Henrietta's Table, Cambridge, MA

Last week the The Quest for the Perfect Brunch turned one year old. And we wanted to celebrate in style. Where else could we go than to Henrietta's Table, the mother of all brunches in the metro-Boston area????
Henrietta's has been awarded "Best brunch in Boston" by the Improper Bostonian for the past 10 years. And rightly so. The all-you-can-eat buffet is decadent and fresh, covering a raw bar (all-you-can eat oysters!, shrimps, smoked salmon and gravlax); a grilled vegetable and salad station; a nice variety of local and imported cheeses, terrines and pates; pastries; several hot plates (including eggs Benedict, pasta, fish, chicken and beef), made-to-order omelets and a luscious dessert table.

You can have as much as you want of any of this, plus unlimited

OJ and coffee for the not so moderate amount of $45. The secret

is to skip dinner the night before and the night after and pack up three meals in one! We ate so much that we couldn't even think of eating anything else for the rest of the day. Not only did we have our favorites ---Diego had one egg Benedict (now he is complaining he should have had more!) and I indulged in at least one quarter pound of lox on a bagel with scallion cream cheese--- but we also tried steak, goat cheese and mushroom pasta, waffles, pates, potato and caesar salads, peach cobbler cheesecake, and countless of other things.

Henrietta's also has a very interesting and complete menu of cocktails and wines. But, as much as we would have enjoyed a Bloody Mary or a Strawberry Rhubarb Martini we had to keep our budget under control... Maybe next year if, when we celebrate the second anniversary, we are also celebrating a higher income! In any case, the free flowing coffee (a bit on the light side if you like strong roasts) and OJ kept us hydrated throughout.

It is not only that the food is tasty, fresh and

made from local and organic ingredients. The ambiance of the restaurant is that of a sun-filled New England farm, relaxed but elegant. The servers are quick, efficient, unintrusive and very friendly. And, with so much food around you can sit back and enjoy a paced, quiet and long meal without being rushed out or bothered by endless churn.

And there's always the casual celebrity sighting...this time we had Rene Russo brunching a few tables from us.

So, is this the perfect brunch? Well if it's not, it comes in pretty close. They have everybody's

favorites and then some. And they even have outdoor seating (although this last weekend with the record heat wave, outside seating was a big no-no!) and a relaxing atmosphere. Who said money doesn't solve it all? Unless, of course, you are on a budget..., or your brunch favs are pancakes (I guess it is just impossible to make them to order and get them right each time), or like your bennys straight out of the kitchen, or you don't live in MA...

The quest lives on!

Extra Virgin, New York, NY

Last weekend we found ourselves in NYC, the brunch capital of the world. Of course, we were not about to miss a great opportunity to explore another great spot (after our Friday escapade to Clinton Street Baking Co.) and meet up with friends. Therefore, we decided to go to a place that had been recommended to us by several NYC locals. Our Saturday destination was Extra Virgin. We called up our NYC based friend Luciano and headed towards the West Village.

We arrived quite early, 20 minutes before noon, but still all outside seating was taken. It was really a shame, as this is actually the highlight of this establishment. It is a place to see and be seen (as we were leaving, we saw Liv Tyler having brunch in the restaurant next door....Maybe that is the real place to see and be seen.... :) ). Having expected this situation, we were very happy that it was not to crowded inside and talked to the hostess about a table for three. Even though she did not seem busy at all, it took her around 10 minutes to pay us some attention and actually take us to a table.

Once we sat down we ordered coffee and OJ and went through the menu. It was pretty varied with all your brunch fundamentals plus some interesting salads and sandwiches. Luciano and I went old school with Eggs Benedict and Ana had some Yogurt and Granola. Although food was tasty, it was nothing to write home about. More notable was the very impersonal attitude we got from the waiters. Also, in more than one occasion, they tried to clean our table and pick up our plates while we were still eating! Bizarre...

Overall, I have to say it was a pleasant experience and the outside sitting is great for a nice summer morning. Having said that, New York is a city where there is no shortage of cool brunch spots, so I am sure you'll have no problems finding another establishment that's as cool and where the attentions is more considerate and the food more memorable.

Clinton Street Baking Co. & Restaurant, New York City, New York

We had been warned. "Last time I was there, I arrived two hours (15 minutes) before opening time, at 6am (8:45am), and even then there was already a waiting list of one and a half hours..." Pablo said. "But", he continued "they were the best pancakes I have ever tried". We thought we would beat the hordes if went to Clinton Street Baking on a Friday instead of during the weekend. We were partially right, since we only waited for 45 minutes. As Pablo had said, the pancakes were pretty amazing. So much so, that they serve them all day long, not just for breakfast.

The pancakes come in three varieties: blueberry (Diego's choice), banana walnut (mine) and chocolate chunk. At first sight they all seem to be the same except for the toppings: A stack of three perfectly fluffy but succulent pancakes with a barely-there -but very important- crust. This, I believe signals that a fresh batch of butter is used for every pancake, and really adds to the pancake-eating experience. As it happens, in between each pancake -specially nearing its center- there is a large spoonful of topping. It is not exactly clear whether this "filling" comes in the batter or is added afterwards. That does not really matter; it is a welcomed surprise to find that filling after the first couple of forkfuls.

Both Diego and I were very happy with our respective

choices. Diego argued that his was best because the blueberry preserve added some moisture to an otherwise dry plate. However, that's not exactly true. Instead of the traditional maple syrup, the pancakes come with a heavenly maple butter. The rich texture accomplishes what most syrups fail to do: adding a little bit of sweetness without feeling that you are pouring caramelized water.

To ease all this down we had iced latte and OJ (Diego), cafe con leche and a sparkling rhubarb-mint lemonade (Ani). The iced latte and lemonade were huge and clearly we did not need as many drinks. However, they were delicious and the lemonade super original. We barely took a sip while eating the pancakes, but we then realized we needed liquid if we didn't want to roll out of the place.

Of course, pancakes are not the only items in the menu. There are different breakfast combinations, french toast, several egg-based plates, granola and potato pancakes. Probably next time's strategy will to share some pancakes and try one of the other fares. We will surely be back.

Sorella's, Brookline, MA

Hi! We took a month off.... After six brunches in May we decided we needed a break! (plus, my parents were here and Diego went to Europe). But, we are back.

Last Saturday we woke up craving pancakes. The day was beautiful so we hop on our bikes and rode to Jamaica Plain. We had our minds set in Sorella's, ranked no. 13 in the list of America's best pancakes. As in every occasion we go to Sorella's, there was some excitement as to whether we would beat the early closing time; sometimes at 1:30pm, sometimes at 2pm.

We made it there with plenty of time to carefully consider each option of the many daily specials.

A blackboard on the floor lists at least four types of special pancakes, and a whiteboard on the wall

describes the omelets of the day. On top of that there is an impressively regular long menu of pancakes, waffles, french toasts, burritos, sandwiches and all kinds of breakfast fare. And we also had time to notice a small sign on our table newly advertising their freshly squeezed orange, grapefruit and carrot juices. Diego had a freshly squeezed OJ (you also have the option to ask for the bottled one) and I order half OJ-half GJ.

I don't think there will be a day when we'll try something from the regular menu.... the specials are always tempting, varied and fun. In addition, you can order them with or without toppings;

usually a mound of whipped cream, fresh fruit and a "twist" (i.e. nutmeg, caramelized cranberries, nuts, etc). The copious toppings, however, are relatively expensive, specially as compared to the inexpensive and abundant plates ($6 for the pancakes/toast/waffle, $3 for the extra topping), so we chose wisely: I ordered mine with it, Diego's without, and we shared.

So, what did we order? Diego had the macadamia nut pancake with banana and raspberry. Because he didn't have any wet toppings, he lusciously poured watered-down syrup on them Someone at a neighboring table brought their own syrup, so clearly this is not the highest point of Sorella's. But the pancakes are light, fluffy and tasty. I had corn bread (oh yeah!) french toast;

two awesome, huge, crisp on the outside, crumbly on the inside slices of no-sugar added cornbread topped with whipped cream (slightly runny for my taste), fresh strawberries and caramelized cranberries. Diego helped with the toppings, but my plate was too large even with Diego's help, and I had to leave some :(.

Sorella's is definitely a great place for brunch. Some outside tables would make it even better, specially for those that, after 50 minutes of biking on a beautiful summer want to sit down, replenish calories and enjoy some of the best pancakes in town.