I'm on an anti-diner kick. We had friends in town a couple of weeks ago, so we went out for brunch at Parkway Diner on High Ridge. The pancakes I got seemed like they had been fried in loads of oil. Rather than fluffy and cakey, they were heavy and thin, and their edges were visibly oil-soaked. I ate them, of course, because they were pancakes, and I was hungry. The diner was packed, so I assume it's a popular place. Was this just a one-time fluke of pancake horror?
Other local diners:--Springdale Diner: only been once.
--Curley's Diner: I'm scared of it. Is that crazy?
--Bull's Head Diner: enh.
--Lakeside Diner: a little better; tiny, but the food is good. See Chowhound reviews. Also, pics from a local blogger.
--City Limits Diner: a lot of people love it, but I just think it's OK. It's a diner. Like all diners, it specializes in large amounts of average food. That's nice sometimes, but not when you have better options.
I can recommend a few non-diners for brunch in the FC:
--Margot Cafe and Wine Bar. We haven't been there in a couple of months because my husband's disappointment when they are out of the quiche of the day is a pretty sad sight. Margot has a nice little brunch menu at what I think are excellent prices for the quality of food.--My husband loves Tavern on Main in Westport. (We lived in Norwalk for one terrible year, so ate in Norwalk and Westport a lot.) The food is just damn good and the atmosphere is cozy. They've got fireplaces!!! It's great for the cooler times of the year.
--River House Tavern in Westport. We went there last Sunday, and despite there being 3 bees near my table, ducks with Elvis haircuts (I'm so not joking) swimming outside, and the waiter messing up my husband's French toast order, the brunch was very good. My spinach-cheese omelet was 12 bucks; compare that to 8 or 9 bucks at a diner, and the nicer, quieter atmosphere might be worth it to you. (Minus the bees.) I’ll blog more about RT later, because the crowd was so stereotypically upscale FC that I almost could not focus on my food. Let’s just say, I saw an ascot. Plus, I've got to give you a look at those ducks. I took pictures.
--Thataway Cafe on Greenwich Ave is a nice place to go for Sunday brunch. The food is quite good, and you can shop afterwards.
--I know the Greenwich Hyatt has a $55 brunch, but I can’t justify paying that. That is whack. I think Bloody Marys are included, though. It did get voted best brunch in the FC, but is it worth 55 bucks? Actually, maybe it is, if you drink enough Bloody Marys.
--I hear on Chowhound that Saltwater Grille has a $25 brunch buffet. The menu looks OK, but it doesn’t start until 11:30. Note to self: try SWG sometime, even though I have had mixed experiences there.
I rarely go out for brunch. We just eat cereal and frozen waffles, but when we have friends in town, we go out. When I want to treat myself to a decadent breakfast, I drive over to Liz Sue bagels and get a bagel with a double side of veggie cream cheese. That’s what I did this morning. Now I'm craving pancakes after this blog post, but I'll just pop some Eggos in the toaster and drench them in syrup.
