Breakfast on the weekend

In our household, going out for breakfast on the weekend has always been a tradition. Back when we spent more time in the E. Village, breakfast at Odessa's (which I wrote about in last week's blog) or Veselka (9th Street at Second Avenue) was pretty much a mainstay. Somewhere along the line, I began to view breakfast as a reward. My reasoning was that being seriously high-energy i.e. working two jobs, managing the household and most of the kid stuff, entitled me to breakfast. This was a dangerous shift on my part. Once I viewed breakfast as a reward, it literally disappeared and became an enticing mirage. This is probably what people mean about familiarity breeding contempt in close relationships. When breakfast became a mirage, rest assured that I waged fierce battles to reinstate it. I won't get into details since this information is not so food-oriented. All I will say to Carl is, remember the Neil Young tickets buddy.

If my breakfast battle has flagged a bit, a major contributing factor is the dearth of good breakfast places in Tribeca. In the past year, Tribeca lost Socrates, a venerable breakfast/lunch place for cops, sanitation officers and the "real" people who reside down here. Socrates resided right across from Nobu, at the corners of Hudson/Franklin for 25 years. At this point, big daughter would push me for full disclosure. Yes, it's true that I'd stopped going to Socrates awhile ago. I felt the end coming and it was just too depressing for me to eat there. The few times I visited Socrates, I was informed that "the waffle machine broke," or "the cook didn't know how to use the waffle machine" or they "ran out of buckwheat pancakes". I viewed this as an omen. I kid you not, each time I visited, such things really occurred. Finally, I decided it was best to go elsewhere.

Privately, I agonized over their failure to renovate - especially after Gee Whiz did after 9/11. Gee Whiz became "the neighborhood spot" for diner food, but not for me, of course). Carl has been eating at Socrates since it opened. Through his tutelage, little one was inducted into the Socrates Hall of Famers club. I think Carl liked Socrates because he achieved the commendable feat of taking little one off to breakfast at Socrates AND STILL MANAGED TO READ HIS beloved sports pages. He does this whenever the family is out for breakfast.I can safely report that it drives big daughter crazy. He did it this morning at Blaue Gans, see below (an Austrian restaurant on Duane Street between W. Broadway and Church) and I didn't mind.

Anyway, back to Socrates, they served really good buckwheat pancakes, challah French Toast. Their oatmeal with bananas had the perfect consistency. As Socrates slowly wound to its untimely demise, I managed to get us over to Blaue Gans, located on the site of the old Le Zinc. I must share that I used to love Le Zinc's oatmeal - it was so rich, it tasted like Indian rice pudding and I always felt (happily) sick after eating it. At Blaue Gans we became good friends with Miri, the young Austrian waitress who was there early on Saturdays/Sundays. She was extra sweet to little one and always prepared an amazing juice drink of orange juice and cranberry juice that little one adored. At Blaue Gans, we love to order the thick brown bread with jam/butter, the boiled eggs in a martini glass and the muesli along with a selection of very good loose teas.

Blaue Gans is part of the Wallse and Neue Cafe empire. The chef is really smart, talented and tough. In the early morning, I examine the just-made Austrian pastries arrayed beautifully on the bar: the Linzer Torte, Gugelhopf (a kind of coffee-cake), the huge meringues and the milk breads, which are yummy - both with and without chocolate.

As the weather became warmer, and little one had Sunday morning soccer practice on the track in front of Pace High School by the Manhattan Bridge, we hiked through quiet Soho streets to Caffe Falai (265 Lafayette Street at Prince Street). Caffe Falai is an offshoot of two namesake cafe/restaurants on the Lower East Side (both around Clinton Street). Caffe Falai has an all-white decor, with glass chandeliers, small tables and a counter of Italian pastries, chocolates and breakfast treats.

Caffe Falai is staffed by high-energy, charming Italian men who cater to a constant stream of exotic-looking, stylish hipsters who line up at the counter seeking good coffee. Their pastries selection are the real draw - all manner of apple turnovers, little banana/almond tarts, chocolate domes and a selection of baked egg dishes.

Falai Iacopelli is a total sweetheart (and very cute too, in a retro 60s way - I must say that). He very sweetly gave little one a box of yummy cookies early on in the summer and I was a fan for life. How nice is that? Carl pronounces their coffee amazing. We would alternate between breakfast at Blaue Gans and Caffe Falai (until Blaue Gans stopped serving breakfast at 9 a.m. during the summer). The ambiance at Blaue Gans is more winter/fall and everybody (but us) likes to sit outside at Bouley Bakery (at W. Broadway/Duane), and sip their coffees.

When soccer stopped, and it became too hot to walk over to Lafayette street, we began having breakfast at Mocca, an Israeli cafe/lounge (at the corner of Reade/Church). We followed one of our other favorite waitresses from Blaue Gans over to Mocca -that's a secret. Mocca has a bustling takeout service - they offer a dizzying array of coffee drinks, decent teas, some hot chocolates and everything in between. Their breakfasts are good and they serve traditional middle eastern breakfasts. In mid-to late evening, Mocca morphs into a lounge and that vibe is still floating around at breakfast time. It makes me feel a bit wobbly, so I'm inconsistent with Mocca.

For those moments, there is My Bigger Place (used to be My Little Place) a Mexican/American restaurant on Warren and West Broadway. Carl is a huge fan of their food. Besides truly good Mexican food, they serve really good biscuits. I usually get the egg white turkey omelet and hash browns. The oatmeal is also very good-accompanied by generous helpings of bananas and other fruit. It enough food for two or three people according to me. Sometimes I get their steak with green pepper and guacamole. It's good but a bit greasy so I can only eat that one time per month or so. My stomach always hurts right after eating it.

Unfortunately, My Bigger Place doesn't have loose tea and that's a bit problematci for me. I realize I sound a bit ridiculous, but good tea is good tea and tea bags don't cut it. Carl is always up for breakfast at My Bigger Place, but sometimes I'm searching for something more.

There's a new (very HIP) place at the corner of N. Moore and Greenwich, Smith and Mills. When it first opened, we stopped in for breakfast and somehow Carl survived the experience. He has an antenna for over-the-top behavior and yes, that does exist there. Here's the rub, the ambiance is great for me at Smith and Mill. It's a cozy little space with real cloth napkins, little china tea cups and croissants but that's where it ends.

Carl's right - the staff is really into themselves. The first time we were there, the cook (who looked REALLY GROUCHY) got mad because Carl couldn't figure out how to slide open the bathroom door. (Carl's a bit spatially challenged and readily admits it). He once broke a handle on little one's stroller because he couldn't figure out how to slide the lever and yanked it off! He didn't tell me and one day I reached for it and it was gone. Although I have my own run-ins with Carl, when he's unfairly mistreated, I get protective. The grouchy cook was lounging at the bar and reading our NY Post so in retaliation for his meanness to Carl, I started loudly looking for the Post.

When the cook went off to the bathroom, I muttered some choice things. To top it off, we all had to eat croissants because they said they ran out of muesli. I guess the party of four that was there before us ate everything, or maybe we didn't have a "hip" enough vibe?. Come to think of it, maybe they were trying to get rid of us, hmm. They were just mentioned in one of the NY Posts Sunday Magazine's breakfast assignments. On our way upstate to a very cool tea house - Verdigris (see the tea post), Carl went in there yesterday morning to get us some tea. He did this for logistical reasons.

We picked up our Zip Car at the garage on N. Moore, directly across the street from Smith and Mills. Carl said the guy said "BYE" very loudly to him after he left a $1 tip on $6 (for one tea/one coffee.) I could just see it. I'm sad to say that aside from Blaue Gans, I've given up on the idea of a nice breakfast in Tribeca. If it's early, we walk over to La Colombe Torrefaction and get a Hot Chocolate and have a nice chat with the friendly barista-man/manager. He never fails to ask after beautiful big daughter (which scores significant points with me) and is very sweet to little daughter. So it's a win-win.

If we're heading out around 11 a.m., I ask Carl (or go myself) to get a chai from the Pakistani Tea House on Church at Duane Street. Pakistani Tea House serves great Pakistani/Indian food. Their Samosa's and Pakoras are as good as my mother's, and those prepared by our Indian neighbors during my childhood in Africa. It's fun to watch the counterman make the Nan (the flat ridged bread) right there on the hot stone surface. Although the counter ladies can seem a bit tough, they are actually very sweet. And they have great Gulab Jamin (balls of dough soaked in rose syrup), my favorite Indian dessert!! My current fantasy is to rent an available space, which for some reason has remained un-rented forever, at the corner of White Street and W. Broadway. I'd find a terrific short-order cook to prepare simple breakfasts, without attitude. I'm sorry I can't eat at Bubbys (Hudson at N. Moore) because Saturdays and Sundays are reserved for all the people visiting from other cities, countries or NYC neighborhoods. It is fun to walk by Bubbys and see the families and groups of friends gathered together while they are waiting. I call that the visitor breakfast buzz.

I get that same buzz when we eat at Clary's Cafe in Savannah, Georgia. They prepare and serve the best sweet rolls (other than, you guessed it, my mothers). If we're renting a ZipCar car at Leroy Street, we stop in for a quick breakfast at Giorgiones on Greenwich Street. I make sure the owner, Giorgio, a founder of Dean and Delucas, isn't ther). He's really nice, but gruff and he starts hectoring his staff too early in the morning. Giorgiones is a nice space, very minimalist - a long frosted-glass counter with high-backed stools and good (but pricey breakfast). I can overlook their lack of loose tea since the tea quality at Dean and Deluca is not bad. Their cheese/ham grits are very good and their oatmeal can be good, if they don't overdo it with cream). They've got a selection of good egg dishes and the pancakes are tasty.

Farther afield, I was early to an appointment in the E. Village on Saturday, so I made a visit to Veselka's counter and ordered a farina. Their farina is heavenly. No one else even serves it anymore. It wasn't crazy bustling at Veselka's, but it wasn't empty either. I sat and read all the specials up on the wall and was reassured that time passes and yet stays the same.

When she was still in elementary school, big daughter and I used to sit at the counter on Tuesday evenings and have cabbage soup with thin-sliced, slightly sweet challah bread. It would be steamy up front, and the windows would get foggy and we would talk about our day. Over time, we got to know the counter guys, and they'd ask about our day too. This morning though, I had to laugh. As I ate my Farina, there was a lot of drama. The waitress kept getting upset with the counter guy for making the wrong pancakes - literally every 5 minutes. The man sitting next to me started laughing too - we both acknowledged that we've been visiting Veselka for years. We usually visit on week-day mornings, when it's nice and calm. My waiter had a great voice and I wondered if he was an unemployed actor moonlighting as a waiter due to the writer's strike, so I left him an extra-large tip on the Farina.