So, the other thing I did in New York on my first day, aside from visiting Coney Island and nearly catching my death of cold, was eat brunch at <a href="http://www.fiveleavesny.com/"> Five Leaves </a>, which almost immediately became my new favorite restaurant. Actually, calling it a restaurant sounds a bit too formal, it's more like a really great and charming little place to grab something to eat. Their menu is per-fect!! Small and classic, full of things that I crave on a regular basis, like burgers (including one with pineapple, beets and a fried egg!), salads, sandwiches. That first morning I had ricotta pancakes and truffle fries (because when you're on vacation you can eat as many carbs as you like, right?). The pancakes were delicious, dense and rich with a pool of honeycomb butter (!) melting into the center, but it was the truffle fries that really changed my life for the better. For those of you that don't know, I am quite the truffle fries connoisseur and these were, by far, the finest I've ever had.
So fine, in fact, that I demanded we go back and have them a second time before I left. We ordered housemade ricotta with steamed mussels to accompany.
The ricotta was served with bread slices for spreading, plus a honeycomb and some fruit preserves that offset the richness of the cheese really nicely.
The mussels were steamed in a coconut-curry broth that was straight-up addictive. I've found myself craving it on a few different occasions since.
But again, the highlight of the meal was those damn truffle fries!! Fucking phenomenal.
The atmosphere is kind of hipster-y; skinny, tattooed boys making coffee and waitresses in thrifted clothing with ratty hair but surprisingly, this did not make me want to punch anyone in the face. They pulled it off in a way that was almost completely devoid of pretension and were actually friendly! The decor was a cute mix of industrial and opulent. Although I never ate there at night, I stole a glance at both their drink and dinner menus, and they both looked pretty tasty. I couldn't help but think that they'd be phenomenally successful if they were to open a similar place in Oakland. A girl can only wish, right? Until then, I'll be fantasizing about those truffle fries...
Recent Comments