Want to Gorge on Brunch That You Won't Regret? Try Miriam.

Miriam Restaurant - Park Slope
79 5th Ave., Brooklyn, NY

I've been valiantly tested in the all-you-can-eat brunch challenge, only to fail with a post-prandial stomach ache. I've laughed my way through all-you-can drink brunches only to be knocked out the rest of the day. In New York, the brunch options are too delectable to pass up, but four eggs and a basket of fries later I often question whether it was worth it.

Miriam takes away the grease and the guilt.

We managed to squeeze into the buzzing restaurant without too much of a wait. On the exposed brick of the Israeli restaurant hung bright Moroccan ceramic plates. The large windows let in all the daylight. It was busy but calm and very pleasant.

The best part about Miriams is there were no regrets. Healthy but a bit decadent--as anything is with a dollop of creme fraiche--and fair price for the freshness, Miriam hit the spot in every way. I was able to pop my poached eggs, soak up the yolk with warm flatbread, and wash everything down with a healthy heap of Israeli salad. Even the one breakfast cocktail I ordered was a success, having taken the waitress' recommendation for a fresh summer beverage. (I find that too often breakfast drinks are either too expensive or too boozy, with the aim to get the drinker so sloshed he forgets how awful the concoction tastes.)

I left full (not overstuffed) and happy. And I plan to do it again. 

Savor "Forbidden" Foods At Traif

Traif - Williamsburg
229 S. 4th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211

In getting to the restaurant, my friend and I had gotten delayed by a complicated bus transfer that landed us--lost--in the middle of the most Orthodox Jewish part of Brooklyn. We somehow didn't feel it was appropriate to go up to anyone and ask "Do you know where we can find the restaurant, Traif?"

Traif, the Yiddish word for food that does not conform to the Jewish dietary laws of kashrut, designed its menu off all the most succulent "forbidden" foods. Dinner started off right with an amuse bouche of warm bacon broth. Every plate thereafter seemed to outstrip the former. A tapas restaurant, the waitress highly recommended we order eight dishes among the three of us, but we found that seven was plenty.

The strawberry-cinnamon glazed Berkshire baby back ribs--meat that falls off the bone slathered in a smoky sweet sauce--were my personal favorite. However, fresh mozzarella and beets were elegantly simple.

For dessert, try the round doughnut puffs. They're covered in candied bacon.

Go to Kahve for Scones, Rex for Croissants

Rex Coffee - Midtown West

864 Tenth Avenue (btwn 56th and 57th streets)

New York, NY 10039

Kahve - Midtown West
774 9th Ave. (btwn 51st and 52nd)
New York, NY 10019

Chalkboard Menu at Rex Coffee

Midtown West can be a black hole for New Yorkers.

If you pull up Yelp and search for cafes, the area with the most red pins is Times Square, which also happens to be a special circle of Hell for residents on the weekend. So, too far south and you're in Port Authority territory, too far East and you're in Times Square, too far North and you're in Columbus Circle (or Central Park, which is beautiful but nevertheless a dead zone for food).

Luckily, there are two cute finds for a morning coffee or tea and a breakfast treat: Kahve and Rex. The former leans more on the jazzy, artsy side while the latter has a modern rustic feel (read, Brooklyn) with its wooden counter, mismatched chairs, and blackboard menu.

In both locations the tea selection airs on the side of specialty. The quality difference lies in the treats. For a good scone, try Kahve. The scones at Rex are dry and hard. But for a buttery chocolate croissant that flakes off on your plate, Rex wins by a landslide. As a Greek yogurt fan, I was surprised at how quickly I was devouring the thin plain yogurt they offer at Rex--mostly because their chewy homemade granola became quickly addicting.

And, bonus, a parade of little dogs wandered in and out of Rex with their respective owners. I love sitting at a table watching happy puppies. It makes for a happy morning.