For quite a while now, I’ve heard about how awesome the brunch at Jack & Nellie’s in Forest Hills is. I finally had a chance to check it out the day before Easter, and Hubba Hubby and I managed to arrive around 11am, before the brunch-crush took over and made getting a table impossible.
The menu (above; click to enlarge) was fairly standard with a couple of items of interest. The drinks sounded surprisingly fun, so Hubba Hubby snagged a sake bloody mary — I’m sure he’ll post it on his Instagram at some point! I obviously didn’t try any… 
Hubba Hubby went the safe route and ordered eggs with sausage and potatoes. His eggs were disappointingly overcooked – barely runny on top, then fully cooked the rest of the way – which made for sadfaces all around. 
Candied bacon was on the list of must-haves that other people had given me… crisp, crunchy, savory and sugary, this was a clear hit and it was no surprise. This is actually not terribly difficult to make at home, though, so I expect to make some of my own shortly. Yum!! 
I love corned beef hash, so I went with this and was pleased with my version. My eggs were NOT overcooked – just a shade runnier than I preferred as a pregnant lady – but quite lovely over the corned beef hash, which was nicely cooked and a good mix of meat and potatoes. I enjoyed my dish thoroughly, but……..
Two major complaints. We have no idea if it’s always like this, but there appeared to only be one server covering the entire floor. It’s true that there were two huge parties taking up space, but our server appeared super distracted and kept forgetting things. She was nice enough, but it just felt like she could use more help… especially when, after forgetting to bring us one drink, she charged us twice for that same drink (which was easily and quickly fixed).
That aside — which may not even be a normal issue — it was super loud in there. It appeared that there was no baffling/sound absorbing wall-hangings, so all the conversational noise in there built up on itself and seemed to be blasting right into our ears, making it hard to converse. I know I’m an old fart and this shows my age, but I like brunch to be a dull roar, you know, where you can still hear your dining companion talking — but not necessarily your neighbors.
Overall, we both enjoyed our food to varying degrees. I’m glad we went, but I don’t feel any compulsion to return anytime soon — not for brunch anyway. The dinner menu looks interesting so I might give that a shot at some point… hopefully it won’t be as busy and therefore not as noisy.
Jack & Nellie’s
108-25 Ascan Ave
Forest Hills, NY 11375
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