Rating: 💋 💋 💋 😘
The morning after that food poisoning incident, I woke up absolutely starving. The night before, we had said we would do a morning check to see how I was feeling and decide whether or not to cancel our Sunday brunch reservation, but I just could not bear to ruin that too. Rebecca was only here for a short while, and we had never gone to bottomless brunch together before. This was our moment! I was not canceling that! Besides, I woke up so hungry, brunch seemed a natural way to fill that hole. Recovery does not need to be boring. I'd just take it easy, I swore.
I went to the Malt House location in the Financial District last February, and our waitress was so fun and the food was so good, so I was very excited to go back. This time, I was pumped to test out the Greenwich Village location. When we walked in, we were surrounded by beautiful holiday decorations. Everything was red, green, and sparkly. I adored it.
I am not sure what kind of nights the waitresses had, but they were throwing out dirty looks generously. This seemed a bit uncalled for, considering the restaurant had just opened at 11:30 and the place was totally empty. Service was abrupt and unpleasant, very unlike my prior experience in FiDi, but we ordered everything at once so we did not have to deal with the servers too much.
I tried the Bellini to start, and it was okay, but the mimosa was much much better. Sweet and refreshing, the champagne and orange juice were mixed in the perfect ratio. Our brunch goal did not include chugging pitchers, but this was supposed to be bottomless, after all. Despite their attitude, we were at least comfortable enough to ask our servers for a few refills. Towards the end, a nicer waitress started her shift, and she was much cheerier and refilled our glasses without us even having to ask. That is the kind of bottomless brunch service you love to see!
Rebecca flipped a coin to see which version of the Benedict she should order, and the fates handed her the Black Forest Benedict. The toasted English muffin came stacked with black forest ham, poached egg, and avocado hollandaise, creating a dish full of rich, sweet flavors. I ordered this same dish on my previous brunch, and it's lovely memory was the driving force behind selecting the Malt House for this one. Ugh, I mean, look at that beauty!
When I had to order, I did not know what to do. There was no bland dish on the menu, which is fantastic as far as my taste buds are concerned, but troublesome given my queasy stomach.The French toast tempts me at every brunch, but this one came with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, which seemed dangerous considering my experience with pizza the night before. I could have ordered the avocado toast, and that was probably the safest option, but the burrito was calling my name. I decided to just order what I really wanted.
The burrito came packed with scrambled eggs, short rib they had slow braised for seven hours, caramelized scallions, and chipotle cheese sauce. That photograph of my burrito is downright gorgeous, if you ask me, and the taste lived up to the look. It was hot, cheesy, and packed with flavor. Ohmygodiminlove.
Both dishes came with perfectly crispy roasted red bliss potatoes and a fresh garden salad with a simple vinaigrette. It was the perfect balance of a little bit of decadence and a little bit of something fresh. The Malt House will definitely get a third round of brunch. Maybe I will even go there for a regular meal one day, who knows!
Rebecca and I talked a lot about her teaching opportunities in Philly and my goal of living in California one day. Always, always, always, our heads are stuck in our futures. For a closer future date, we are very excited for our New Year's Eve plans. We booked a dinner reservation at one of our favorite spots in Philadelphia, and have plans to ring in the new year in high-style. This is very fitting, as we have decided 2020 is going to be a fabulous year for us. Now it does not have a choice; it must be full of success and happiness and love, and that's final! I have never done New Year's Eve in Philadelphia before, nor have I celebrated with Rebecca, so I am super excited for our festivities. I pinky promised her I will not eat any pizza on New Year's Eve. It should not be an issue since we are going to a British restaurant, but we have to cover our bases. No one will succumb to evil forces this New Year's Eve!
Here is a picture to prove that, sore stomach aside, I was up and walking on Sunday like a real human. No longer curled up in a ball on the floor is always a good start, and brunch is a doctor-approved form of recovery.
Or exactly what the doctor would not recommend, but life is short soooo.
We got coffee - a necessity with Rebecca - and I dropped her off at Penn Station. It is always a bittersweet good bye, but this one was a good one, as far as good byes go. I am going home for the holidays soon, and will at least see Rebecca on New Year's, if not otherwise. It was more like a, "See you later, definitely." I just have to finish this work week strong and hightail it to Philly for celebrations and fun. I'll catch New York City next year.
Good things are coming, my friends!
XX,
MK
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