Restaurant serves their eggs scrambled and turn customers’ hangovers sunny-side-up.
By Jonathan Ages
If New Year’s Eve leaves you feeling more than a little hung over, turn to one of the many restaurants that will be serving help in the form of protein and carbs.
The hair of the dog will be the main attraction at Essex Restaurant at 120 Essex St.. The restaurant offers its affordable brunches with a kick—at least three drinks for the price of one. The restaurant has subsequently become a popular spot to nurse hangovers. Hipsters line up on the street on Saturday and Sunday afternoons for the chance to numb their headaches with more alcohol.
“It’s a nice way to kick back and relax,” said 22-year-old Adam Wexler, in between slurps of his margarita after a rough night. “It helps ease the transition from a rowdy Saturday night to going back to work on Monday.”
Wexler is just one of many people his age returning to the bottle the morning after a big night. Customers should make reservations a couple days in advance before showing up at Essex Restaurant. Management says they take reservations for roughly 200 customers each Saturday and Sunday brunch. Walk-ins can expect to wait 20 to 30 minutes before getting a table.
Essex Restaurant’s tables are crammed with 20-something scenesters on lazy weekend afternoons, although the Latin and Jewish restaurant normally attracts an evening crowd of middle-aged diners. Brunch costs $15 and includes three drinks to lift your spirits. The menu is vast and has an eclectic selection of ethnic food, but the beverage of choice is typically the Bloody Mary. The management confidently asserts that their Bloody Marys are among the best in the city.
Although the eatery is carved out of the same building that houses the Essex Food Market, Essex Restaurant seems more suited to SoHo than to the Lower East Side. The décor is minimalist and avant-garde. Ashen-colored tennis balls decorate one end of the restaurant’s white brick wall and modern abstract paintings hang on the other end.
The restaurant is also a bona fide see-and-be-seen hangout with plenty of eye-candy for customers to check out while munching on their meals.
“We have a lot of beautiful people here,” said head bartender Maximillian Staneseu.
Even after a late night at a club, the clientele frequently dress like they want to be seen, decked out in faux fur and aviator sunglasses no matter what the climate inside. And although the table talk is typically muted early in the day, it bubbles with energy as empty mimosa glasses pile up on tables.
Some restaurants around the city that will serve New Year’s Day Brunch:
Blue Water Grill
31 Union Sq. W.
(212) 675-9500
Capsouto Freres
451 Washington St.
(212) 966-4900
Drovers Tap Room
9 Jones St.
(212) 627-1233
Heidelberg Restaurant
1648 Second Ave.
(212) 628-2332
Josie’s Restaurant
565 Third Ave.
(212) 490-1558
Les Halles
411 Park Ave. S.
(212) 679-4111
Mercer Kitchen
99 Prince St.
(212) 966-5454
Mesa Grill
102 Fifth Ave.
(212) 807-7400
Norma’s
118 W. 57th St.
(212) 708-7460
Paradou
8 Little W. 12th St.
(212) 463-8345
