As an aside, you wanna hit brunch between 11:00-11:30am in NYC. That's the little window of opportunity before peak brunch hours hit, with obviously quite a wide margin of error.
Cute people. Waiters and waitresses had on white aprons, and you'll most likely be sitting next to families, all three generations accounted for, or a group of happy girlfriends.
Cute food.
Those plates look much bigger than they actually are, and portions range from just-right to not-enough. You're looking at the Dutch Style Pancake, a dense, slightly crumbly cake that should perhaps be more aptly named cornbread. Honestly, it was cornbread, albeit a smoother and more delicate version. May I note that the pear slices are more garnish than ingredient - again, cornbread - and the dish lacked a moistness or juiciness that is so necessary in a pancake dish, because breadstuffs as an entrée can get choking dry fast if lacking a pillowy moistness or not topped with some juicy berries or syrups (or surprise me!). The Canadian bacon - very standard - definitely did not do much to ameliorate the situation.
No, I'm not blind. In this case, the syrup doesn't penetrate the breadth of the cake.
I really don't mean to be negative about this dish, because I like cornbread and once I wrapped my head around the fact that I was eating comparatively smooth and delicate cornbread made interesting by the cute pear slices, syrup, and Canadian bacon, I enjoyed it. You're paying $15 for cornbread, but forget that and eat your food.
Let's move onto the steak and eggs in the back. This was one of the just-right and pleasantly cute dishes at Prune, with the steak tender and quite juicy, showcased by your good ol' Swiss potatoes rösti, moist scrambled eggs, and a hefty toasted English muffin. Small items in themselves but together they made a good-portioned entrée with a plethora of tastes and textures. Definitely recommended!
But this one...not so much.
The Sausages and Oysters featured somewhat bland and slightly dry lamb sausage, a strange proportion between bread and stewed tomatoes, and 3 Malpeques. No focus to be seen or tasted, and all in all the flavors just don't go very well together what with the Malpeque being a creamier and less briny sort of oyster whose subtlety was easily eclipsed by the loud vibrancy of stewed tomatoes and the distinctiveness of lamb. Cute platter though, right?
In the back, you're looking at the Monte Cristo. It's essentially a deep-fried turkey and swiss sandwich with fried eggs on the side. Yes, I know that many have lauded this one, but I feel that its tastiness is mostly due to the fact that it's deep-fried, and deep-frying always yields a crunchy deliciousness. In my humble opinion, paying $15 for the taste of deep-fry is steep.
On a more positive note, seeing the number of Bloody Marys coming out of the kitchen meant that they must be pretty good, and both the Spaghetti a la Carbonara and Huevos Rancheros looked hearty. Stick with the classics, and Prune may yet be your favorite hole-in-the-wall brunch place. The neverending line's there for a reason, right?
Experience...3.5 outta 5
Don't go to Prune for brunch when you're sick of your eggs, toast, and bacon (a common mistake). Go to Prune for brunch when you want your eggs, toast, and bacon done differently.
Prune
Chef: Gabrielle Hamilton
54 East 1st Street
New York, NY 10003
Between 1st and 2nd Avenues
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