Brunchable

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Full disclosure: I totally got this meal for free. Big thanks to Paige and the Spoon PR team. You certainly know how to make a small-time blogger feel like a big shot.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk brunch.

As you’ve probably noticed, I normally don’t stray outside of my 10-block Manhattan comfort zone. When I’m jonesing for a breakfast/lunch chimera, proximity often outweighs diversity. While on my last snowboard trip to VT, I ran into a sage who spoke of a land where street numbers run into the 20’s (!) and buildings are shaped like flat irons. In this mythical place, there is a catering company called Spoon that has a storefront which recently started offering brunch service. I thanked this traveler for her insight and added it to my to-do list.

This morning I strapped my camera around my neck, hopped on my bike, and threw caution to the wind. Remarkably, I made it to 17 West 20th St. unscathed. Well, mostly unscathed. Cut down in the prime of its life by a insurgent glass shard in the street, my rear tire did not survive the trip. After a quick detour to a bike shop, I was ready to nosh.

One of the first things I noticed about Spoon was its relaxed atmosphere. Behind the pastry/deli counter, the hand-laid mosaic tiles, mis-matched furniture, worn pastel colors and fresh flowers gave me the feel of a french cafe meets mom’s kitchen. The attention to detail actually reminded me of a Keith McNally restaurant (Balthazar, Schiller’s, Pastis), but while they serve bread from Balthazar’s bakery, Spoon is family-owned and operated.

Before you get all worked up, Spoon is currently BYOB. They serve a virgin Bloody Mary which I’ll talk about in a bit, but they do not have a liquor bar. Booze and Brunch go together so well that at times I find them hard to separate. Shockingly, I was able to enjoy this meal while completely lucid. If you can’t go without, pack a little Vodka in a flask and teach that drink a thing or to.

Spoon makes a point of paying attention to where their ingredients come from. They only serve Stumptown direct trade coffee, and their meats and eggs are locally sourced and organic.

On the suggestion of the waiter, I ordered the Brook Trout and Grits. It is served with “pan-seared lemon zest and thyme with Gorgonzola grits cake, frisee, and radicchio.” I also ordered a coffee and their virgin Bloody Mary. I considered the pancakes, but I’m such a finicky pancake eater that the chance of it being too bread-y often causes me to skip them. The food arrived pretty quickly despite a packed house, and the presentation was top notch (see picture). You can check out the full brunch menu here.

Fish at breakfast is a risky thing (smoked salmon excluded). Done right, it can be light and refreshing, but done wrong and your whole morning can be thrown off. When I bit into the first forkful, I was pleasantly surprised to find it not too “trouty” with just the right amount of seasoning. I was tempted to not even use the lemon garnish because it was so tasty out of the oven.

Grits is another risky move. I’m from the south, and I know what grits are. These were balled up into a patty and cooked just long enough to be crispy. The Gorgonzola was a subtle but inspired addition. Definitely not your traditional approach, but a unique and really tasty Spoon recipe.

The Bloody Mary, you ask? Oh right. Unfortunately, I’m not as aglow about the drink as I was about the plate. Right out of the gate, it had an overwhelming taste of smokey spice, like a plate of buffalo wings. Also, it came with an almost laughably large stalk of celery (see photo). In their defense, it was missing a key ingredient that we are accustomed to with this libation. For a place that doesn’t serve booze, their Bloody Mary was acceptable, but probably skippable in favor of the homemade lemonade or other offerings.

All in all, comp or no comp, I really enjoyed this brunch. The service was great but not in your face every 5-minutes asking how you are doing (huge pet peeve of mine!), and the prices were very reasonable. If you find yourself in the Flat Iron district between the hours of 9 and 1pm on the weekend, I highly recommend getting a spoonful at Spoon.