Brunching in the LES

On Sunday, I met Elaine and Joy for brunch. We had planned on going to the infamous Shopsin's in the LES, but forgetting to do our due diligence, we arrived at 11:30 (early for NY brunch) to find it closed! Luckily, the LES does not lack great, cheap brunch places. We headed over to Alias, per Elaine's suggestion and got a table right away. The restaurant is cute, clean and not obnoxiously loud, which is something I hate about popular brunch places. What's the point of eating with friends if you can't even hear what they're saying? The Alias brunch menu had a definite Southern influence. Normally, I order a savory brunch dish on the healthier side in an effort to redeem myself for all the alcoholic calories I fed my body the night before. However, one glance at the menu and I knew I would order the waffle and fried chicken.....and a side of mac n' cheese. Maybe it was the delicious smells of fried goodness wafting through the restaurant or the fact that I was wearing my fat pants (re: stretchy leggings) but I knew what I wanted without any hesitation.

I also ordered coffee, which turned out to be bottomless because the waiter must have refilled it at least 5 times during our meal. It helped revive me and then some.

I spooned the bowl of fruit compote that came with the dish onto the corn waffle and drizzled with maple syrup. I'm not sure what kind of fruit it was, but it tasted bland and mushy. I think it's some mixture of apples but it resembles tofu in the picture, doesn't it? The waffle was soft and tasted like corn, which seemed healthier than normal waffles. Although any healthiness was voided by the crispy, tasty fried chicken. And yes, I ate it with ketchup.

We shared this side of mac n' cheese. It was warm, creamy, cheesy and the perfect accompaniment to my waffle and fried chicken.

Elaine ordered fried chicken which came with cole slaw and a honey butter biscuit. She substituted the cole slow for grits. The grits were a little bland for my taste. The biscuit was whole wheat and delicious with the honey butter, but what isn't delicious with honey butter??

Joy ordered the meat lover's burrito. It was massive and filled with a whole mess of meat, potatoes, avocado and cheese. I think there was pork carnitas in it which really stood out. I don't usually like breakfast burritos but this was so yummy, I kept stealing bites.



Restaurants mentioned:
Shopsin's
120 Essex St.
New York, NY 10002

Alias Restaurant
76 Clinton St.
New York, NY 10002