I have been home for two weeks; yet, I am still writing about my trip in April to New Orleans, Boston, and New York. This post will wrap up my trip, and what better way to finish than with a post about brunch.
Brunch is one of my favorite pastimes. I almost never turn down an offer to go to brunch, and there are plenty of opportunities to do so in DC. However, if there is one place that takes brunch just as seriously as DC, it would be New York. DC and New York brunches tend to look different, as DC focuses more on bottomless brunch, but both places are well-known cities to get an eggcelent brunch. As this was my first time in NYC, I absolutely had to get a taste of their brunch.
I woke up Saturday morning with a mind, body, and spirit ready for brunch. We chose to check out Mudspot, a cafe/restaurant in the East Village. I took my first ever NY subway ride to get to my first NY brunch.
Prior to this trip, I really didn’t know too much about NY other than what I have seen on TV shows and movies. Yet, the East Village was very much what I thought it would be like, which is very hipster.
This brunch spot was hipster to a tee, down to the dress of the employees. I rather liked the open window restaurant front concept that I saw in a number of places on the trip. We got here just after a rainstorm, so the air smelled fresh. The design and atmosphere of the restaurant, as well as the menu itself were also very hipster.
Their brunch menu offers a fairly great deal for NY. For $21, you get coffee, a mimosa or beer, and a brunch entree. The coffee they give you is no joke. It’s their own coffee that you can get up front in their cafe or even order online. This was high-quality coffee, and they give you a huge mug that almost felt like a mini individual pot of coffee. The caffeine dependence in me was very happy. The mimosa was served in the most hipster way possible, which is in a mason jar. It was a good mimosa, but those are rather hard to screw up unless you don’t put any champagne in it.
As far as an entree, I was very excited to try the mud burrito. This breakfast burrito had scrambled eggs, rice and beans, queso fresco, pico de gallo, and guacamole served in a whole wheat tortilla with a side of sour cream and “cowboy chipotle sauce.” I don’t know what was in that sauce other than chipotle. I would have liked it to be a tad bit smokier, but it was a rather good sauce that complemented the burrito nicely. The dish came with a side salad, which was meagerly dressed, so I jazzed it up with some of the cowboy sauce.
What I appreciated about this burrito was how well-constructed it was. There was a thick layer of eggs, which created a barrier for the more wet ingredients in the middle. The tortillas was well crisped and didn’t get soggy. All the burrito fillings were delicious and melded well together. I was happy to get some delicious protein in me to take on the day ahead.
On that day, that meant trying to get in some more sights before we would hop onto a train back to DC. Right after brunch, Andrew parted ways with Chris and me. He was going to take a bus to see his family in PA for Easter. Chris and I would continue to venture in NY with his friend and former co-worker, James, who happened to be in NY for the same weekend. Our first stop was to see Grand Central Station.
I have only see Grand Central in movies, but it always seemed like a sight I would love to visit. After seeing it in person, I can say that it is just as exquisite (if not more) than I imagined. High ceilings, beautiful architect, fancy stairwells, gorgeous artwork, all wrapped up into one multifunctional space (that being an actual train station, a tourist spot, a marketplace, etc). I enjoyed walking around and seeing everything inside, especially Grand Central Market.
From there, we decided to take a walk. We were exited to see the Chrysler building right in front of us. It was a foggy day after the rain, but it still impressed me to no end that this building was so tall that you couldn’t see the top of it. New York has some amazingly tall buildings.
We also walked to the edge of Manhattan to see the United Nations building. I was glad we did that. After all those years of studying the UN as an International Studies building, it was cool to see the headquarters. Obviously we couldn’t go in and explore, but I enjoyed just being in its presence.
I quite enjoyed my first trip to NYC. Once I move to Boston, I imagine I will be taking some more weekend trips to the city. It is impossible to see New York in just over 24 hours, but I had a great introduction.
*This post reflect my honest views. I did not receive any compensation or other incentives to post this review.
Mudspot
307 E 9th St.
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-9074
Catie Cooks 