Essex

Essex
120 Essex Street
(212) 533-9616 (reservations recommended)

Cuisine: Brunch/American fare
Price: Cheap eats (for two people, brunch came out to $45 total, which included a side of bacon)

I’d heard very good things about Essex, ranging from “unlimited alcohol!” to “good food cheap” and “amazing brunch”, but I admit I was a bit dubious when we pulled up.  Outside walking in, it looked like a cafeteria, very minimalist and very… stark.  Once we walked in, I was surprised to see how busy it was, with a wait despite our reservation (made hastily an hour prior), and people swarming the bar, eating, chatting, making the place buzz pleasantly- I don’t believe they were playing any music, or if they were, it was low enough to blend in with the crowd noise- I didn’t feel the need to shout to be heard.  One interesting thing was the bleached tennis balls nailed to the wall, close to the ceiling: I kept asking, “But what does it MEAN?!” 

After we were seated, a harried looking waiter handed us our menus and hurried off.  A plate of onion rolls were plopped on our table, which were delicious, and being starving, we quickly scarfed them down.  When the waiter returned to ask us our drink choices, I chose a mimosa thinking it would be horribly bitter because they probably used the cheapest champagne they could find, but it was pleasantly sweet and went down easily.  My date chose a screwdriver, which he said was good as well. 

But what to eat?  There were so many choices, I finally chose a standard fall back breakfast item, because if they screwed that up, then there was no hope.  I had three sunny side up eggs with breakfast sausage.  Admittedly, my yolks were cooked a bit more than I prefer (about half cooked through), but I’m assuming they were wary of salmonella and erred on the side of caution.  The sausage was sausage; I really enjoyed my potatoes and the side of greens that accompanied my dish; however, I was disappointed to see that they’d forgotten? the side of fruit that the menu claimed also came with the brunch.  Seeing how busy the waiter was and how harried he looked, I decided to not bother asking.  (Also, I’d downed 1.5 of the 3 mimosas the menu promised, before eating anything, and was too blurry to ask complicated questions.)

My date, not a big food critic (and who repeatedly, I mean REPEATEDLY will start eating before I can snap a picture, as evidenced in this picture with the corner of his French toast torn off! ), was duly impressed with the offerings and wavered between being adventurous and sticking to standards.  Finally, he gave in and ordered the challah French toast with bananas foster accompanied by a side of fruit, and added a side of bacon to the order ($4).  He ravished his French toast, despite its yucky appearance, which definitely took me by surprise, since he is a picky eater.  He said he really enjoyed it, and we decided we’d be back to try the other dishes that we both had our eyes on. 

A side note: the side of bacon was TOTALLY worth it.  It looked like a half a package of bacon, easily, that they served us on a separate plate. 

Yvo says: Definitely, definitely, definitely go here for brunch.  I highly recommend it.  At $15/person, it’s a total steal good deal, with 3 drinks per person.  That’s unheard of!  Also, they have weekday specials (brunch is only on Saturdays and Sundays), like lobster night, happy hour, etc.  Oh yes, and on my Sunday brunch menu, I noticed a Sunday dinner special that was also $15/person, that included the same alcoholic drinks as brunch (choice of mimosa, screwdriver, or bloody mary) OR mojitos!  I will definitely be going back to try some more dishes.  The atmosphere is relaxing as well, I didn’t feel rushed, despite the crowd waiting at the door.