Thursday, August 21, 2008

Eggs N' Ham

After reading my sparkling review of Catch 35 a friend suggested that it was a mistake to try out a seafood place in a city that is nowhere near an ocean. I suppose I'll have to fly back to NYC for my scallops from now on, but I bet you they don't fish them out of the pristine waters of the East river over there.

In any case, after the delights of Catch 35, B and I decided to go for something completely different, as they say, and chanced onto a brunch at Magnolia Cafe (http://www.magnoliacafeuptown.com/home.html). Right off the bat I'll tell you it was good - not great - but definitely an improvement.

The place was cozy, down to earth. A neighborhood spot it seemed. It had a warm Brooklyn feel to it. No over the top decorations and no Sinatra. The waiters were not overly subservient - a good vibe to the place.

We ordered omelets. They turned out to be huge, but very tasty and with lots of fresh ingredients. I watched in amazement as a man at the next table finished off a similarly proportioned omelet and proceeded to down at least three good size pancakes followed by coffee and whatever else there was on his table. Needless to say I couldn't clean my plate, but not, for a change, because the food wasn't good.

Zagat gives Magnolia Cafe a 25 for the food and I agree. For the price ($11 for that huge omelet and free refills on coffee), the place is certainly better than Catch 35. I'd like to go back there and try those pancakes!

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