There was an op ed recently in the New York Times Sunday Review maligning the brunch craze in
Greenwich Village, Brooklyn and beyond, as well as its spread from a Sunday
occasion to a Saturday habit. The article concluded brunch, the delicious combo
of breakfast and lunch, was by nature adolescent, a contrivance of young
urbanites attempting to bring the fantasy of Sex and The City to life.
I object to looking down one’s nose at any meal, frankly. In
fact, I find brunch to be a delightful repast, a chance to enjoy the kind of
fellowship once found only at holiday gatherings and church services, escaping
the potential familial controversies or religious implications. This hybrid
meal provides an opportunity for a different type of communion, between you and
the loved ones with whom you choose to dine, and it just so happens to come
built in with food that brings the best of sweet and savory to the table.
But while our metropolises and tourist villages in Upstate NY have embraced brunch culture, Northern New York and the Southern Tier have seemingly missed the memo. Yes,
we have a few good choices – Tin Pan Galley, in Sackets Harbor, has held
court as the grand dame in that region for years, more recently joined by upstarts The Hops
Spot and Skewed Brewing, Gram’s Diner, and Tug Hill Vineyards. In Ithaca, Booker's Backyard, Agava, and a few others offer tomato juice and pork-laden jollies. But both Syracuse and Binghamton are wanting. In Salt City, Empire Brewing has a jazz brunch, and here in Binghamton, Loft at 99 and Tranquil do brunch. But that's about all, folks. So again, I'm left wondering at our lack of ability to get our brunch on.
As if the limited selections weren’t enough of an afront to
the sensibilities of would-be brunch enthusiasts, some of New York’s rather
archaic on-site consumption laws prohibit the serving of alcohol before noon on
Sundays, curtailing the bruncheon joy of mimosas and bloody marys for early risers, the truly
festive way to kick off any proper Sunday funday.
I’ve blogged before on my breakfast and brunch favorites in NNY, which include Clayton’s venerable Koffee Kove Restaurant, Gram’sDiner in Adams and humble stalwart The Clubhouse, on Outer Washington Street in
Watertown. Of these, Gram’s is the only one offering a special brunch menu on
the weekends to augment its more typical diner-style day starters.
At Gram’s, you’ll find some inventive options such as
pumpkin pancakes, butternut squash casserole, macaroni and cheese omelets and
buffalo chicken eggs benedict, as well as those most coveted brunch time
cocktails, mimosa and mary, both. I wouldn’t dare mask my bald affection for
this warm, casual café nor its hearty, adventurous food. I just wish there were
more like it!
I know most folks are happy enough with our ordinary
breakfast choices – the diners, hotels and chains serving up eggs, pancakes,
bacon and the like – but I can’t help
but wish we could import a bit more of that brunch savoir fare to our
communities. To be sure, Upstate New Yorkers are hardworking, salt of the
Earth folk, likely to spend a Sunday morning hunting or a Saturday mid-day
escorting the kids to various sporting events. But I suggest that creating a
brunch tradition here can work. The meal serves as an
invitation to linger with friends and family over many mugs of steaming coffee,
savoring a hearty feast and repartee – couldn’t we use a little more of that in
our community?
While Manhattan may already be pronouncing the craze of brunch
a has-been, I wouldn’t mind us picking up the trend a bit late. If I were an Upstate restaurateur, you better
believe I’d be coming up with a creative benedict, a savory waffle, a dynamite
seasonal pancake and fruit stack, sourcing a great New York State pork
purveyor for bacon, sausage and ham, and starting a brunch service.
The nice thing about brunch,
from a business standpoint, is that you can probably charge double what you
would your standard breakfast dishes, because your customers are combing two
meals out into one. So chill the Prosecco, grate the horseradish, and watch the
brunch hordes roll in! What New York City may consider passé will pass just
fine for us, thanks. Let’s embrace brunch! It’s not just for Easter anymore!
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