The web master apologizes for the week late post, but here it is! Last week, the WBC split up to various establishments for breakfast. Here’s the web masters attempt to put it all down in a readable format.
The WBC was split this weekend, as some members remained in Westchester while others headed to the Back Bay area of Boston for Mena and Chris’ wedding. (Congrats guys!)
We still need breakfast and Boston’s as good a place as any to get some (food, that is). So, on Saturday Pat and I headed over to Newbury Street, two blocks away from the Back Bay Hilton where we all were staying, to an establishment called Cafeteria. I had made reservations for us for 10:30. It was an uncharacteristically beaufiul day for the middle of August, crisp blue sky, refreshing air. A perfect day for outdoor dining. Fortunately, when we arrived there were plenty of outdoor tables available and we happily chose one in the shade (us pale folks have to be cautious, you know), and at the host’s suggestion, sat facing the street so we could people watch. Newbury Street is beautiful. It had a mix of chain stores and independent shops, including a used bookstore that we stopped into after eating. The buildings had an old charm to them, similar to what you may find in parts of the Village or areas of the Upper West Side in Manhattan, but Newbury was less hectic. It was peaceful. I was struck with a desire to move to Boston.
After ordering a glass of cranberry juice, I studied the menu, which had two full columns of lunch foods (salads, sandwiches, burgers), and one column of breakfast food. Although there were a variety of intriguing options, such as French Toast with whipped maple cream, truffled eggs, and breakfast pizza, I felt like sticking to a basic: two scrambled eggs with sausage and toast. I don’t usually eat sausage, but this was a vacation, it was time to really let loose! I think I was assuming that Pat would pick one of the intriguing options; had I realized that he too was going to pick two eggs, I may have tried another dish. Oh well, I got my mouth set for the eggs and there was no turning back.
I asked for wheat toast with my meal, but after leaving with our orders the waitress returned and informed me that there was only one kind of toast available, and that was Sourdough. That was ok. Since the menu didn’t say anything about bread choices or lack thereof, and since I didn’t ask our waitress, it was unclear to me whether it was just this particular morning that there was only Sourdough toast available, or whether there’s always only Sourdough toast available. Whatever. Sourdough is good enough, and I was in mellowed out vacation mode.
I honestly don’t remember how long it took for our food to come out. It could have been a short time, could have been longer. I was just enjoying sitting outside and taking in the surroundings (and planning what to do after breakfast) that I didn’t notice the wait time for our meals.
The presentation was good, with our meals served on basic white dishes. The eggs were fluffy and the portion generous; I suspect it was two large scrambled eggs rather than two regular-sized eggs. And there were four pieces of sausage! Ok, ok, I realize it was really just two pieces that had been sliced lengthwise, but visually it was still exciting to see four units of breakfast meat. There were only two pieces of toast instead of the standard four. I had to specifically ask for butter, which our waitress brought out promptly.
The eggs were well seasoned with a bit of pepper and the sausage was nicely spiced. The eggs were well cooked, not runny but still soft. The sausage was a bit on the greasy side, but not so much as to be objectionable. The sausage was also well-cooked, not incinerated or browned too much. The casing had a pleasant crunch on the outside and the sausages were soft inside. The crunchiness of the toast provided a nice texture complement to the softness of the eggs.
The prices were reasonable. My meal was $8.00, and factoring in beverages, the bill came to around $24 total. Our waitress was satisfactory, if not memorable. The atmosphere was beautiful. We weren’t too far from the street, but unlike in NY, there was no excessive beeping or commotion. It was just a beautiful, relaxing Saturday brunch on a wonderful summer morning. In the Back Bay area, Cafeteria seems like a solid option for breakfast or brunch. It gives you a chance to get away from your hotel and will provide good food that won’t break your budget. (By contrast, the brunch I had on Sunday at the Hilton, which was a $21 breakfast buffet, did break my budget. Had to go up twice to get my $21 fill of food.)
The Case: Half-Moon v. The Westchester Breakfast Club (Split-Squad)
The Venue: A lovely restaurant/bar right on the Hudson in Dobbs Ferry, with views of the Manhattan skyline in the distance.
The Facts: Though my extended family and Half Moon believed I was there merely to celebrate my Aunt’s 65th birthday, in fact, I was undercover, on a secret mission to review Half Moon under-the-radar. The first thing to say about this restaurant is the location is phenomenal. Within walking distance of the Dobbs Ferry Metro North station, the property is spectacular. Situated just south of the Tappan Zee Bridge, you can literally see all the way down the Hudson while sitting at your table (assuming you get one outside or by a window). Upon arriving at the table, they immediately ply you with free pastry baskets, full of tasty croissants, cinnamon rolls, and corn and blueberry muffins. Honestly, they were so tasty and filling, I could have just sat there the entire afternoon eating the pastries and not ordering any food that I had to pay for. But that seemed dishonest, so I ordered a $10 bowl of clam chowder and a $7 side of chicken apple sausage. The chowder was quite good, with some delicious croutons liberally floated on top so that I could stir them in at my discretion, keeping them crunchy until they were consumed. The chicken apple sausage was a little disappointing; it was a bit rubbery and lacked the unique chicken-apple taste that you look for in a chicken apple sausage; it was pretty generically sausage tasting.
The Verdict: Though the one-judge panel thoroughly affirms this spot for brunch, he believes that a rehearing en banc is called for in the near future.
What I Had: Two Eggs, Bacon, Sourdough Toast, Coffee, a pleasant eating environment
What It Cost: you know, like 10 bucks
Worth It?: Sure
The Rating: 3.75/5
The Details: There’s not too much to report in terms of the quality of food. I ordered and received a pretty standard breakfast. The egg yolks in my two eggs over easy exploded deliciously over the sourdough bread. The bacon was not as crispy as I prefer it, but it was certainly thick cut. The coffee and service were both fine.
Where Cafeteria stands out is the setting. An abundance of chic, outdoor seating lines a trendy, upscale Boston street and makes for an immensely pleasant eating environment. I highly recommend it, purely for that benefit. Of course, the street has a number of cafes and restaurants with similar seating offerings. Probably the experience would have been similar at any one of them. But we didn’t eat at any of them. We ate at Cafeteria. And I’m glad we did.
The Bottom Line: Solid breakfast, great setting
My breakfast this past weekend consisted of a package of cookies and cream Pop Tarts. I decided not to toast these since I haven’t toasted a Pop Tart for a good decade. True to the name, these Pop Tarts tasted cookies and cream. almost like a warm ice cream. Maybe the Pop Tart company is pushing the limit a little too much. Just stick to cinnamon, strawberry, and that one other flavor no one really likes.
This weekend, the WBC fragmented as we all did our own thing. A good majority of us were in Boston for a friend’s wedding, one of us was participating in a triathlon clinic, and one of us was Jeff, and we can pretty much guess what he was doing.
I was participating in a weekend-long triathlon clinic. The first day, Saturday, consisted of a 1.2 mile swim, followed by a 56 mile bike ride. The second day, Sunday was going to be a 13.1 mile run. My breakfast this lovely Sunday morning consisted of what I can stomach before a 13.1 mile run without having to duck into the bushes to do as our ancestors did before they invented outhouses and indoor plumbing. No breakfast is not an option since I already racked up a sizable calorie deficit on Saturday. Something solid is also not an option, as I found out over many years of trying. So, I had the next best thing, a meal in a cup. This meal is highly scientific, comes in powder form and is designed to satisfy my caloric and caffeine requirements pre-run simply by adding water. The magic powder is Perpetuem by Hammer Nutrition, cafe latte flavor. One scoop and some water, mix and…voila! A meal in a cup that will get me jump started enough for a run through the hills of Croton-on-Hudson.
For something that comes in powder form, it tastes surprisingly okay. It has a nice light coffee flavor to it, and is pretty creamy. It’s almost like a cup of room temperature bottled Starbucks Frappucino without the excessive sugar content.
The czar says: I can’t wait until we meet again this weekend. Real food time!