace and aplomb. There is nothing worse than being rushed out of a table or forced to wait for your entire party to arrive, especially on a Sunday afternoon. We all nibbled at our leisure, actually enjoying the experience rather than racing through it.

Half of our party (myself included) ordered the Red Flannel Hash, a delightful helping of diced potatoes, beets and scallions with two poached eggs on top. (As I vegetarian, I ordered mine sans bacon, but it is available for those carnivores out there.) Had I been hungover, this would have been a miracle cure. Hearty, savory and filling, I ate almost every bite and walked away feeling satisfied but not uncomfortably so. Almond also served up a basket of amazingly rustic biscuits along with apple butter (divine), raspberry jam and real butter. (Sidenote: the addition of real butter on the table led to a lively conversation on the importance of real butter and how much more delicious it is than margarine.) And while I didn’t taste for myself (again, vegetarian), the macaroni and cheese with prosciutto and truffle oil was another triumph. As I mentioned, the portions here are not for the faint of heart and the leftover mac was enjoyed for two more meals later that week.

All in all, Almond is a great place for a tasty, civilized brunch- the kind of spot I could see bringing my parents to when they visit from out of town. As we seemed to be one of the larger groups there, I would say it’s probably not ideal for a large groups but perfect for a few friends or couples, especially on the open air patio.

Ranking

Ambiance: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Speed of Drink Refills: n/a (Almond sadly does not offer unlimited drinks with brunch)

People Watching: 2

Good For: Couples, Families

If you’re not paying attention, you might walk right past Sunburnt Calf on 79th street. This (fairly) new Aussie establishment is a sister to Heathe St. Clair’s Sunburnt Cow and Bondi Road. While the bar space in front is a little dim, the crowd is fun and lively. The dining area, on the other hand, is airy and bright with vaulted skylights.

Our waiter was of course an Aussie and also a little bit scared of our group of eight demanding girls with extreme thirst and picky eating habits – but we had to hand it to him – he did an excellent job tackling the task at hand. Most of us couldn’t resist ordering the “Hamburger w/the Lot”. This burger is a towering feast of ingredients including: beets, fried egg, bacon, grilled onion, lettuce, tomato, and pineapple – and to top it all off, it also comes with a side of perfectly seasoned fries. Is it for those on a diet? No. Is it for foodies, fatties and hangovers? Yes.

While we would have liked either larger glasses, or pitchers left at the table, the endless drinks were definitely a little slow – but considering our waiter was the only one for the entire room, he did a pretty good job of tending to our glasses and remembering who had what drink. We were pretty sure that by the end of our experience he wanted to strangle a few of us – but instead, he brought out a round of delicious shots (he had one too – which was well deserved)!

Even though some of us had to be rolled out of the restaurant since we were so full, it was a wonderful Sunday brunch, and we will certainly be back again.

Ranking

Ambiance: 4

Food: 4

Service: 3.5

Speed of Drink Refills: 3

People Watching: 3

Good For: Groups, Couples

Bang for your BUCK : $18 all you can drink moomosas, moo marys, screwdrivers, fosters, greyhounds. Price also includes entree. Cash only.

- Camilla

Upon first walking into this establishment, tucked away on the less traveled paths of the West Village, you are immediately surprised and comforted by it’s casual, loungy atmosphere. The plush red benches and the chandeliers lend an air of sophistication to an otherwise pub-like interior.

As a party of 8, our hostess sat us in a one of the red corner benches with a low table displaying votive candles. We loved the music which was an eclectic mix that everyone could enjoy. We immediately ordered the unlimited deal-$20 all you can drink mimosas, screwdrivers, and bloody marys – the price included your meal. We were excited about the menu which offered some southern classics such as biscuits and gravy or fried chicken and waffles.

Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that the service was not up to par. While our waitress was friendly and eager to please, she was at times absent and not always en pointe with our orders…however, when the waitress missed an order completely she comped it for us without us even asking.

After our dishes (finally) came out one by one, we dug in only to be slightly dissapointed with our meals. We agreed the eggs benedict were tolerable and the fries were great, but don’t order the ribeye. The drinks, however, did flow freely and a shot was also offered free of charge!

As we spent the afternoon boozing to our hearts’ content our moods lightened and we [almost] forgot about the poor service. If we ever went again we might pray for a better waitress and all order something different…

Ranking:

Ambiance: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

Speed of Drink Refills: 3

People Watching: 2

Good For: Groups

Bang for your BUCK : $20 all you can drink mimosas, screwdrivers and bloody mary’s including your meal

- JENNY

We took Brunch in the City to the East Village’s Poco Restaurant and Lounge. This brunch location has a great range of offerings on the menu that will suit any craving. When you arrive, you walk in to a bright and cozy main level that is quite lively right around 2PM when the brunch crowd comes in. As a larger group, we were led downstairs to a re-purposed basement with mismatching furniture that gave the space a quirky “in my neighbor’s” basement feeling that we adored.

While there was no music downstairs, we were definitely entertained with the Olympics playing on the flat screen TV and the very hilarious, and somewhat awkward, baby shower that was seated next to us.

The food was a unanimous success- each BITC member’s plate looked AND tasted delicious. I had the Lobster Mac n Cheese that I had been dreaming about since I saw the menu online and was not disappointed! What was even better, our wonderfully cheerful server was also very brilliant- she immediately saw we would be there for a while enjoying the unlimited cocktails, and proceeded to set a pitcher of mimosa on our table that turned out to be never-ending; now, that is what I call BOTTOMLESS DRINKING. Well done, Poco! BITC will be back!

Ranking

Ambiance: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Speed of Drink Refills: 5! Our server saved herself some time and gave us a never-ending PITCHER!

People Watching: 2

Good For: Groups

Bang for your BUCK: $22 all you can drink with a menu that is DIVINE

- MELISSA

As soon as you walk into this restaurant, located in the trendy Thompson Hotel in Soho, you immediately are impressed by its elegant presentation. Its loungy feel is Soho meets Bangkok with Asian flare scattered throughout. Flowers beautifully decorate the restaurant and the lilly pound in the middle just adds to the serene ambiance! Looking around at the other patrons, you get the feeling that you are definitely among New York’s elite.

We took our group there for their “Brunch Special” and for their eclectic menu of asian fusion brunch items such as the Kittichai Omelette and of course, the Thai standard, Pad Thai. The $20 brunch includes an entree and all you can drink cocktails for two hours. Quite the deal.

However, as soon as we all sat down it became clear that we were not the clientele our waiter was looking for. First, they made us wait until the whole party had arrived – we were missing 3 people out of our group of 11. Finally seated, our waiter took our drink order and came back with our drinks around 15 minutes later. With the brunch being timed, the servers seemed to be in no rush. While the drinks were delicious (try the bellini!) they were hard to come by.Attempting to flag down the wait staff was next to impossible, but the food was tastey, which almost (but not quite) made up for the lack of beverages.

Overall, Kittichai is not for large groups, probably better for an intimate brunch with one or two girlfriends. And, if you are like our group, and either want to get your money’s worth or have a Sunday Funday, don’t count on it here.

Ranking:

Ambiance: 5

Food: 4

Service: 2.5

Speed of Drink Refills: 1

People Watching: 1

Good For: Smaller groups

The Deal: All you can drink for 2 hours

- CARLA

Brunch at Film Center Cafe is always a sure thing. The food is delicious, the drinks are bountiful and endless, and.. well does anything else matter? We always have an amazing time at Film Center but our last brunch session there (our 3rd in the past month!) just solidifies the notion that this is the best brunch spot EVER.

How can I even begin to describe the indescribable? It won’t be easy, but I’ll do my best. After a few too many massive sized mimosas and Bellinis, our already rowdy group got a little rowdier. The music was pumping and our drunken bodies couldn’t help by sway to the beat and exuberantly shout the lyrics to the Gaga and Britney tunes. At first, the crowd (by crowd I mean other patrons, as we were not actually performing even though it sure looked and felt that way) was a little bemused and maybe slightly annoyed. But how the tide turned. Eventually, one of the waitresses started getting into the grove, she was shaking her thing and the entire restaurant roared and cheered her on.

And then Single Ladies came on..

All of a sudden the cute little waitress went all-out Sasha Fierce and broke out the Single Ladies dance. The entire-freakin-dance. Every move, every shimmy and shake, every hip thrust, every hair toss, the whole enchilada. It was phenomenal. Everyone in the restaurant was on their feet, cheering her on, incredulous at the awesomness we were witnessing.

After that, it wasn’t brunch, it was a party! Every table would pause from taking one delicious bite after the next to get up and dance or cheer or sing and dance some more. It started with us and it spread to the entire restaurant.

After all that dancing and singing, team BITC ordered more delicious food and loaded up on more supersized drinks. Oh and a note on the food: FANTASTIC! The eggs florentine are to die for, the burgers are perfection, the omelets are cooked just right, the fries are perfection and the belgium waffle will give you a food-gasm.

By the end of the brunch session, which had totally started to cut into dinner time, there was a full-out dance party happening in the back.

This type of brunch experience is very rare (unless we happen to be there) but only possible at film center. This place is gonna be hard to top, but we’re on the case.

Ranking:

Ambiance: 5
Food: 5
Service:  5
Speed of Drink Refills: 5
People Watching: 5
Good For: Groups
Bang for your BUCK: $10 unlimited Champagne, Bellinis, Sangria, Screwdrivers, Frozen Margaritas, Bloody Marys

Getting wild

The Film burger.. amazing!

Spanish omelette

Belgium waffle topped with fruit

Diving right in…

Complimentary cake and a shot of tequila for Hilary’s birthday!

Avocado and black bean salad

Massive drinks!

Fist pumping

And 5 hours later we finally left!

- SABRINA

Tre located in the nook of downtown Manhattan, is the most recent addition to the trendiness and hipster bar hopping scene that is the LES. Having been opened a little under a year ago by owner Eric Wines, whose personality and graciousness is as fabulous as his hosting abilities, this place screams great service and one of the top brunch places you should add to your list of 2010 places to check off by the end of the year.

Whether you’re looking for a wine date for two, a birthday dinner with your favorites, or even a bite to eat when you want to read the morning paper, Tre should be your first choice for all of the above regardless if brunch is your first choice! While the food is perfectly cooked, the service and hospitality is even more incredible and drinks are refilled as quickly as the restaurant song changes. The ambiance is modern with a flare of candles and art spread randomly throughout the cozy brick lined walls; it’s intimate yet personable at the same time. Conversation can easily be had as the acoustics throughout won’t disturb your neighbors. They’ll be having just as fabulous of discussions as you are, if not better.

The menu offers a varied selection of delectables so whether you’re craving that post hangover juicy burger with fries, you can still get the ultimate eggs benedict, potato frittata or the belgian waffles. There’s a perfect mix of sweet and salty to satisfy any brunch lovers taste buds. And to add to the deliciousness that is Tre, the unlimited drinks are equally as good and without fail. Bellini, sangria, champagne. You name it and it’s in your wine glass in no time. Please note that there is a two hour time limit for this all you can drink brunch, however, don’t let that stop you from dining here as it’s the best $19 you can have taken out of your abundant banking account.

Who wouldn’t want to spend a Sunday afternoon here with your favorites while you go around the table dishing out stories from the night and week before? Choose Tre as your next brunch destination to experience what we live through every Sunday- love, laughter, and ridiculousness. We promise you won’t be disappointed.

Ranking:

Ambiance: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Speed of Drink Refills: 4

People Watching: 2

Good For: Groups

Bang for your BUCK: $19 all you can drink for two hours with a fabulous menu selection

The Tre Burger

The Uova del Ranch

The Tre Omelette

The delicious post brunch dessert, tiramisu and cheesecake!

The fabulous brunch club ladies

Brunch never tasted so good…

- ELIZABETH

Hello and welcome to Brunch in the City!!!! It all started one crazy Sunday brunch at Sunburnt Cow in the East Village where our group of gals met up to get together and chat about the weekend festivities. We decided then and there that we would travel around Manhattan (and select boroughs) to find THE best brunch spot the restaurant world had to offer.

First priority– BOTTOMLESS DRINKS! Whereever we go, you are bound to hear us coming from a mile away. We are loving life and living it to the fullest. The BITC(we need to find H to finish our acronym!) ladies are rowdy, fun-loving, photo-taking, all- around amazing gals.

No matter where we are, no matter what’s going on in our lives, Sunday 1:30PM without fail we come together and toast each other and the city with mimosas and bellinis!

Each week, BITC will review our latest adventure with ratings and overview for your enjoyment. Note- there will be pics, there will be hilarity. Love it or leave it! Hope you enjoy the ride!