May in New York City should be sunny, crisp, and delightful. Instead, we woke up to a gray, cold, rain-soaked Manhattan, while still kind of in a meat coma. Fortunately, our friends had picked the perfect, indoor brunch spot. We made our way, via subway, to the Time Warner building and Landmarc restaurant.
LANDMARC
Landmarc is a large restaurant and is family-friendly. The host didn’t bat an eye when the two-and-a-half-year-old with us went to pick out a table. Eventually, he relented and sat at the intended spot, enjoyed some apple juice and his toy truck. The rest of us started with cheddar cheese fritters. Warm, crispy, cheesy balls of gooey deliciousness, fresh from the fryer, served with a tangy mustard sauce. But nothing is better on a cold, rainy day than soup, and the piping hot crock of French Onion soup hit the spot.
Navigating the entree section of a brunch menu has become a challenge since the discovery that I can’t eat eggs without my body violently rebelling. Fortunately for me, they had plenty of options. I chose a burger topped with blue cheese and served with perfectly crispy fries. FKGuy enjoyed poached eggs with fresh vegetables, chicken sausage, and farro. Between bites, he could not stop raving about it.
We enjoyed our meal, and more importantly, the company of friends we don’t see nearly enough, and we were never rushed to turn over the table. We sat and watched the toddler dump water into the bed of his truck and slurp it out over and over again. (I’m pretty sure he only did it because each time it elicited fits of giggles from me.) By the time we left, the restaurant was packed and the entrance had become a stroller parking lot.
Bottom line: If you are looking for a kid-friendly place in Manhattan, without sacrificing quality, check out Landmarc in the Time Warner building.
Full and warm, we headed back out into the cold rain and made our way uptown. Enjoying a leisurely afternoon chatting with great friends, with no other obligations, is a gift. Later in the day, our friends’ friends that live upstairs, came down for socializing and snacks. Well, our dinner reservation wasn’t until 9:15 PM, so there was certainly room for a bit of afternoon grazing.
I made myself useful assembling a cheese plate, while FKGuy played basement soccer/hockey with an eager twelve-year-old. So, basically, we just each played to our strengths as house guests.
CRAVE FISH BAR
A couple of hours later, after cheese, wine, fruits, salads, and a whole lot of good conversation, we ventured out to Crave Fish Bar on the Upper West Side. The mission at Crave is locally caught and sustainable seafood. I enjoyed a gem lettuce salad and appetizer portion of prawns Fra Diavolo, in a slightly sweet, yet spicy tomato sauce. Others in our group enjoyed the salmon sashimi salad, miso barramundi, and paprika roasted salmon. The barramundi got sent back for being undercooked, but once done properly, it was perfect. The rest of the food was delicious, too. I’d plan a return visit any day.
All this eating still leaves us with one fancy Mother’s Day brunch, a fantastic hidden gem dinner, and a pizza lunch. More on those next week.
