Wedding Brunch at Cornelia, Greenwich Village, NYC

It has been a few days since our last posting, but this does not mean we have not been brunching. The main reason behind our disappearance  was the wonderful Thanksgiving break in Ahmerst, MA (and as great as the turkey was I should not tell you much about it as TG dinner is clearly not a Brunch experience). More interestingly, the weekend before last we went to NYC to attend Pablo's and Vicky's wedding. Since they got married at city hall, the festivities consisted of lunch after the wedding and Brunch the Sunday before. It was a fun event and the the groom's and bride's families were there, as well as a few friend like Ani and myself. Visiting from Spain was Anastasia (which has also made a previous appearance in this blog), from Houston, TX, Gustavo and from Adrogue, via NYC, Mercedes.
Given the size of our party, finding a Brunch spot in Manhattan was a little bit of a challenge. Pablo and Vicky solved this problem successfully by picking Cornelia Street Cafe. This establishment is tucked away in a little street (Cornelia) just off Bleecker in the heart of the Village. Ani and I were assiduous visitors at Cornelia back when we were living in NJ. It is a very relaxed cafe where you can chill out and enjoy great Eggs Benedict and Bloody Marys while taking in the awesome atmosphere of a Sunday morning in the Village. Particularly amusing is the fact that they fully open their windows in Summer and you can take the art of people watching to new heights.

On top of that they offer a very comprehensive Brunch menu, including a Prix Fixe option, which was the usual choice for Ani and I. Luckily for us, the wedding Brunch consisted of such fixed menu. This is what you get: Coffee/Tea, Bloody Mary/Mimosa, a piece of pastry (like the wonderful warm chocolate bread from Amy's Bakery just across the street) and an entree. While people around the table ordered different dishes, the Eggs Benedict and the Quiche were the most popular choices and, as it happened, Ani and I each ordered one of these (can you guess who got the Eggs Benedict???). The Eggs Benedict are just great here. They are usually cooked to perfection (in ~30 times I have been here I can remember only one less than perfect Egg) and covered with a formidable Hollandaise, not too thick, not too runny.  The Bloddy Marys are also very solid and consistent. While they are not the best ever, they are well above average and more than reasonable for the price of the Prix Fixe. Quiches are another one of Cornelia's specialties. They offer a different Quiche of the Day every weekend and they are usually very tasty. In our case, Ani got to enjoy a ham, bacon and cheddar quiche-bomb (there was also a less adventurous vegetarian quiche option). It was served with mixed greens and was more than enough to send you home happy. All in all, this is a great place and a very typical representative of the great Brunch scene that NYC has to offer.

While it is true that you might not be celebrating a wedding every weekend, it pays off to find an excuse to visit Cornelia as often as possible and enjoy life West Village style.