Early to Bed, Early to Rise

The weather this morning was of a quintessentially perfect spring day.  After plans to see a visiting friend were ruined by the monsoon which hit NYC last night, we decided to do brunch this morning.  The catch: she was heading out of the city this afternoon, so it had to be early.  Luckily the rain prevented any of us from going out last night, so waking up was not a problem...but brunch at 10am?  I wondered if they even served brunch at 10.  No one goes to Sunday brunch until noon at the earliest.  But then I realized there are benefits to starting your day that early-- such as being able to get into any restaurant you want.

This opened up more options than I knew what to do with, since there is usually at least an hour wait for all the "good" places.  I decided we should go to Friend of a Farmer on Irving Place.  The restaurant has a very kitschy yet rustic feel, with a huge stone fireplace and heavy floral wallpaper not unlike an old grandmother's house.  There are baskets of fresh produce which line the stairs, and you are immediately welcomed by a sign which reads "BE NICE".  How cute is that?

Photo courtesy of nycsunflower

We were early enough that we grabbed a table outside in the sun.  Each of us ordered a different egg dish-- I went with the Healthy Farmer's Omelette-- an egg white omelette filled with fresh spinach and feta cheese, served in a small cast-iron skillet.  It was supposed to include tomatoes as well, which they unfortunately forgot.  It was good nonetheless, and came with a heaping side of their homefries-- cute into tiny cubes so they are wonderfully crispy.  The dish was a little heavy for my taste, but I always feel that way when I order eggs in a restaurant.  I should remember that for next time...  Every other dish which came out looked equally as delicious-- from the pancakes bursting with blueberries to the creamy yogurt topped with fresh fruit and granola-- it is definitely a place I would like to come back to and try something new.

photo courtesy of Forget me Not

Oh, and about heading to brunch early?  I think we're onto something here.  There was about a two hour wait once we left.

Friend of a Farmer

77 Irving Place (between 18th and 19th)

212-477-2188

www.friendofafarmerny.com