Mrs. Kim's

Nancy's take:

Atmosphere: * * * *

Tucked away on Franklin Street in Greenpoint, Mrs. Kim's is an undiscovered little gem. Its mostly wooden interior reminded me of sipping hot cocoa at a cozy ski lodge. The chairs were Shaker-esque, like climbing into Grandma's rocking chair on the porch. Nice big windows let a lot of sunlight into the room.There were plenty of tables open at brunch hour, though our waitress was a tad on the bitchy side.

Food: * * * *

I nearly missed the fact that Mrs. Kim's is actually a Korean restaurant. The brunch items were traditional American and French fare, with some pork buns, kimchi, and bibimbop thrown into the mix. Whatever they're doing,it's fine with me if they keep it up. Becca and I split two dishes between us. We had their omelette made with spinach, chive, scallion, and ricotta. Not only was the omelette tasty, but the home fries it came with were amazing. But it didn't stop there. We also split the pumpkin belgian waffles, which were their special. It was all so delicious and satisfying. Had either of us been less full, we would've also ordered the steamed tofu buns.

Drinks: * * * * *

Having had some less-than-thrilling experiences with Bloody Marys lately, I almost shied away from ordering it this time. Then I caught a glimpse of one at the bar. I'm glad I ordered it, because it has now climbed up my ranks among the best Bloody Marys in Brooklyn. It was thick but also plenty alcoholic (I like thicker mix vs. watered-down). Best of all, it was loaded with horseradish and Sriracha (which I watched the bartender pour in).

Size: Tall drinking glass (also a bonus)

Garnishes: lemon, lime, giant celery stalk and a pickle slice

Becca’s Take:

Atmosphere: * *

I adore Franklin Street in Greenpoint, and I always mean to frequent it more than I do. I really think the only thing the atmosphere of Mrs. Kim's does for me is that is resides in a corner spot along Fraknlin. It is a spacious place with a lot of great light, as Nancy mentioned, but the strange, giant, Grandma chairs didn’t mesh well with the semi-modern bar or the tiniest bit of Asian flair they were clinging to. Nevertheless, looks aren’t everything when you’re brunching.

Food: * * * *

Mrs. Kim’s does an excellent job of making sure every customer is happy. There is literally something for everyone. Because everything sounded so good on the menu, Nancy and I opted to share plates for the first time EVER. We were wise to do so! It was the perfect portion of each. The pumpkin waffles were to die for, and they came alongside fresh fruit, whipped cream and powdered sugar. The omelette was a little dry, but still delicious with all the fixins to be found inside, while the breakfast potatoes were some of the best I’ve had yet! I wish I had had room for the tofu steamed buns, but I guess this means I’ll just have to go back.

Drinks: * * ½

I opted for a mimosa, even though I thought $8 was a bit steep. It came in a large, stemmed glass, and was made with fresh-squeezed juice (why it was $8, I’m assuming). It was a little, as I like to say, “too orange.” The lighter your mimosa, the more champagne – I like pale yellow mimosas, and this one, though tasty, was not.

Stats:

Mrs. Kim's

160 Franklin St.

Brooklyn, NY 11222

(718) 389-8881

Open Weekdays 11am-11pm; Weekends 10am-1am

www.mrskimsnyc.com

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.

Cafe Colette

Nancy's Take:

Atmosphere: * * * * 1/2

I love how the interior of Cafe Colette has been decorated. It's like French-bistro-meets-fifties-diner. What caught my attention the most was the gorgeous color of the back wall, painted in a distressed style with robins egg blue and hints of light aqua peeking through. There's a checkerboard floor and a diner-style bar as the focal point of the room. There are also lots of tables outdoors wrapped around the side of the cafe. The staff were all so friendly, and happy to answer our many questions about the menu.

Food: * * * * 1/2

I ordered the Chorizo and raja scramble. I found out that "raja" refers to the way that the green peppers are cooked before being put in the scramble, so that they have an extra smokey flavor to them. Whatever they did to it, they should keep doing! I don't even like green peppers that much and yet I loved this scramble. The side of potatoes were cooked with scallions and whole garlic cloves. I ended up spreading the garlic cloves onto my multi-grain toast.

Drinks: * * *

Bloody Mary

Taste: I had high hopes for this one with all its garnishes, but it was slightly watered down and not spicy enough for me.

Size: tall fancy glass with a stem

Garnishes: pickle, celery, lemon, green olive, and a salted rim. I gave it an extra star for the garnishes alone.

Becca’s Take:

Atmosphere: * * * *

Café Colette is a great place with a lot of a charm but still a lot of space. I was surprised at the amount of both indoor and outdoor seating. Being the kitschy girl that I am, I convinced Nancy to sit at the bar. Only in certain environments do I enjoy eating my food at the bar, and this was one of those places. It was a clean, cool counter with comfy swivel seats and a very knowledgeable bartender/waiter.

Food: * * * * ½

This food was really close to perfect. I opted for two eggs, any style, and got them scrambled with gruyere cheese. It was absolutely delicious, but I felt like my helping of eggs was a little small. Maybe I’m just a pig, but I could’ve eaten another order, easily. I opted for French fries instead of breakfast potatoes – and actually got them this time! – and I had a side of the multi-grain toast, which was hearty, had a hint of sweetness and was possibly the best toast I’d ever had.

Drinks: * * *

My mimosa was standard as could be. Nothing to complain about – except the price tag ($9 – it keeps getting higher! I guess Café Colette prrroobbbaablllyy doesn’t use Andre) – but it tasted smooth and sweet.

Stats:

Cafe Colette

79 Berry Street

(between N. 10th & N. 9th streets)

Brooklyn, NY 11211

http://www.cafe-colette.com

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

Lokal

Nancy's Take:

Atmosphere: * * *
From the outside, Lokal looks like it could be some kind of a cheesy tiki hut place intended for tourists and frat guys. Inside the restaurant, it's actually quite tasteful. The walls are decorated with Turkish ceramic tiles and there are tables to accommodate all sizes of parties. There's also a nice outdoor section in front with awnings to protect from the sun and elements.

Food: * * *
I ordered the Huevos Rancheros and a side of bacon. The huevos were served simply, with black beans and soft tortillas, with a little touch of salsa and guacamole on top. I had the eggs sunny-side up and overall I thought it was a nice dish. The bacon, however, wasn't crispy enough for my taste.

Drinks: * * * * 1/2
$4 for a mimosa, bloody mary, or bellini and you've sold me! Their bellinis are especially tasty and admittedly I drank four of them. At that price, you can really just plan to hang out for the rest of the day. The drink service at our table was a little slow, but sitting at the bar takes care of that issue.

Becca’s Take:

Atmosphere: * * * ½
Even though Lokal is sometimes referred to as the ugly stepchild of Five Leaves, I think it still has a somewhat charming, ethnic vibe to it that sets it apart from the above association. There’s never a wait, you can eat outside or in, and the bar service is pretty tremendous. Lokal is also home to a really neat basement bathroom, and I love me some comfortable, pretty and private lavs.

Food: * * * ½
I stepped slightly out of the box this weekend and started my brunch with a tomato pesto soup, which was absolutely lovely. It was some of the best tomato soup I’ve ever had – and the light touch of pesto was truly perfect. I could’ve eaten bowls upon bowls of that stuff. I then opted for the White Spinach Omelette, which had waaaaaay too much spinach in it; I think even Popeye would agree that it was a gagging amount. The eggs were cooked well, though, and the cheese nice and melty. So after weeding out some of the heavy greens, I was much happier with my meal.

Drinks:* * * * *
Lokal gets five stars for drinks. Not only are they delicious, but they are dirt cheap! $4 mimosa, bellini or bloody mary? Who among us wouldn’t indulge?

Stats:

Lokal Mediterranean Bistro
905 Lorimer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 384-6777
Open Mon-Thu,Sun 10am-11pm; Fri-Sat 10am-12am
www.lokalbistro.com