Sweet Sarabeth's

I was all ready to take this weekend by storm...until I went to my annual eye exam yesterday morning.  I thought I would hear the same "Your prescription got worse; you have really bad eyesight" that I hear every other year.  Unfortunate, but I'm used to my near blindness.  Instead, I was told that I have some eye condition I can not pronounce that will require some sort of action.  She probably told me what the next steps would be, but I wasn't really listening as I was fixated on the fact that my doctor confiscated my contacts.  No contacts for at least a week?!  I can think of nary a worse fate.  I feel less sexy librarian and more four-eyed dorkus having to wear my glasses 24/7.  Not only do I feel less than cute in my glasses, I found them highly inconvenient since it was a disgusting day and not easy to see through rain-splattered specs.

I was in a sour mood (still am, clearly) and I find the best way to lift my spirits is with brunch, which I conveniently already had on the calendar with Mallory.  In all her time in NYC, Mallory had never been to Sarabeth's and we both agreed it is a rite of passage.  We both started with the four flowers mimosa, which is made with orange, pineapple, banana, and pomegranate juices.  Mallory had already studied the menu, so she knew she would be ordering the country breakfast (scrambled eggs, cheese grits, bacon, roasted red pepper sauce, and her choice of pastry - she went with pumpkin muffin).  Considering I had been to Sarabeth's several times, I figured I didn't need to review the menu beforehand - after all, I always order the Goldie Lox (scrambled eggs with lox and cream cheese).  But once I sat down, I realized it was a good day to mix it up - perhaps the glasses made me a little frisky.

I decided it was time to order something completely different and I'm thrilled I did because I have a new favorite breakfast dish.  I'm more of a savory breakfast/brunch eater but I always like the idea of the sweet items on the menu, like pancakes and waffles.  This dish combines the best of both.  The crisp potato waffle had a smooth texture and deep niches to hold the sour cream and chunky apple preserves I slathered on.  Sarabeth's is famous for their preserves so I always like to make sure they come with whatever I order.  The dish also came with two large links of chicken apple sausage that were full of flavor.  I feel like this dish could replace the latke meal at Chanukah.  It packed in all the same flavors but in a different form.

As always, Sarabeth's pleased the palate and made me forget my optical worries and the dreary weather. It is indeed a rite of passage for New Yorkers so make sure it's on you low-key breakfast list.