The Bennett Brunch
by Becca
Tribeca has long been known for its strong restaurant offerings—although these days, you will be hard pressed to find a brunch option that has not been overtaken by enthusiastic diners under the age of ten. Don’t get us wrong—we love our younger brunch brothers and sisters. We just don’t always want to share a cramped dining room with them while hungover on a Sunday at noon.
After West Broadway leaves behind its SoHo shopping and dining segment, it goes dead for a few blocks before it offers steadfast staples like The Odeon and Tiny’s. For a lesser known (and less child-traveled) option, we tried The Bennett, which is just across the street from those two brunch spots, but miles away from daycare.
At once a pleasing mix of the modern and the nostalgic, The Bennett’s dining room and bar area are one part art deco, one part retro dining and bar room. Gold furnishings and fixtures mingle with teal velvet banquettes, making the environment more elegant than the down home menu. And it is sparsely populated on the weekend, making it a nice neighborhood option.
Being a champion Bloody drinker, the first thing that caught my eye was the Bloody Mary bar. The bartender pours the vodka and tomato juice, and you do the rest. A fun concept, though a few key ingredients were missing, including horseradish. Not starting on solid footing.
We switched gears to the Almost Mimosa, with fresh OJ, apricot, Campari and Prosecco, which was as sweet as it was pretty. The Bennett definitely has a passion for its slow made cocktails (and the wait time proves it).
Following coffee (served fresh in a French press), we moved on to food. The Bennett does its eggs confidently enough, with menu items like the eggs cocotte pairing those oeufs with roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, and gruyere. Our server told us it is the most popular dish, and it certainly is pretty.
The cheeseburger is simple and strong, and a nice modest size that doesn’t leave you hurting. The home fries are forgettable, but the French fries are worth it.
But the winning entree was the surprisingly enjoyable Dijon and mayo egg salad, made with crispy bacon on sourdough. It’s the simple, straight-ahead breakfast sandwich we wish we thought of, and our favorite of the meal.
We finished with delicious, light and fluffy ricotta beignets, which arrived perfectly warm and dusted with superfine sugar and beer jam alongside. It was a nice, sweet way to finish our brunch.
Our only suggestion for The Bennett is to put a little pep in the step of the serving and bar staff… we were one of only three filled tables at the time, and every request or new order came with a wait time that felt long.
Luckily, the quality and simplicity of the food balanced out these delays, and we all agreed we’d go again.
The Bitches say: Four flutes Delicious fare, if after a long wait. A peaceful option in an otherwise sparsely populated stretch in Tribeca.
The Bennett serves brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Tell AnnLouise to put this on my bitiches list on our next trip to NYC