North Street Grille, Boston, MA

This past weekend we channeled our inner tourists and went for a walk around some of Boston's best known sites: the waterfront, the financial district, the North End.... but when brunch time came we realized that while sightseeing with the crowds had been fun, brunching with them would be a complete different business. So, we headed to the North Street Grille, an austerely decorated eatery just around the corner from Paul Revere's house, but where mostly locals seem hang out.

The NSG has a very long brunch menu, with a "build-your-own-omelet" section, inventive

omelets such as the crab and avocado, lobster and truffle oil, or caprese with olive oil, several Bennies, steak, pancakes, French toast -all with some twist. For example, as appetizers they have French Toast sticks, with sweet cream or Nutella dips (I'll have them next time). They also have a long list of morning cocktails, but the fully stocked bar can handle any orders.

The staff is very friendly too, albeit a bit spacey. They forgot to bring the brunch specials menu (we could have found out earlier that they had a prix-fix... but with the long and creative regular menu it was not a big deal), some muffins while waiting (a couple of other tables got them as they were served water), and the brunchers next to us had to go get their own silverware.

All in all, however, it was a pleasant and relaxed experience. And the food was good too. Especially my order. I had a side of homefries ($3) and a fruit cup ($6.5). The table next to us had a really large bowl (more than a pound, I'd say) of fresh-looking fruit salad and I was really convinced that they had all ordered fruit and the three cups were brought together. But then I see the server bringing the same huge bowl just for me! That was a great surprise. All the fruits were just cut and in season: honey dew, cantaloupe, strawberries, watermelon and banana. Delicious. The homefries were also excellent: crispy on the outside, mashy on the inside. They were seasoned with paprika, but they could have used some salt in their preparation.

Diego went the more adventurous route and decided to build his own omelet. He opted for

maple ham, mushrooms, asparagus and mozzarella (with a side of fries, of course). The mozzarella was melted on top, as in a Croque Monsieur, which was a nice touch, except for the fact that the eggs were pretty dried and they could have used some moisture inside. As with Metropolis, Diego again complained that the omelet ingredients were not "one with the eggs". This leads me to believe Diego may not know the difference between an omelet and a frittata! Regardless, Diego said North Street Grille's omelets were immensely better than the South End locale.

This may not have been the perfect brunch, but for a nice and relaxed experience right in the heart of one of Boston's hottest tourist attractions, it could have not been better.