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.

Joe Doe

Restaurant Information:

45 East 1st Street New York, NY 10003-9320
Get Directions

(212) 780-0262

chefjoedoe.com

Map:
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Service 11/15 or 73.33%

  • Hostess(N/A)
There isn’t one and there wouldn’t be room for one.
  • Promptness(4/5 points)
After arriving, we were seated immediately and handed menus.  We were then asked what we would like to drink and when our waiter returned with our drinks a few moments later, our orders were taken.  Before I knew it, our food was served.  This would have gotten a five, but I had to ask for a refill on my coffee and water twice.
  • Alertness(3/5 points)
I would say the alertness was about what I expect.  I think my waiter was a little out of sorts that day or was just having a bit of trouble with the table next to us that wanted to split the bill in some ungodly manner.
  • Friendliness(4/5 points)
I’ve been to this place twice now and the first time I would say it scored a five and the second time a three.  The owner/chef was beyond kind when we talked to him.  This score is really a four leaning hard to a five.


Food and Drink 19/20 or 95%

  • Price(4/5 points)
I think the prices are really fair here and you get some great food for what you pay for when you dine here.  The downside is that this is clearly a place that is run by a chef that has to charge you slightly more than you would at some other place that’s very corporate and doesn’t care half as much about their ingredients.
  • Quality of Food(5/5 points)
You are not going to find better quality of food anywhere.  More creative, possibly, larger portions, maybe, but not higher quality.  Every meal is served with fresh biscuits and butter.  I had an egg chorizo scramble with avocado and various vegetables.  The menu has a few standard dishes, but for the most part it changes regularly as the chef sees fit.  Also, there will be meats and cheese of the day on special.  I’d also offer the caveat that if you don’t know what something is, ask.  There are some applications of meats that you wouldn’t normally eat or be offered for brunch, but it’s good to know what you’re getting into before you start the adventure.
  • Quality of Beverage(5/5 points)
I had to cut myself off after the third cup of coffee—it’s that good.  Water was served as it should be and the glasses were neither too big, nor too small.  They also have a selection of microbrew beers on tap that just make me drool looking at the list.  I haven’t sampled any of the alcoholic beverages, but I’m sure they don’t disappoint.
  • Presentation(5/5 points)
I think I saw at least three different types of plates for different dishes.  When my order came, I looked at it and thought to myself, “this is how every meal should be served.”  We taste with our eyes first, then our nose, then our mouth;  I was half way through the meal before the plate even was placed on the table.

Decor and Space  15/20 or 75%

  • Cleanliness(5/5 points)
This place is spotless.  I’d be amazed if I found a dust bunny anywhere.
  • Theme(5/5 points)
This might be my new brunch location.  The interior is almost all wood.  What isn’t wood, is used for cooking or making drinks, or there for decorative purposes to make you feel more at home.  If I could put a bed in the corner and my clothes in a closet, I would live at this place.
  • Adequate Seating(2/5 points)
It’s just such a small space.  The place is wonderful when it isn’t packed, but when it’s packed, everyone is in everyone’s way.  I do think they did a great job with the lay out of the seats though.  The space becomes more of an issue in the winter when people take off and put on their coats.
  • Location(3/5 points)
The score would have been higher, as it’s a short walk from the 2nd Avenue subway stop, but on your way to this gem, you pass Prune and several other places where all kinds of brunch chaos is waiting outside.  Let them be foolish and tarry on to your destination.

Bonus(3/5 points)

One point for using specialty foods of local farms.

One point for using ambitious ingredients.

One point for a menu that changes regularly.

Total score 45/55, with bonus 48/55 or 87.27%

Shopsins

Restaurant Information:

120 Essex Street New York, NY 10002
Get Directions

(212) 924-5160

shopsins.com

Map:


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Service 11/15 or 73%, alternatively 8/15 or 53.33%

  • Hostess(N/A)

There was no hostess

  • Promptness(4/5)
Once we were seated, we were immediately given menus and asked if we wanted anything to drink.  This place is all about going fast, fast, fast.  They don’t waste time doing anything.
  • Alertness(3/5)
I think the service was exactly what I expected.  Because of their promptness, they suffer a little in the alertness.  I think with what they have they manage very well.
  • Friendliness(1/5 or 4/5 points)*
I’ve given them two different scores here and let me explain why.  If you’re from New York and you’re used to hearing people say “fuck you” to each other while they work and enjoy a good spat, this place is great.  If you’re the kind of person that would be offended by this, you’ll likely leave horrified.  Also, you should know that they will kick you out of their restaurant and they dictate when the last person gets served.  This is their restaurant and you get to eat there.


Food and Drink 16/20 or 75%

  • Price(4/5 points)
You get a ton of food for a very solid price.  After looking at the menu you might think the prices are high, but when you see the portions you’ll understand that they are more than justified.
  • Quality of Food(5/5)
The food here melts in your mouth.  On top of that, they are highly creative with their food creations.  I had never heard of macaroni and cheese pancake before visiting this place, now I want to order it everywhere. S’mores pancake? Yeah, they have that too.  I just can’t explain how many different short order combinations the owner put on the menu.
  • Quality of Beverage(3/5 points)
I’d say the coffee is the definite weak point of the experience.  I would easily pay more money for them to buy better coffee and I think it would launch them as close to brunch food perfection as they could get.
  • Presentation(4/5 points)
They vary their presentation but everything comes out on adequate plates, or in some cases pans.  It really is hard to enjoy the presentation when all you really want to do is eat everything.

Decor and Space 16/20 or 75%

  • Cleanliness(3/5 points)
The restaurant is as clean as I would expect.  They make sure to wipe down each table before another customer sits, which definitely helps because some of the dishes get messy.
  • Theme(5/5 points)
It’s family owned, short order dining at it’s finest.  You feel like you’re eating in the pantry and the Mets gear lets you know you are definitely in New York.
  • Adequate Seating(2/5 points)
There just needs to be more seating for this place.  There is always a line to sit and they could likely fill a place twice their size.
  • Location(4/5 points)
It’s literally right next to the subway stop.  The only thing that stopped this from getting a perfect score was the fact that it’s inside the Essex Market and if you don’t know it’s at the south side then you’re going to spend some time finding it.  It’s also right by the Williamsburg bridge if you want to take a nice walk back to Brooklyn.


Bonus(3/5 points)

One point for creativity in naming the dishes.

One point for conflict resolution skills between feuding siblings.

One point for sticking to his guns and being the guy he always is.

Total score 43/55, with bonus 46/55 or 83%

Back Forty

Restaurant Information:

190 Avenue BNew York, NY 10009-3600 (212) 388-1990
Get Directions

backfortynyc.com

Map:
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Service (15/20) or 75%

  • Hostess(5/5 points)
I don’t think I’ve ever been so impressed by a hostess.  My friend had arrived shortly before I had, but the instant I got there the hostess came up to us and then asked us if we’d like to sit at a table or stay at the bar.  We were then instantly seated at a table near the window.
  • Promptness(3/5 points)
We were served in an adequate time frame.  Our main dishes came out just as our starters were being finished, but maybe a little early by a few minutes.  I hurried a little through the last half of my donut, because of this, but soon those dishes were removed.
  • Alertness(4/5 points)
There was a very alert and attentive wait staff.  At one point the hostess actually started checking on people and their coffee then went back to her normal duties when needed.  I don’t think my coffee ever got below halfway empty before it was refilled again.
  • Friendliness(3/5 points)
I couldn’t really get a feel for the friendliness of the waiter, he was just kind of there then disappeared.  He did seem a little hesitant to tell me what the jam was though, when I asked him.  The hostess was super nice and I kind of wish she’d been our server.


Food and Drink (12/20) or 60%

  • Price(2/5 points)
I felt like it was a little more expensive than it should have been, but not by much.  The three dollar cup of coffee was what sealed this as being a two instead of a three.
  • Quality of Food(3/5 points)
I wanted this to be better, I really did.  When the biscuits came, they were tasty but complemented with butter that tasted off and a rubarb jelly that was almost flavorless.  When the donuts came, they didn’t have the volume or sweetness that I would have wanted, a little brown sugar and flour could solve that easily though.  Also, I wish the raspberry sauce had been served on the side as a dip instead of drizzled all over the donuts.  I did love the hint of cinnamon flavor in them though and overall they were pretty good.  I ordered the “Eggs Southern Style” which were good, but the gravy needed a little black pepper added for spice.  They looked far better than they ended up tasting, which was disappointing.  My friend ordered the shrimp and grits with side salad, which she was hesitant to do.  I think she inhaled the shrimp and grits but lazily picked at the side salad.
  • Quality of Beverage(3/5 points)
I only had water and coffee here.  The coffee was good, but not impressive.  They served us water in a bottle and then let us serve ourselves, which I have an issue with always.  This almost was a two, but the creative coffee mugs made it a three.  The wine and beer list was notable and unexpected, though I didn’t care to use it.
  • Presentation(4/5 points)
Everything looked so good when it arrived at the table.  I could hardly wait to take a bite.  The problem with this was when I actually did take a bite.

Decor and Space (15/20) or 75%

  • Cleanliness(4/5 points)
I was quite impressed with how clean the dishes were.  The restaurant itself also looked quite clean.  I doubt you could find a dust bunny in this place if you tried.
  • Theme(2/5 points)
The entire time I was here I felt like there should be a plaque somewhere that said “Western Wall Theme by Ralph Lauren, available at Macy’s and other fine department stores.”  Also, there was a hook for a picture to be hung on the wall exposed.  To add to the confusion, they were blaring alt-rock from the 90s, which I love but it made discussion difficult.
  • Adequate Seating(5/5 points)
Very spacious seating arrangement with plenty of room for the servers to come and go as they pleased.  I think this actually helped the service ratings a bit.
  • Location(4/5 points)
It’s located in the East Village and a short walk from the 1st Avenue L train.  I think I gave this higher marks simply because it’s quiet enough and nice enough in the neighborhood that you don’t mind the walk.

Bonus(3/5 points)

One point for having home made donuts.  One point for having home made biscuits. One point for having perfect consistency in the grits.

Overall score: 42/60, with bonus 45/60, or 75%

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Themed by: Hunson