Share Sunday Morning With Strangers At The Greene Grape Annex

The Greene Grape Annex - Fort Greene
753 Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY 11217

Without looking at the weather report this morning I felt that change that comes with the first crisp morning of fall. And I put on a scarf.

I love scarf weather, not only for the endless ways to redecorate the same old jeans and tee shirt look without effort. To me, fall ends the laziness of summer, where heat and humidity hang too heavily. We are in a grace period of relaxed productivity, able to get out and enjoy the weather before the deep hibernation of winter sedates the city.

And coming to Annex Coffee this morning is yet another indicator of fall. Walking through the streets, people are out an about--in their sweaters and sunglasses--running Sunday morning errands. Here inside the Annex, I'm listening to loud 80s music and sipping a chai tea latte (a real one--not from powder--thank you very much). As I peer over my own laptop at the countless others who have newspapers spread, textbooks cracked, and laptops out, I see the laid-back work environment that connotes a Sunday in Fall.

Maison Kayser's French Breakfast Stands Above Hell's Kitchen Competition

Maison Kayser - Columbus Circle
1800 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
And other locations

Despite locations across the globe in metropolitan areas such as Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Moscow, and New York, this French chain feels like a special local find. I've dined at the Columbus Circle cafe a couple of times, relaxing my own rule of thumb to taste as many of New York's culinary offerings as possible.

On a previous occasion, I sat in the cafe, decorated simply with odes to France, and ordered the Epinards & Chèvre Cocottes. A mini cast-iron pot arrived with a side of peasant bread. The breakfast consisted of egg and spinach drowned in boiling cheese, equaling a rich breakfast of indulgence in one small pot.

Saumon Fumé Tartine

Most recently, I sat outside in the roped-off sidewalk terrace to dine in the summer sun. My breakfast (above) looked just as full of sunshine.

Oeufs Bénédicte

Not a coffee drinker myself, I gravitate toward teas and particularly enjoy a chai latte as a special indulgence. Cafes and coffee shops too often concoct a lazy-man's version from powdered formula that bastardizes the tea and leaves me with a sickly sweet taste in my mouth. Is it too much to ask for steamed fresh milk infused with deep-brewed chai tea? Not at Maison Kayser. This was the perfect cup, garnished with a few shakes of cinnamon:

Chai Latte

Maison Kayser's prices are affordable but not a bargain. For the same $15-20 you could easily stuff yourself with heaps of pancakes or waffles in the depths of Hell's Kitchen and still have some wiggle room for a breakfast cocktail. But personally I don't mind substituting that big plate of waffle carbs for a charming and high-quality French breakfast.

And if you're on the go, Maison Kayser stocks a full boulangerie in the front so patrons can grab a beverage and pastry before heading up to Central Park...or wherever!