Sunburnt Calf

(Telephone conversation with Mother)
Mom: So what did you do on Sunday?
Me: B, A, K and I went to brunch. An all you can drink brunch.
Mom: A what?
Me: Moooom, it's a thing. You go to brunch, get mediocre food and drink because you didn't drink enough the night before.
Mom: Oh. That's nice.

After going to bed at 4:30am Sunday morning, my roommates and I dragged ourselves out of bed to venture to the Upper West Side to the Sunburnt Calf. Our friend, K, who sat at the bar waiting for us received free shots while she stealthily held 4 stools at the counter just in case a table wasn't available. Luckily we arrived as the restaurant opened at noon and the lovely Australian man sat us in the 'conservatory' in the back of the establishment. 3 things were noted upon entering said room:
1. It was loud, no sound absorption anywhere
2. The roof is glass, the fans hang below the ceiling so when the blades swirl around I had the feeling I was stuck at the bottom of some jail pit with the shadow of a fan disappearing and reappearing on our table.
3. There were exactly 3 men in the room. There were approx. 20 women, give or take.

I guess men don't brunch. They should. It's a chance to dress in a cute outfit on a fall day, meeting your friends and giggle and gossip about the party you went to last night. Oh wait. I get it.

Our waitress leaned in upon introducing herself and as if this was for our table only she said, "It's a 5 drink limit...but we don't really keep track." Cue the predicted snickering. As much as I didn't want to drink, I did. I received my moomosa (yes, for a split second I thought there was milk involved, I know you did too) and was happy. Every time my glass got half-way empty, there was our Australian waitress refilling it from a pitcher.

For my meal I diverted from the usual sweet pancakes or french toast that I so love and opted for an English muffin with salmon, a poached egg, and avocado. It was served with leafy greens and french fries (much to B's happiness; she didn't get any with her eggs. On this note, B is a vegetarian and there were virtually no vegetarian friendly foods offered.) I was most impressed with K's pancakes which turned out to literally be sliced cakes. Yes, I did get a little pang of jealousy when she received that. The food was basic and filled my stomach but I would not return for the food.

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After we swayed out I subtly mentioned that they needed to just 'see' the cookie place that I love so much. Ok, ok, you caught me, I knew their knees would buckle and mouths would salivate upon seeing this place. If this reaction doesn't occur, we cannot be friends. A and I descended the stairs to Levain saying we would split a cookie. The healthy K and the sweet-hater B, said they would wait outside. That lasted 2 minutes. They were down those stairs ordering a cookie fast then you can say 'can I have a glass of milk with this?'

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All in all, it was a wonderful Sunday.

Calexico

1 week ago, roommate: I want a burrito so bad. We should go to Calexico.
Me: What is that?
A: THE MOST AMAZING PLACE EVER

Friday, Me: Where should we go to dinner?
A: I'm not sure
Me: Why don't we got to Five Leaves
A: That's a great idea, because then tomorrow we can go to Calexico
Me: What is that again?
A: THE MOST AMAZING PLACE EVER

Saturday, All day, A: I'M SO EXCITED FOR CALEXICO I'M NOT EATING ALL DAY

Alas, after having a beer at the Brooklyn Brewery A, B & I made our way to Calexico to chow down on some Mexican food. It was quickly decided that A & I would have the white wine sangria (I was a little disappointed there was no red wine available) and B would have her favorite margarita.

And not surprisingly we all honed in on exactly what we wanted:

A: BAJA FISH BURRITO beer battered cod, spicy slaw, mango salsa, chipotle "crack" sauce  (no beans or pico de gallo)

B: TOFU ASADO TACOS grilled chile-lime tofu,  avocado salsa, pico de gallo

Moi: CHICKEN ENCHILADA slow cooked chicken and bacon in a red chile sauce with monterey jack cheese

Although my dish had a little bit of heat to it I thoroughly enjoyed it. A little dish of rice, beans and tomatoes was provided. I could have used a little sour cream but I was too involved with the cheesy enchiladas to look up at our adorable waiter and ask for some. Both B & A had been here before and informed me that the limes that are provided with any dish that calls for limes is severely dry and you're lucky to get any juice from it. A asked for extra crack sauce and it reminded me of Bareburger's chipotle mayo sauce that is ever so addicting. Next time I do want to try the fish burrito or maybe a fish taco. Whenever I feel like having a burrito I head straight to Chipotle and that keeps me full for several days. Perhaps when I am preparing for winter hibernation I'll do that.

We all rolled out fat and happy just missing the rain as we walked down Manhattan Ave. Of course as we passed Peter Pan Donuts A & I ran inside to fetch a honey glazed donut as our snack. So maybe we weren't as full as we thought...  

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