I love a good brunch, but mostly, I love the concept of leisurely dining in the middle of any day. Why do we have to wait for the weekend to call it brunch and invite friends? So unfair. Well, this weekend, I thought why not get our brunch on in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and invite our friend and neighbor Dan Riley (aka "Mr. Dan" to Elisa). So we jumped in the car, picked him up along the way and off we went to Hope & Anchor on Van Brunt Street just blocks away from my other favorite haunt IKEA. But no, today was not for shopping--just eating--and that we did. And it was good.
When I first tried this place after a successful IKEA trip with some mama friends, I knew right away it was up Nacho's alley. It's got a faint hipster vibe, with a solid sweet and savory menu (very important for me at brunch is that they serve breakfast ALL. THE. TIME). In fact, it's probably the closest thing to a Chicago brunch I've found in New York City. And that's saying something. Chicago has the best brunch spots and I would only move there if Nacho promised to take me to brunch every single weekend. Twice. So anyway, afterwards, we literally stepped out the restaurant doors and onto the playground just opposite. Elisa was in heaven and it was the perfect weather to sit and let our big meals digest. Carolina got to crawl around on the artificial turf and we made some idle chatter with other parents nearby. It was a good day.
And then we drove home up the BQE and I got to see one of my favorite views of the city. And this is where I'm reminded that no, I don't live in Chicago. Because as good as today's brunch was (and it was delicious), it was still no Chicago brunch. But then this jaunt home was no Lakeshore Drive either. It was much, much prettier. The skyline of lower Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge, passing under the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Breathtaking really. As Elisa said as we left Red Hook and started home, "Mom, Brooklyn's different." Yes, indeed.
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