I like brunch.

Dumont

This review was from a reader suggestion. If you have a place you’d like me to review, please ask and I’ll be happy to do so. :)

Restaurant Information:

432 Union Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11211-3420
Get Directions

(718) 486-7717

dumontrestaurant.com

Service 14/20 or 70%

  • Hostess(4/5 points)

    The hostess was quite helpful and friendly. She asked me everything she needed to know before inviting me to the bar in the garden. What stopped her from getting a perfect score wasn’t entirely her fault. The garden bar is outside of the restaurant and can’t really be seen. She didn’t check up on me to see if I was ready when my friend did arrive, had she, she would have gotten a perfect score. I instead had to send two waiters to get her attention, which really shouldn’t happen.

  • Promptness(4/5 points)

    We were given the menus as we were seated and our waitress came over soon after to ask what we wanted to eat and drink. After we had ordered, we were presented a small serving of donut holes and before I knew it our food was there. I will say this, the waitress was a bit too prompt when asking for our order.

  • Alertness(3/5 points)

    When it came to handling our meal and our dishes, they were completely on top of their game. However, our drinks were another story entirely. My water glass definitely sat empty a few times and it wasn’t until both our drinks were empty that we were asked for refreshers. I think this only proves my earlier arguments about the water bottle problem: it allows the waiters to be a bit lazier than they should.

  • Friendliness(3/5 points)

    Everyone was about as friendly as you would expect.


Food and Drink 13/20 or 65%

  • Price(4/5 points)

    The main dishes were fairly priced and you got an excellent deal for what you were paying. The side dishes tend to lean on the pricier side, so avoid them if you’re thinking about it. I ordered the cheese grits on the side, which cost five dollars and definitely not worth it.

  • Quality of Food(4/5 points)

    The food here is quite good. My chorizo omelet was prepared so the eggs were perfectly fluffy and blanketed the filling with out too much left on the edges. The filling though leaned too heavily on the pepperoncini which overpowered the other elements. The cheddar cheese grits I ordered on the side were well seasoned, but extremely dry and overdecorated. The home fries in my meal where crisp and not spicy at all; they played well with the other vegetables but favored onions too much. Honestly, the salad was just completely out of place. My friend ordered the huevos rancheros which looked fantastic.

  • Quality of Beverage(2/5 points)

    I want to give them a higher score on this, but I really just couldn’t. The coffee was too acidic and a bit watery. The water was served in medium sized glasses but with the water bottle left on the table. My beer was good, but the bartender couldn’t tell me anything about it, which there is just no excuse for at all when you consider there were only three beers on tap.

  • Presentation(3/5 points)

    The grits were presented in a bowl far too big for the portion that was given. The omelet looked delicious and was. The salad was served on top of the home fries, an unacceptable mistake that made me think the home fries had been forgotten initially.

Decor and Space 17/20 or 85%

  • Cleanliness(3/5 points)

    Everything was about as clean as you would expect.

  • Theme(4/5 points)

    This place really has two theme, one for each side. Inside, it’s a very well done restaurant with a classic American feel. Outside, it’s an airy patio restaurant. I found myself forgetting I was in the middle of Williamsburg as our meal progressed.

  • Adequate Seating(5/5 points)*

    This place has nothing but space and really handles it well. I don’t think they could fit one more table in here comfortably.

  • Location(5/5 points)

    It’s literally on the same block as the Lorimer L stop and a short walk from the subway exit. I don’t think any restaurant will ever have a better location.


Bonus(5 points)

Two points for outdoor seating.

Total Score 44/60 with bonus 46/60 or 76.67%

*The caveat here is that if the outside seating were not available, i.e. the winter months, this place wouldn’t be able to handle people half as well.

Fanellie’s

Restaurant Information:

94 Prince Street  

New York, NY 10012-3219 
Get Directions  

(212) 226-9412


Service 13/15 or 86.67%

  • Hostess(N/A)

    There was one but really we blew right past her as we were seated, so I can’t really give her a grade. I would imagine they are quite good here though.

  • Promptness(4/5 points)

    I stood by the bar while I waited for my friend to join me. After only a minute or two, I was asked if I wanted a table or a drink. When my friend arrived we were immediately seated in the back room. Our orders were taken shortly there after and the food arrived before I even had time to think about it. Our plates were cleared shortly after we finished and the bill came right then.

  • Alertness(4/5 points)

    Our waitress was on point. My cup of coffee was never empty, nor was my water. If I have to stop you from refilling my beverage, it means you’re doing your job correctly.

  • Friendliness(5/5 points)

The people that work here are amazing. I was thanked by the bartender, waitress, and hostess as I left. What made this a five though was a waitress quickly diffused a pair of children having a temper tantrum at the table next to me to which the parents had given up hope. Your dining experience can be ruined by the people around you; they know that here and it shows.


Food and Drink 13/20 or 65%

  • Price(3/5 points)

    The pricing here is average, but the portions are large. Also, this is more of a lunch and dinner place with a few brunch items, so I think they priced it according to that. I really would like if they had a brunch menu, but I think that would both attract the wrong kind of crowd and go against their essence, old bar in a great location with zero pretension.

  • Quality of Food(4/5 points)

    The French toast is not only the best I’ve had, but was so bountiful that I couldn’t finish it. My friend had a buffalo burger which I didn’t know you could get in NYC. I tried her French fries and was quite impressed. The home fries were good but by no means anything special.

  • Quality of Beverage(3/5 points)

    The coffee was so so. Their selection of beer is impressive and this really is a place I’d love to become a regular of the bar. I have a very good feeling that the keeps know how to pour a great drink.

  • Presentation(3/5 points)

    There really wasn’t anything special about presentation. The French toast was presented on a plate of its own, which it deserved and I liked. The sides all had their own dishes which made them more manageable. The fries were served with the burger as normal.

Decor and Space 17/20 or 85%

  • Cleanliness(3/5 points)

    This place was about as clean as you would expect. I’m sure it could use a little dusting, but the dishes, etc. all were clean as could be. On second thought, the dust is where it should be. Cleaning the place might take away from the ambiance.

  • Theme(5/5 points)

Established in 1890 with the liquor licenses posted on the walls to prove it. The pictures on the walls are mostly black and white, only adding to the old New York feel. The ceilings are black tile which brings the lighting down a bit. This place just oozes welcome.  

  • Adequate Seating(4/5 points)

They spaced this perfectly.  Also, there is a back room with even more seating and larger tables if you have more than four people.  The downside here is that my chair was actually a folding chair and didn’t feel right height-wise.

  • Location(5/5 points)

You couldn’t get a better location if you tried.  It’s dead in the middle of SoHo and only a block from the train station.  Enjoy watching people out the window as they shop and you wait for your table or sit at the bar. I must have passed the place a hundred times and never noticed it.


Bonus(5 points)

One point for easily being the oldest place I’ve visited.

One point for the bravado to post your liquor licenses from 1890 to present on the wall. It’s the kind of bad ass statement that says “I’ve been here, I’m going to be here, don’t even try to change me; I’m the real thing.”

Overall 43/55 with bonus 45/55 or 81.81%

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