Clinton St. Baking Co.

I've spent several years of my life trying to get to Clinton St. Baking for brunch. When I wasn't deterred by the thought of getting up at 8am on a weekend, I was put off by the 1.5 to 2 hour wait that is the hallmark of this brunch spot. It was also difficult to find someone who would cheerfully accompany me during said wait without passing out from hunger or throttling me for subjecting them to such torture in the name of gastronomic exploration. Finally, on a rainy summer Tuesday, free of school or work restrictions, I scouted a good-humored and recently unemployed friend to experience Clinton St. Baking with me.

Even on a rainy Tuesday morning, the line outside was inordinately long. (Who are these people who have time to leisurely brunch on a weekday?) However, due to the inclement weather, the wait was only about 30-45 minutes that day. We considered ourselves lucky.

Banana walnut pancakes with maple butter: If there is one thing Clinton St. Baking is known for, it's their pancakes. And rightfully so. One thing I have always hated about pancakes is their spongy uniform texture throughout. These cakes were almost imperceptibly crisp on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. The cakes even managed to retain their outer crispness for some time after the maple butter had been drizzled on top. Real bananas had been mashed and incorporated into the batter, rather than sliced and thrown on top as an afterthought, infusing the cake with a wonderful banana flavor. The maple butter, with its almost caramel-like smoky sweetness, tied it all together.

Truffle fried egg with asparagus - sunny side up eggs, roasted artichokes, bacon lardons, truffle vinaigrette: This dish can only be described as lackluster. It suffered from a general lack of flavor, clearly relying on the truffle vinaigrette to carry it to stardom. The bacon lardons provided a welcome dose of saltiness; however, they were so few and far between that it had little impact on the taste of the dish.

Southern breakfast - two eggs, fried green tomatoes, cheese grits, sugar cured bacon: This also failed to impress. The breading on the tomatoes lacked the zestiness that makes fried green tomatoes a pleasure to eat. The cheese grits came nowhere close to the grits that I measure all other grits against - the ones served at Brenda's Soul Food in San Francisco. And the sugar cured bacon? Yes, that was good, but it was almost a culinary cheat - how could sugar on bacon not be good?

Overall, the brunch at Clinton St. Baking did not motivate me to return and waste another two hours of my life waiting in the rain. The pancakes are certainly worth trying; however, I would recommend coming in for a afternoon snack or dinner and ordering them then - they are available all day.

Clinton St. Baking Company

4 Clinton St. Clinton St

(between Avenue B & Houston St)
New York, NY 10002

(646) 602-6263

Brunch reservations not accepted, dinner reservations accepted for parties of 6 or more.

Best dishes: Pancakes, buttermilk biscuits (supposedly)