On this warm Saturday morning, Josh and I ventured along 9th Ave. in search of a good brunch. I had read about Robert Passon’s all you can drink brunch on Wined and Dined where it said that an additional $8 can get you a variety of unlimited alcoholic brunch drinks such as bloody marys, bellinis, mimosas, and more. When we passed the restaurant, however, we saw that the price for the drink add-on had risen to $13. Boo. With entrees averaging around $8, $21 is not outrageously expensive for all you can drink brunch, but $5 is still a pretty hefty increase percentage-wise.
Nevertheless, we were still prepared to go in but we overheard the hostess telling the couple in front of us that the credit card machine was broken so they were only accepting cash. Not having cash on hand, we left the restaurant and continued down the street looking for another place to brunch.
We walked by Gossip Bar, which from the outside looked like a fairly standard bar/grill. It didn’t seem like a typical brunch place but they had a sign out front advertising their brunch specials, including $4 bloody marys. Sold!
The bar was pretty empty so Josh and I snagged a comfy leather booth in the front and promptly ordered two bloody marys while we perused the menu. Their brunch offerings aren’t extensive but they also have burgers/sandwiches/salads available from their lunch menu. Our drinks arrived shortly and we placed our food order with the bartender who was also functioning as the waitress. The bloody marys were terrific – well seasoned, spicy, and packing a nice alcoholic punch. I liked that there were visible pieces of grated horseradish floating around, as that is my favorite part of a bloody mary.
Spicy and strong bloody marys
While we waited for our food we watched some of the Little League World Series and parts of Ted Kennedy’s funeral procession on the big screen TVs behind the bar. A runner brought by a basket of mini corn muffins that we nibbled on. They were sweet and warm but fairly standard. It was more of a nice gesture than anything else, since you usually don’t expect to get any kind of bread basket at a bar.
Warm mini corn muffins
Our food arrived a short while later and we got another round of bloody marys. I opted for the Gossip Eggs, which were smoked salmon eggs benedict with spinach on english muffins topped with hollandaise sauce. The smoked salmon was delicious, not too salty or oily, and the spinach was a nice addition that worked well with both the salmon and the hollandaise, and pulled everything together. The eggs were perfectly poached and the english muffins were toasted and crunchy. There were also roasted potato home fries on the side that were nicely seasoned but a bit too mushy in texture.
Gossip Eggs with smoked salmon and spinach
Josh had two eggs over easy with grilled tomato, bacon, sausage, home fries, and white toast. It was a huge plate of food and all very tasty and well cooked, though his home fries had the same texture issues as mine. Maybe next time we’ll ask if they’ll let us substitute French fries instead.
Eggs over easy with bacon, sausage, toast, and home fries
The Gossip Bar really was a surprisingly good find. Like I said, it doesn’t look like much from the outside but inside it’s open and airy and elegantly decorated. It’s definitely a more upscale bar than the standard dives and pubs that we’re used to. The food was really delicious and the drinks were strong and tasty. I’ll definitely be back here for brunch, and maybe lunch or dinner. I saw a few sandwiches passing by us with huge piles of freshly cut skin-on fries that I’m eager to try out. The atmosphere was just really mellow and I could absolutely see myself hanging out here in the future.
Gossip Bar & Restaurant
733 9th Ave. between 49th and 50th St.
New York, NY
Tags: Bars, Brunch, Eggs Benedict, Midtown West, Smoked Salmon