New York: Yerba Buena

The hospitable, enjoyable boozy brunch has largely left the island of Manhattan. Brunch in Manhattan these days involves fighting crowds of self-important yuppies, battling snotty hosts tripping on an overinflated sense of power, and waiting in line for at least an hour for mediocre plates dished up by a rookie line cook who would probably rather be at home nursing his hangover of death instead of cobbling together that week’s leftovers and calling it brunch. Sure, the drinks (which are usually pre-mixed and rather weak) are often abundant, maybe even unlimited, but if they weren’t, then you might actually taste what you were eating, and the whole moneymaking racket would go down the tubes. The cattle-herding nature of what is now a Manhattan brunch does absolutely nothing for my hangover, and well, sometimes a girl is just in no condition to make it out to Brooklyn, where all the high-quality, properly-mixed-stiff-drink brunch places now hold court.

Yerba Buena is not exempt from all of the aforementioned transgressions, but at least the drinks are nice and strong, the food demonstrates some care, and the staff actually smiles at you. The margaritas are individually mixed by hand, and the wait isn’t atrociously long, despite the restaurant’s miniscule dimensions. We were quoted a thirty-minute wait one Saturday morning, and were actually seated in about fifteen, with a graciousness that is rarely seen at other Manhattan brunch standbys.

Tacos de Pescado: crispy tilapia Baja style, jicama cabbage chipotle slaw, rice and beans

The offerings at Yerba Buena are decidedly Pan-Latino, and this may be why the food avoids the slapdash disposition of its peers. You can’t just throw hollandaise sauce on it and call it a day. Though the menu is a bit scattered, taking detours through Mexico and Venezuela, with a stint in Peru, Yerba Buena manages to put out some respectable renditions of Latin-American classics, and even makes an effort to incorporate authentic ingredients native to the countries it pays homage to. The fish in an entrée of fish tacos is skillfully fried, the now-rampant chipotle mayo texturized by strands of crunchy jicama. The tacos aren’t mindblowing, but they are definitely tasty, although corn tortillas would have been preferable to the flour ones used, the softness of which lend a certain one-dimensionality to the dish. A side of rice and beans is not particularly noteworthy, the rice tasting suspiciously like Rice-a-Roni.

Tres arepas: Chicken tingas with fried egg, BBQ short rib and pork belly

A trio of arepas is an exercise in adorableness, each arepa the size of a small Whoopie pie. The chicken and short rib are the best, the smoky sweetness of the chicken softened by curds of egg, and the beef pliant and faintly spicy. The arepas themselves have a nice texture, the cornmeal carefully toeing the line between crisp and tender. The only dud of the three was the flavorful but excessively chewy pork belly.

Ceviche limeno: hamachi ceviche, pink grapefruit, maiz cancha

An appetizer of ceviche features fat chunks of decently fresh hamachi, simply accented with lime and wedges of grapefruit. However, I was perplexed by the niblets of toasted tumorous corn sprinkled throughout. These might make for a novel bar snack, but they contribute next to nothing to the dish, and their tooth-breaking brittleness is jarring juxtaposed against the fish and citrus.

Churros con chocolate: Mexican hot chocolate, cinnamon dusted churros

End the meal with a plate of tiny churros, which impressed me with their light-as-air crunch and well-balanced cinnamon flavor. The accompanying dipping chocolate, however, is disappointing. Its thin, Swiss Miss hot cocoa-like consistency seems to sink into the churros, rather than clinging to the expertly-fried dough in silky skeins of thick, rich chocolate.

Do you go to Yerba Buena to sample the apex of Latin American cuisine? No. But if an appropriately trendy, fairly tasty and minimally irritating brunch is on your agenda, Yerba Buena will not only welcome you with open arms, but bid you goodbye after it’s all said and done with an indulgent smile and a warm handshake.

Yerba Buena

23 Avenue A # A

New York, NY 10009

Phone: (212) 529-2919

Best dishes: Churros, ceviche, arepas

Hours: Weekdays, 5pm-12am; Weekends 11:30am-4pm, 5pm-12am

Panade

Tucked along a quiet stretch of sidewalk on Eldridge Street sits Panade, an unassuming, miniscule shop that focuses on one thing: pate a choux, the airy, impossibly light French pastry dough that makes cream puffs, eclairs, gougeres and ladyfingers possible. With its open storefront, lack of signage and a mess of kitchen equipment visible from the street, Panade would be easy to miss if it weren't for one dead giveaway - the intoxicating scent of choux pastry, rising by way of its own steam, wafting out onto the street, cloaking the air with a buttery sweet smell.

Panade seems to be owned and operated by a sole proprietor, Yvette Ho, who singlehandedly bakes all the pastries, serves customers and makes cream puffs to order. As I sat on the one of two wooden stools available on a lazy Saturday morning, I watched neighborhood regulars stroll in, order coffee, snag a puff or two and chat with Ms. Ho before being on their way. It's that kind of place.

Herb savory puff: Panade offers savory puffs in a variety of flavors, including plain, cheese, ham & cheese and rosemary.

Black Forest ham and Brie puff sandwich on plain puff pastry with cucumber and honey mustard: This sandwich is one of the best offerings at Panade. The airy egginess of the pate a choux elevates what would normally be a heavy lunch into a delicate lady's sandwich. The paper thin slices of black forest ham and crisp cucumbers mirror the diaphanous nature of the pastry, while the perfectly ripe hunks of Brie confer an understated richness to the whole affair. I liked Panade's honey mustard as well; rather than the usual sweet concoction, it retains the bitterness of the mustard seed, rounding out the spectrum of flavors.

Vanilla cream puff with fresh blackberries: After two plates of food, I sheepishly ordered a cream puff for dessert. (Apparently, hipsters don't eat very much). I recommend inquiring what types of fresh fruit they have available that day and ordering your cream puff accordingly. On that hot July day, peaches and blackberries were on the menu, so I decided to go for a classic berries-and-cream puff. Ms. Ho pipes cream filling into each puff as it is ordered, making it completely customizable and preventing the soggy, dairy logged interior of other cream puffs. The blackberries' burst of tart juicyness mingled with the prevalent vanilla flavor of the cream, putting a refreshing textural spin on the decadent filling. The only thing I found wanting was the scarcity of fruit compared to the abundance of cream. More berries, I say!

You will walk away from Panade satisfied but not overwhelmingly full, happy without a trace of guilt. More than anything, you will leave Panade struck by the exquisiteness of Ms. Ho's fare and the studied craftsmanship of each pastry and sandwich, with the feeling that you have been privy to something both very simple and very exceptional.

Panade

129 Eldridge St.

(between Broome and Delancey)

New York, NY 10002

Best dishes: Sandwiches, cream puffs

Hours: Tues-Fri, 8AM to 7PM; Sat-Sun, 9AM-7PM; closed on Mondays. Minimal seating.

Il Laboratorio del Gelato

The only thing little about this gelato shop on the Lowest East Side is its size. Il Laboratorio del Gelato garners long lines (particularly on a hot summer day) and delivers even bigger flavors. Situated across the street from the Tenement Museum, ILDG specializes in gelato and sorbet, in both traditional and avante garde flavors, made in small batches to maintain the artisanal quality of its product. Although ILDG has concocted approximately 200 flavors since it opened in 2002, only about ten or so are available each day. The daily flavors change regularly.

Earl grey tea gelato and lime sorbet: ILDG's gelato is intensely flavored and perfectly creamy. Nothing mars its milky consistency. The earl grey gelato captured the subtle flavor of a cup of properly steeped tea and amplified it several times over. Why can't afternoon tea just be a cup of earl grey tea gelato and scones? The lime sorbet was icy cold and refreshing. It is not as smooth as some other sorbets but it somehow seems right - the slightly chunkier texture seemed to suit the in-your-face tartness and brightness of the lime. Accenting the piquancy of the sorbet was the faintly sweet aftertaste that crept up upon me as each spoonful melted away. Tiny shavings of lime peel are peppered throughout. I had been worried that the two flavors together in the same cup would be unpalatable but they were surprisingly complementary. The tart-y sweetness of the lime seemed to pick up right where the astringent, tannic tea flavor had left off.

I sampled two other sorbets before ordering, including yellow watermelon and honeydew melon. Both showcased the flavors of the fruit extremely well, although I found each just a tad too sweet for my liking.

ILDG is for the gelato and sorbet purist. No cute decorations, no mix-ins - just small, modest tubs of gelato and sorbet that are unadulterated expressions of their namesake flavors. ILDG's willingness to experiment with unusual combinations and the superb quality of its ingredients make it one of my top picks for gelato in New York.

Il Laboratorio del Gelato

95 Orchard Street

New York, NY 10002

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)