Monday, March 7, 2011

Gracie's Cafe, New York, New York

In case by reading this blog you hadn't guessed- I love Boston.  I really love it.  I love its size, its history, its culture, its quaintness.  I love Boston.  While I understand that they are not mutually exclusive, I have always disliked New York City.  I find it unmanageable, overwhelming and just huge.  I feel forever lost there.  This has never boded well for me, as my family originates from that area, my sister lives close to the city now, and a very good friend of mine moved to NYC as well.  So I have had to suck it up to visit-though I can't say I've done it often enough.  This past weekend it was my pal's 30th birthday, and for that reason, I took a deep breath, boarded the Bolt Bus, and embarked on my journey to the Big Apple.

First off, the Bolt Bus was fantastic.  Clean, timely, cheap, free wifi, and friendly staff made it a ridiculously easy way to get to NYC. Future return trips do not feel as daunting now. 

Second- I enjoyed my time in New York very much.  I had gone into the city a couple of years ago when I was visiting my sister and she had done a good job of walking me around and getting me acquainted with the less crazy parts of the city, this time around my friend brought me to the same areas, and I actually felt a level of familiarity.  I was still completely lost, but for some reason it felt much more understandable this time.  Thank you ladies for making it better.

Of course, for all of our walking around, shopping and exploring, we needed a good breakfast to help sustain us on Saturday morning.  My friend Jenn knew just the place.  She brought us, her Boston visitors, to a small, unconventional diner located on the Upper East Side called Gracie's Cafe. While the restaurant itself may have been physically small, their breakfast specials were far from limited in portion size.  The serve a normal breakfast, and then they also serve breakfast "specials" huge platters of food, with juice, coffee, and either a mimosa or a smoothie all for $15.00.  Jenn promised that these were delicious and so I picked out Eggs Mykonis- which were sunny side up eggs served over sauteed spinach and tomatoes mixed with feta cheese, served with hash browns, and an English muffin. With it I elected to have their Energizer Smoothie, which was a delicious mixture of berries, juice and yogurt.  

This was an incredibly filling breakfast, and a tasty one at that.  Sure, one of the eggs was a little over cooked and the yolk wasn't very runny at all, but when the perfect bite was created- a little egg, a little spinach, a little sweet tomato, and a bit of salty feta cheese- well it was definitely a perfect bite.  The flavors combined into a delicious harmony.  The home fries were not anything to speak of, but with the rest of the meal, it didn't really matter.  That smoothie though was over the top.  Creamy and sweet, filling and refreshing, I felt energized as I sipped it, and I carried that feeling all day long.

The best part about this meal- it kept off hunger pangs until our (late) dinner time. I was fueled up and ready to take on a tough day of manicures, shopping and some delightful roof deck drinks-obviously a very tough day!

I would absolutely return to Gracie's Cafe on a future trip to New York- it fit the bill for a fast and efficient breakfast!

Gracie's Cafe on Urbanspoon

5 comments:

jennz said...

ahhhh I love it! Gracie's would be thrilled to know they made it into your food blog :)

In and Around Town said...

Totally feel the same way about NYC! Bolt bus does make it easier, but still it is a very overwhelming place, unless you have good friends to direct your every move:)

Kristen said...

I agree it is overwhelming. not to mention the 4am bedtimes. but I've always had a love for NYC. just need to visit more often!

Emily @ A Cambridge Story said...

I feel exhausted planning and returning from trips to NYC. but there is something magical about the hustle and bustle -- and they have awesome bottomless mimosa brunches. I'm glad you had a great time there this time around!

Jen said...

We're going to NYC this wkd. I'll have to check out the Bolt as opposed to driving...

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