Restaurant Review: Brunch at The Smith

THE SMITH

956 Second Ave (at 50th Street)

The Smith has been my favorite NYC restaurant ever since my first experience a couple of years ago in the East Village location. Every time I bring up this restaurant, Jamie shakes his head and says, "you love that place." He doesn't seem to understand, but luckily everyone else who has been there gets where I'm coming from.When they opened the Midtown East location, I simply couldn't stay away. Weekend visitors gave me the perfect excuse to drag Jamie & company out for an exquisite brunch on Saturday.

The Midtown location is significantly easier to get a table on the weekends. I still always reserve with Open Table, but it's notably less crowded, regardless.

We settled in, and were given the complementary bottles of flat and sparkling water, and sourdough bread. The boys ordered coffee while the girls chose Bloody Marys. Their Bloody Mary is good. Nothing exciting or eccentric about it, but it never disappoints. Entree choices were as follows:

Mushroom Omelet: wild mushrooms, herbs, fontina, home fries

Chicken Sausage + Eggs: spicy corn bread, gravy, home fries 

Croaker: smoked ham, gruyere cheese, sourdough rye, sunny up eggs

Potato waffle Benedict: spinach, caramelized onion 

I ordered the potato waffle benedict - as I do every time I come here. They cook potato pancakes in a waffle iron, and top it off with poached eggs and a spinach/onion mixture. It's a little over the top, and a lot delicious. Next time I've promised myself I will switch from my norm and order the chicken sausage. I also recommend the grits. They add jalepeno and the result is outstanding. I think the photos speak for themselves, if you're looking for a hearty, comfort-food brunch, The Smith is a good go-to.