no sleep till Smorgas!

Imagine for a moment, that you are on a beautiful tree-lined cobbled street, walking on a crooked sidewalk that seems to give way beneath your weight.  You look up and stare at the light  from the distilled sun, as it beams on lightly-colored leaves, and you feel the slight wind dancing through still-bare branches, and there is more than a hint of spring as it sings ever closer.  Right in front of you is the most adorable little restaurant, and you know that your friends are waiting for you,  ready to start the day.  This was the beginning of my brunch on Sunday

There is one little infinitesimal detail however, that I have to underline and point out, and that is the sidewalk that felt like it was sinking.  This impossibility appearing to be possible could be happening because of choice #1 - just a side-effect of  the bucolic day, or it could be because  of choice #2 - the person walking - me - hadn't slept in a while.  I'm going with choice #2, and will try to rehash the weekend leading up to scenic walk to Smorgas Chef.

It started on Friday, as most weekends do , with a delightful dinner at Olio's, for some yum pizza served up with sort-of abysmal service, but the Manager made up for the blatant forgetting of our table,  by giving us not one but TWO bottles of semi-good red.  We killed the bottles pretty quickly, then I went home to try to get some rest for Saturday night.  I knew it would be a long one, because it was DJ Wiseacre's birthday AND Grotto's Sweet & Low monthly underground late nite get-down, so I felt I needed one good nite rest.

And what a time is was! Dinner at Grotto, followed by the best dance fest in the LES, darn it, I'll say it, the best below Houston! DJ Wiseacre and Sabo rocked out until 6:00 in the morning, and again, I attempted to leave,  to get some sleep, for brunch.

However, calls from the gang requesting my presence at a lovely roof-top garden to watch the sunrise could not be denied, and once the sun is up, it's very hard to shut the battery off, so I finally made it home at 11am, just in time to take a shower, and head to brunch, and that is why I was walking on spongy sidewalks, got it?

So, on to brunch, and what a lovely one it was.  It was the smallest we've had in a while, with six close peeps, but you know, the intimacy, the quiet corner and great atmosphere of the restaurant was really what we all needed that day, and so it was that it was good food for all.

The food was amazing.  There was the baked eggs served in a sizzling skillet, covered in  hollandaïse  sauce, and mushrooms,  The edges of the eggs were crispy, the inside soft not runny, and just a perfect mix of spices.

The Swedish meatballs were plenty and with a serving of Lingonberries, and chive-mashed potatoes. The bloody marys were absolutely delishouse, and I have to say, I was very happy with the choice.   The most surprising part of the meal?  I ate everything, all the sauce, all the eggs, the black bread, everything.  I felt really proud of me.  Gold Star!

Immediately after though, I felt a sudden surge of  food-coma approaching and went home for a good ten-hour sleep, ready and refreshed for the week, and another brunch on the way!

BRUNCH #15

PLACE:  Smorgas Chef

EATS: Two pan-fried eggs baked and served in a cast iron skillet.Classic Eggs and Salmon Benedict,
Canadian bacon, Carlsberg hollandaïse.  Delish bloodys with celery!
TRACKS : Mulatu Astatke - Yekermo Sew
OUTSTANDING QUOTES:  "I crush like a five year old."


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