Five Leaves

Nancy's take:

Atmosphere * * * ½

Because this is already a popular spot in the neighborhood, expect a 30-45 min wait for a table. There is no waiting room inside, which is fine when the weather is nice because we were able to wait outside with the rest of the crowd. However, it was supposed to rain later so I wondered what kind of mayhem would ensue as people tried to bunch themselves around the doorway. You can also grab coffee to go from an outside ordering window. There are outdoor cafe tables for nice weather and a very cute indoor space with an antique French bistro look. To accommodate the high volume of customers, they have squeezed the tiny tables uncomfortably close. I always worry that my butt will knock over someone's drink on my attempt to squeeze between the tables.

Food: * * * * 1/2

We both ordered Sage Scrambled Eggs and I had thick cut bacon as my side. The eggs are served as a huge sandwich, so someone with a smaller appetite might want to split it with a friend. I love the egg part so much that I ate it topless (the sandwich, not me) to keep the bread from filling me up. The thick cut bacon was tasty and just the right crispiness.

Drinks: * * * *

Bloody Mary

Taste: Thumbs up! Lots of vodka, and plenty of horseradish!

Garnishes: lemon, lime, 2 cornichons, 2 olives. yay!

Becca’s Take:

Atmosphere: * * * *

Five Leaves is my favorite place to eat brunch, lunch or dinner in Greenpoint - possibly in all of NYC. It is a little tightly packed, but that doesn’t bother me because the servers and the owner are great, they only play vinyl (and kickass vinyl at that), and Heath Ledger was an original investor. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’ll do just about anything if HL was at one time involved. Oh, and I love their bathroom. It makes me feel like I’m on a ship…a really, really cool ship.

Food: * * * * *

Five stars: can’t be beat. Four reasons: It’s fresh, unique, great portion size and it’s delicious (duh). Three menu varieties: If you dine for brunch, you can choose between breakfast and lunch, or mix the two, quite obviously. If you happen to be there between 3 – 4, they have an “in between” menu, which features some great appetizer-style items to get you in the mood for dinner, which is neck-and-neck in the tasty battle with brunch. Two words: TRUFFLE. FRIES. One restaurant my tummy really couldn’t do without!

Drinks: * * *

I had my standard mimosas with brunch, and there was not one thing wrong with it. I usually prefer to order from their cocktail or specialty drink menu, mostly because the ingredients are interesting and slightly more exciting than champagne and OJ, but for brunch, I stay loyal. One thing that’s not so hot about drinking at Five Leaves is that sometimes the service can be slow when drinking, especially if you aren’t right at the bar, simply because it’s always packed, but drinks aren’t cheap, either. I feel the food is priced very fairly, especially for how much you get and how good it is, but a mimosa should never be more than $6 – end of story.

Stats:

Five Leaves

18 Bedford Avenue

Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY 11222

(718) 383-5345

Kitchen open 9am-12am 7 days/week

www.fiveleavesny.com