After writing the review of Permanent Brunch, the newly opened East Village restaurant dedicated to my favorite weekend pastime, I began to feel very optimistic about the expansion of brunch into the middle of the week. Whether Permanent Brunch was the catalyst for this movement or just the most obvious newcomer to a little known tradition, I was pleasantly surprised (actually I was ecstatic, but I gotta keep my poker face) to find that the weekday brunch trend is taking over Manhattan, or at least the East Village for now.
In addition to Permanent Brunch and Odessa, the East Village staple known for perogies and a never ending brunch, several other restaurants have adopted the weekday brunch as their own. These include Mediterranean bistros Virage and Cafe Brama as well as Aussie joint Bondi Road.
I tried the weekday brunch at Virage, twice, and was pleasantly surprised (again, ecstatic) with my options. During the first visit, all four of us brunchmates went for the Lobster Hash and Eggs with spicy hollandaise and crispy bacon. The plating was beautiful and the food was a delicious take on brunch. Though if you’re just craving lobster, you’d likely be more satisfied cracking claws at a seafood house.
Lobster Hash and Eggs at Virage
On the second trip I was excited to try the Shakshuka, a ratatouille-like vegetable stew made with tomatoes, onions and peppers, which I had previously only had once during a trip in Israel. Three eggs are baked right on top of the stew creating a soft texture and runny yellow somewhere between poached and over easy, which counterbalances the tangy vegetables and the heat from the Moroccan spices. Pita and tahini are served on the side to cool your mouth down, but you’ll probably be too full from the tasty and filling dish to care.
Shakshuka at Virage
While the Shakshuka is highly recommended if you’re looking for something different, Virage has more traditional items as well. Among the variations on Eggs Benedict, the Avocado and Roasted Pepper benedict and Crab Cake and Spinach benedict are both tasty options. Overall, Virage is a great place for brunch any day of the week.
Ben-
Thanks for sharing your experience, however I think it’s very rude to suggest that the reviews are misleading and/or paid for by the restaurants themselves. As a resident of the East Village for years as well, I share my experiences and opinions about the places that I have dined at, as does everyone else that contributes to this blog. This is my opinion of Virage and I have always had a fine experience dining there. We welcome your comments, especially because you’ve had a very different experience to share, however we do not appreciate your claim that these reviews have been paid for by any of the restaurants on here or that we are “misleading” the public by stating our opinions.
Sincerely,
Brunchmaster
With all due respect, the review of brunch options is seriously misleading. I live in the East Village and frequented all of the places mentioned for years. Virage is arguably the single worst eating establishment in all of Manhattan. I found a nail clipping in my lobster hash dish, drinks served in smelly dirty glasses and rats running around the tables. When I brought this to the attention of the owner/manager, he shrugged it off as no big deal, likely due to continued traffic because of reviews such as this one (may I say paid by the restaurant??). Ben.
Hi,
I’m the ambassador for Here’s Life Inner City NYC. This year we’re trying to provide 7,000 families in New York with a “Box of Love”. Each Box of Love contains a full Thanksgiving feast for a hungry family of six.
By “Dining In”, you are able to donate what you would otherwise spend eating out to help feed a starving family (we’re also posting daily recipes on Facebook and Twitter).
Learn more about us and how you can help by if you Dine In for dinner or a weekend brunch;) http://bit.ly/JBZaI
Donation deadline is Nov. 4th!
Thank-you & God Bless,
Jackie (For HLIC NYC)
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Weekday brunch sounds delicious to me. How about trying brunch on a ship? Check it out here…http://www.askmelissa.com/index.php/features/brunch-sail_09-22-09/
if you like shashuka, you should try Hummus Place and Hummus Kitchen.