Shauna Eats Sunnyside

woke up this morning with a hankerin for sunday brunch. first, we considered the usual sunnyside suspects:

Rose Restaurant on the north side of queens blvd b/w 44th and 45th sts — typical diner menu with an irish breakfast section. their eggs and omelets are right on the mark, potatoes are notably tasty, and big ups for a solid cuppa’ coffee. they’re consistently reliable and a trusted irish staple in this ‘hood, although some mornings they can get densely packed.

Dave’s Bagels & Grill on the south side of queens blvd b/w 43rd and 44th sts — household consensus is that Dave’s has some great tomatoes, and i’m a fan of their fresh, textured and not overly mayo’d egg salad. usually bustling on weekend mornings, sometimes the line of post-church parishoners and post-pub football fans yields a wait, and seating ain’t so ample. Dave can be rather fickle about delivery, and we’ve been unjustifiably denied by phone on many a famished morning. but being the only bagel joint on the block, he’s certainly earned the right to be stingy. lox, jalapeño, and cinnamon raisin are among the array of cream cheese options, and for traditionalists, the fresh smoked salmon is bangin’.

Foxy’s Diner on the north side of queens blvd b/w 43rd and 44th sts — people love foxy’s. it’s an ‘07 addition to the neighborhood, planted conveniently next to lynch’s funeral home with a glitzy green awning and brunch specials a plenty. my theory is that any busines located next to the dim exterior of a funeral home is gonna seem desirable upon first glance, and foxy’s is certainly trying to maximize on that angle. the diner is big on spectacle, and many of their meal arrangements are served with gaudy swirls of sauce and garnish adorning them menacingly. the problem is that the food’s not great. weak coffee, soft and bland potatoes, undercooked eggs, steeper prices than some of the working-class-friendly establishments in the area, and for the record coming from a maryland crab connoisseur, at no point should a crab omelet brunch special come with imitation crabmeat. this is just deplorable. needless to say, we choose to steer clear.

El Buen Sabor on the north side of queens blvd b/w 45th and 46th sts — B stumbled upon this fluorescently lit colombian bakery one morning on his way to the used books thrift store, intrigued by a stacked glass window display of glazed fruit pastries and cakes and the aroma of café con leche permeating the air… it’s now one of our favorite spots to grab a quick cup and a delightful hand grenade-shaped sweet croissant with turkey lunchmeat and melty cheese. The phantom sugary sweetness within the caverns of fresh-baked bread are like crack…

New Post Coffee Shop on the north side of queens blvd at 40th st — ever since this happened in ‘05, i’ve been rather leery of the new post. i dig hole-in-the-wall joints like nothing else (one of my favorite maryland breakfast diners involves a conestoga chandelier and waitresses who smoke on the job), but i wasn’t sure i could compromise on the negative energy that would likely lurk. however, the mexican specialties finally wore down my caution and i’ve come to trust them for fine, if not particularly notable diner food. usually crowded with good natural lighting and a super-friendly staff, in proper new york fashion the new post just seems to keep it moving. decent coffee and moderately comfortable booths. big fan of their poached eggs on wheat toast.

The Grind on the south side of queens blvd at 40th st — another smoke-and-mirrors café with padded, lofty claims of “espresso and ambiance,” and putting “the bump and grind in your coffee.” catchy, yes. but in our multiple visits, we’ve encountered some furiously weak brews (B has often mused aloud “if they even know how to make espresso”), an inconsistent “dark suzie” crepe that once killed it with crispy edges enveloping fresh strawberries and melty nutella, then thrice disappointed with a soggy shell over gelatinous strawberry jam and nutella, and a yuppie-pretentious angle that may seem off-putting… we admire their non-starbucks approach, and we’re all for start-ups, but for the love of god, back up that bourgy smack with SOME kinda quality.

La Flor Bakery and Café on roosevelt ave at 53rd st — technically in woodside, but still accessible within walking distance or a one-to-two stop subway hop for most sunnysiders, la flor does mexican-italian-french fusion with a small brunch menu done well. i’ve heard raves over their baked goods, and can personally attest to the brilliance of their heavenly bourbon-vanilla french toast and sunnyside-up eggs with steak. quaint ambiance with art-deco broken dishes wall collage and big windows that help you forget that it’s wedged directly beneath the raised tracks of the 7 train. still, the weather hadn’t yet broken 40 this morning, and twelve blocks was a bit of a hike for our lazy sunday vibe.

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…being the visionaries that we are, we opted out of all the aforementioned options and decided to embark on unchartered territory at the shiny new americana spot Pete’s Grill (south side of queens blvd at 39th st).

i’ll admit, i was a bit of a naysayer. the crisp red awnings, the colorful grand opening flags, the spacious parking lot… could they really live up to the visual hype? i swore to B that this could turn out to be another glorified foxy’s imitation crab encounter. but we pressed on…

promptly upon arrival, the waitress waved at the open seats in the pristine and sparkly dining area and invited us to sit anywhere. score. we settled into a table against the wall, though next time i think we’ll aim for a booth. the red-cushioned seats are cute, albeit rigid. no matter. we ordered coffee and the busboy brought big frosty glasses of ice water (it’s the little things, people) before our waitress came to inform us that a *fresh* pot would be done momentarily. score. interesting marketing ploy, i noted, to throw the word “fresh” into the coffee discourse. had she not said it, i might not have thought otherwise… but the very act of mentioning that the coffee would be *fresh* may have just raised my anticipation a degree or two.

upon ordering (i asked for eggs over-easy, the unspoken test of a breakfast chef’s ability, with turkey bacon, potatoes and wheat toast; B ordered pete’s grill deluxe delight, not realizing that his belgian waffle and scrambled eggs came with all three meat options), we were informed that coffee and cups of fresh squeezed orange juice are complimentary before 11am. solid. and the *fresh* coffee was actually pretty good. strong enough, *fresh* as ever, and the busboy was on top of those refills. snaps for efficiency. i overheard yuppie polo dude at the window telling his friend that “the potatoes kick ass,” at which point i swore to be more skeptical of them based on principle alone.

the meal arrival: B’s eyes lit up at the full-plate-sized powdered-sugar doused belgian waffle (“light and fluffy, as promised!”), ginormo spicy sausage (girth does matter), and crisp turkey bacon. the eggs were cooked well - no undercooked white goop to be found, and the yellowy yolks ran with a quickness. our meals were aptly filling and the bill came to $3 less than we recently paid at Rose Restaurant. score. we took a menu to go, and were psyched to see the free delivery option, as well as the inclusion of egg creams … which we will certainly try next time.

all in all, i’ll now say i’m a pete’s grill believer… but if they ever whip out the imitation crab, i’m ghost. until that point, we seem to have found a valuable brunch option to throw into the rotation.