Honorable Mention: Cafe Cluny's Breakfast Club

I'm a firm believer in the age-old adage that "everything tastes better when cooked by someone else." Not only that, but I'm also convinced that identical foods (even packaged ones!) mysteriously taste better when eaten out of the confines of one's own home. Whether it's whimsy or scientific fact, Cafe Cluny's breakfast club is the perfect example of a dish that's easy to reproduce but impossible to nail.

Flanked by egg-washed wooden benches and, on this day, an ice cream cart addition, Cafe Cluny straddles one of the quaintest corners in the West Village. The French-ish bistro is reminiscent of what you would suspect a Paris bistro to look like if you had never actually been to Paris - bright and airy, and staffed with mime-looking, Breton striped shirt-wearing servers. Except their outfits are most likely from J.Crew, not Petit Bateau. I've only ever been to Cafe Cluny for brunch, but I hear they pull their weight for lunch and dinner, too, serving ricotta and green garlic pesto stuffed handkerchief pasta (that just sounds delicious) and a supposedly awesome tuna burger.

Cafe Cluny's breakfast club w/ fried egg, lettuce, avocado, tomato and spicy mayo
(I left out of the normally included bacon) - $15

The breakfast club is the model embodiment of brunch - breakfast elements served in a typical lunchtime vessel. Its makings are simple, common provisions likely found in your kitchen, but don't fool yourself into thinking it would taste half as good chez toi. What really brings this brunch megamix together is the spicy mayo. It provides just enough kick to ignite your taste buds for the day. As well, it pulls double-duty as the perfect emulsifier to blend all of the ingredients together into holistic brunch bliss. Another of its high points is the seemingly non-choice you have regarding the bread. Your server won't ask you what type of bread you would prefer (white or brown), alleviating the need for that racist debate of good vs. cardboard. Fewf.

The sandwich comes with a choice of fries or salad. While I'm not big on skinny fries (I'm sure we can all agree that McDonald's has just set the bar too high), they are far better to dip into the surplus spicy mayo than pieces of lettuce.

Overall, Cafe Cluny is a safe bet for any time of day. With a frisée salad on the regular menu (you know how I feel about that), the place isn't the most Plebe out there, but in terms of bang for buck, portion size and reliability, it's par for the course.

Cafe Cluny
284 W. 12th Street
NY, NY
(212) 255-6900
http://cafecluny.com
I don't believe they take weekend brunch reservations via Open Table, but with two dining rooms (and the ice cream cart during the summer), the wait is bearable. Reservations are suggested otherwise.

Honorable Mention: Leméac's French toast dessert

Pas mal

I feel like I've put on weight recently. Rather than be horrified and use my toothbrush for purposes other than dental hygiene, I've decided to take a more positive mental (and physical) approach. As I write this I am looking over the Crete Senese, a Bob Ross painting-like area in Tuscany. Google it. I had a hunk of parmigiano for breakfast (and a bit more for lunch), I won't deny it. Life could be worse than an extra 5 pounds.

Rewind three weeks. Two of my best pals and I are finally in the same area code after weeks of traveling for work (or in my case, to put in some face time with Samburger in D.C.). We decided to reunite at the lovely Leméac on Laurier to fête the belated birthday of B, a trooper of a clothing sales rep who's been peddling her wares on the road for weeks (with only hand luggage, no less!)

I hadn't been to Leméac in years, but as resident restaurant chooser I figured it was a safe bet, and it was. I know they have that Plebe-friendly $25 after 10 p.m. deal, but there was no way we were waiting until the double-digit hours to commence our evening.

We ordered well:

To start:

-Mushroom ravioli with cream sauce, pine nuts and arugula ($15)

-Panko-crusted goat cheese, apple and walnut salad ($12)

Mains:

-Classic tartar ($25 - a bloody fortune for something that does not come with a side, or BMW) with potato puree ($6)

-Truffle oil tartar ($25), which tasted no different than the Classic, with fries ($6)

-Mussels & fries (oddly not on the online menu, unless I'm visually challenged)

The food was nice, don't get me wrong. It just wasn't the type of meal I'd write home - or on the internet - about. For those prices I far prefer either of the Tavern locations (Monkland or Westmount). However, there was one major standout: the famed French toast dessert.

Aside from all the picci, pizza, parmigiano, Prosecco, prosciutto, and all the other P (and other letter) foods I've been inhaling while in Italy, Leméac's French toast dessert is the reason I now need Spanx.

French toast w/ milk jam ice cream and maple caramel - $12

First you have the hunk of bread. I'm inclined to say it's brioche (correct me if I'm wrong). Perfectly charred, perfectly plump, perfectly puffy on the inside - the Pavarotti (RIP) of French toast. Then there's the generous scoop of "milk jam" ice cream. I use quotes because I don't get this whole milk-flavored ice cream trend. I recently sampled NYC's Momofuku Milk Bar's "milk jug" iteration and was equally confused. Call me ignorant, but it tastes like vanilla. Either way, it was ample enough to provide a frosty reservoir in every spoonful of the French toast. To top it off you have the maple caramel - the ultimate hybrid of warm sugars - which cascades over the French toast and pools beneath it. 

My birthday is next month (April 15th, to be exact). Instead of the perennial Loblaws cake, I think I'll opt for Leméac's French toast. Think they'd mind if I just dropped in for dessert? I'll need a table for three - me and my love handles. 

Leméac
1045 Laurier O.
Montreal, QC
(514) 270-0999
www.restaurantlemeac.com
Reservations through OpenTable