Fada

Nancy's Take:

Atmosphere: * * * 1/2

It was surprisingly hot for a mid-October day, so I got us a table indoors. I did take note, however, that the back garden looked very inviting. The front windows were open to let in the breeze and it was the perfect indoor climate. Since there weren't many guests at the time, I was ::GASP:: actually allowed to sit down before the rest of my party arrived (this is uncommon in NYC). The inside of the restaurant reads mostly of brown wood and no specific decor stood out in my mind. I thought it had a nice charm, nonetheless.

Food: * * *

When Becca and her friend, Theresa, arrived, we all ordered our drinks and looked over the menu. There were a lot of lunch-type options as well as breakfast food, so it seemed like enough to please anyone's palette. I think were all a little frustrated, however, with the waitress' inability to clearly describe any of the items on the menu when we asked questions. We all ended up just taking the plunge and ordering things whether we understood them or not. I had the Eggs Fada, which were poached eggs served in a casserole dish of baked tomatoes, eggplant, and goat cheese. Honestly I pictured the tomatoes being more like fresh cut tomatoes, and instead, it was more like a pasta sauce. Although the restaurant is French, I felt like i was eating a rich, Italian dinner for breakfast. It was good, but a little too "hearty" for my taste when it comes to brunch.

Drinks: * * *

Bloody Mary

Taste: good but a little watery

Garnishes: lemon, cornichon, and about 5 olives

Size: round stemmed glass

Becca’s Take:

Atmosphere: * * *

I like the feel of Fada for no particular reason other than it's simple, easy, considerably spacious for tight, Brooklyn eateries, and it has an interesting, antiquied feel about it. It's not fancy or over the top, but it's not boring - good middle ground for brunch, lunch or dinner. Like Nancy, this waitress annoyed me. A lot of the items on the menu are either written out in French or are prepared in a French style, which may not be known to everyone - like moi. Every question I asked her, she couldn't really answer, so it was a guessing game mixed with process of elimination as to what sounded the least intimidating or the most vegetarian.

Food: * * * 1/2

I've eaten at Fada for dinner before, and it was lovely. Brunch was just as nice. I started with a tartine, which is a toasted baguette with jam and butter. In my never-ending quest to find the perfect biscuit, I initally thought a tartine may have been some kind of French biscuit. After a daunting explanation from our waitress, I ordered it basically because I was confused and hungry - but it worked out because I enjoyed it very much. For my main meal I had their quiche special, which was made with brocolli, endives and goat cheese. It was tasty, no doubt, but a little slimey. I prefer my quiches a little more well done, with less oil seeping out of the nooks and crannies.

Drinks: * * *

Mimosas, and plenty of them. They are pretty cheap, and I was feeling boozy, so I had about three of them.

What Theresa Ate:

Theresa started her brunch with an Irish coffee that looked as good as she said it tasted. It was adorned with whipped cream and a cherry - so sweet.

I know Theresa quite well, and she doesn't usually fancy eggs. She went for the special omelette, which had asparagus, mushrooms and muenster cheese. She gave it her very own seal of approval! The omelette came with breakfast potatoes - which Theresa deemed not as delicious as mine, but still a damn fine homefry - and a salad. Theresa opted for fresh fruit to start, and nibbled a bit on my tartine.

Stats:

Fada

530 Driggs Ave, at N. 8th St

Brooklyn, NY 11211

Brunch: Fri., 10 a.m.—4 p.m.; Sat.—Sun., 10 a.m.—5 p.m.

Juliette

Nancy's Take:

Atmosphere: * * * *
I was excited to see it was a beautiful sunny day - perfect for brunch on the outside terrace of Juliette. From the street you can see people sitting up there, and they always seem to be having such a good time. There is a separate hostess for the terrace as opposed to the main level, so we hopped straight upstairs and sipped on mimosas at the bar while we waited. It wasn't more than 10 minutes before we were shown to our table - a nicely shaded area that we already had our eyes on. Okay, so the view from THAT side of the terrace is not gorgeous - it overlooked a trash-cluttered aluminum roof. However, I still think the overall ambiance of the terrace was adorable.

Food: * * *
I couldn't resist ordering the house-cured Scottish salmon benedict with lemon-caper hollandaise and red bliss home fries. The first thing I noticed on my plate was that the home fries were NOT red bliss potatoes. They also didn't taste like anything special. The eggs benedict was good, but I honestly expected a little more excitement from the lemon-caper hollandaise. There were small bits of capers ground into the sauce, and more than anything it had a flavor of pickle juice. Hey, I'm not complaining about pickle juice....I just wanted to be a little more impressed with the dish than I actually was.
The waitress was extremely apologetic as she had forgotten to put our order in. I said "Honey, just keep our drinks coming and we'll be fine." She gave us free beer to compensate for the error, and the food actually came out very quickly regardless.

Drinks: * * * 1/2
Apparently I've been spoiled by all the drink deals we've found lately. The mimosas were average-priced at around $8, but it felt expensive to me after drinking those $4 ones at Lokal last week. I steered clear of the Bloody Marys here because I saw one brought to another table and it looked less than thrilling. I thought the mimosas were tasty, but they're also pretty hard to mess up.

Becca’s Take:

Atmosphere: * * * *
I like the atmosphere of Juliette because it is prime for people watching. And not just the kind of street-level people watching, but couple's quarrel from their very own kitchen window people watching. (I just creeped MYSELF out!) But, in my defense, it’s impossible not to notice the people who live in the building beside Juliette, because when you’re dining on the roof, you’re basically dining with them. It was an interesting spot, and I’d love to hang out there are night. They had a lot of posters for their nightlife scene – it’s a must before it gets too cold to be a rooftopper.

Food: * * 1/2
I, like Nancy, was expecting something really special from the food at Juliette, and was let down. My omelette seemed so exciting on paper because it boasts of truffled goat cheese – which, by the way, was the high point of this omelette. The asparagus was also a seller for me, but it was so finely chopped, it was barely worthwhile, and even tasted a bit sour. The eggs were cooked in fluffy, French style, and I asked for French fries instead of breakfast taters and got the taters.
Wah-wah :(

Drinks: * * *
I love strong mimosas and free Stella, but not at $8 bucks a pop and the latter will never happen again.

Stats:

Juliette
135 n. 5th st
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 388-9222
www.juliettewilliamsburg.com
Open Mon-Thu 12pm-12am; Fri 12pm-1am; Sat 10:30am-1am; Sun 10:30am-11:30pm

Le Barricou

Nancy's Take:

Atmosphere: * * * * 1/2

This is a great atmosphere in which to dine, with walls plastered in old newspapers and worn painted signs. It feels like a trip to a charming bistro in France, especially as many of the staff speak to you in French accents. On a bustling brunch hour, we were still seated fairly quickly.

Food: * * * * *

All of my eating experiences have been phenomenal here, and this was no exception. I ordered the omelette special, made with farm-raised eggs and filled with asparagus, tomato, and mozzarella. The omelette was delicious and served with flavorful homefries - crispy outside and soft inside. The chocolate croissants served beforehand are a tasty little brunch treat (they bring you a plain croissant too).

Drinks: * * * * 1/2

Taste: Delicious! One of my favorite Bloody Marys in Brooklyn.

Size: Large mason jar - clever and the perfect size

Garnishes: Lime and an olive

Becca’s Take:

Atmosphere: * * * * *

Not only does Le Barricou have an interesting, antiqued French ambiance, it has possibly the hottest manager of all time. I would go to brunch in a porta-potty if that man was showing me to my seat. But, other than him, the restaurant is deceivingly large, so it’s almost never a problem to get a table – even though it’s often packed. The staff is always friendly and the water boys are attentive and courteous.

Food: * * * * *

No matter what I eat at Le Barricou, I love it. I have never been disappointed in their cuisine, and this being my first time dining at brunch, it was no different. I had the Vegetarian Egg White Omelette, which really packed a punch. Alongside the mixed, roasted veggies and goat cheese was a potent Chipotle sauce, which was a pleasant surprise. I opted for the pommes frites instead of the homefries, but I stole some of Nancy’s and they were both delish. This was actually the first time my brunch defeated me. The omelette was so large, and the helping of frites was so heaping, I did not clear my plate. For shame, for shame.

Drinks: * * *

I had a mimosa and it was pretty standard. I enjoy the food much more than the drinks at Le Barricou, for no particular reason other than I’m not nearly as daring with my bevies as I am with my brunch. Don’t get me wrong – the mimosa was refreshing and tasty – but not as special as the food.

Stats:

Le Barricou

533 Grand Street

Brooklyn, NY 11211-3502

(718) 782-7372

Web site: http://lebarricouny.com/

Brunch Sat & Sun 11am - 6pm

Fanny

Nancy's take:

Atmosphere: * * * ½

I was pleased that we were seated right away because I was starving! The decor inside was fairly minimal, but the place was clean and pleasant looking. Being a hot day, my only complaint was that the air conditioning wasn't strong enough, and my legs were sweating on the vinyl seat. I noticed they had a garden area, plus a more private area of seating in the back. This worked out well when a group came in with a crying infant, and they were seated in the very back area. Privacy for them....peace and quiet for us!

Food: * * * *

They offered a mix of creative brunch items on the menu alongside traditional brunch favorites. I wished there were a few more creative dishes that boasted the Southern French theme of the restaurant. Yes it's called "French Toast" for a reason, but how about some things we don't all know?

I ordered the poached eggs and tarragon shrimp (on country bread with sautéed spinach). The sauce had a slight sour cream taste with a hint of dill and was a delightful alternative to a Hollandaise sauce. The flavors all blended together nicely, and the shrimp were large and modestly tasted of tarragon. I would happily go back and order the same thing again!

Drinks: * * *

Bloody Mary

Taste: Delicious! Just the right amount of spicy from the horseradish

Size: Good on size - comes in tall drinking glass

Garnishes: None - I was a little disappointed in the lack of garnish.

Becca’s Take:

Atmosphere: * * *

Fanny is a homey little joint along Graham Avenue with homemade curtains and long, open windows to catch plenty of sunlight (also good for people watching). They have an outdoor eating area, which we were unfortunately not offered when we arrived for brunch, otherwise, we would have dined out there. It seemed to have a sweet garden and happy ambiance. Also maintaining a happy ambiance was that the waitress was kind enough to seat the baby in the back of the restaurant, behind the bar, so us brunchers wouldn’t have to hear it whine.

Food: * * * * ½

I love me some French cookin’ – especially when it’s done right! I didn’t know Fanny deemed its cuisine French, and I ended up ordering a classic French dish: Baked eggs over Ratatouille. Other than the fact that I wanted veggies, this was one of the only meat-free menu options (beware vegetarians!) But it was scrumptious – a dish to be envied by any carnivore. I can’t wait to go back to Fanny for brunch when the weather cools off, because it was extremely warm outside and this dish never gets cold – it was piping hot the whole time – I was sweating in my seat! I chose the salad to go along with my eggs and it was a large helping for a side – very impressive. My dish, had I not chosen to do the brunch special with drinks, would’ve only cost $8, so Fanny is a great place for those who are pinching pennies.

Drinks: * * * ½

With the brunch special, you get a Mimosa or Bloody Mary, so I naturally chose the Mimosa. But, you also get fresh squeezed OJ, so I kind of had a Vitamin C O.D. The Mimosa was very refreshing – so much so that I ordered a second! The drinks are just as affordable as the food – excellent!

Stats:

Fanny

425 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

(718) 389-2060

www.fannyfood.com

Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The brunch special is $13 and includes entrée, fresh squeezed OJ & either a Bloody Mary or Mimosa.