From Donuts to Delirium

Do you watch Gossip Girl? I love that show. I am not sure why. I mean, I’m 35 years old, it’s a bit juvenile for me to be immersed in the lives of kids just out of high school, no? That being said, they certainly don’t act like high schoolers. I mean, the characters in the show have sex lives that you would need a flow chart to understand. Everyone has slept with everyone at this point. In the most recent episode, it was rumoured that one of the girls had some kind of venereal disease. If that was true, the show would be cancelled cause everyone would be on their death bed LOL.  Those kids seriously need to be neutered. Yuck! So what does this have to do with the fabulous brunch I had with Mr P at Norma’s, inside the Le Parker Meridien Hotel? Well, in the last couple episodes of Gossip Girl, pretty boy Nate meets his newest love interest there (gotta say, I’m more of a Chuck girl myself).  I couldn’t help but say to myself, “yeah right,” when watching that episode. Like ANY of those Upper East Side twiglets actually EAT at Norma’s… well, not unless they are barfing it all up in the bathroom afterwards, cause the portions at Norma’s are fit for hungry lumberjacks (and me).

One of my favourite sports in NYC is brunch, and Norma’s is the big leagues daaaaahlings. Of all the breakfasts Mr P and I had while on our trip, this was surely the most fun (but Murray’s was the most delicious). It’s expensive, some people would say that its a rip off. But here’s the thing, you can’t expect to go to New York and eat on the cheap all the time. I mean, where’s the fun in that? If you can’t splurge when you’re on vacation, when are you going to treat yourself? Despite our brunch costing a bit over $90, the spread they put before us was a real feast for the eyes as well as the belly. In fact, you might want to skip dinner the night before (yeah, um… no, not me, I’m talking to you girly girls). Oh, and any of you calorie counters? Be afraid, be very afraid. On the good side, all the fat will surely give you a glowing complexion .

All of the food served at Norma’s is very visual. The plates that come out of the kitchen are loaded with vibrant colour. It is almost as much fun checking out what your fellow diners are eating, as it is eating your own breakfast (almost). Pretty much every dish served is worthy of a few “ooohs” and “ahs”– not the kind on Gossip Girl though. The menu is awesome, and it really is hard to narrow it down and decide what to have. All of the dishes sound really fun and inventive. The most outragous choice, however, is the “Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata,” a $1000 menu option which comes with 10 ounces of Sevruga Caviar! Personally, I find eating that much caviar a tad yucky–I like mine in small doses.

My choice was the crispy Belgian waffle. It is typically served with fresh berries and Devonshire cream, I asked for strawberries and banana instead of berries. I like being difficult . It did have a lovely crispy exterior, and was sweet and delicious. The cream it came with was the good stuff, not the cream that you spray out of a can, I’m happy to report.  This was served with the most darling little bottle of extremely fabulous maple syrup. Now, in all honesty, it was no earth shattering waffle. It was not a culinary epiphany by any means, it was just very tasty, very big, very colourful, and it made me feel super happy. I mean, how could you  not smile being served something like this?

Mr P chose a savory option. He had the Melted, Gooey, Four Cheese Omelet. The gargantuan omelet was surprisingly fluffy, and there was definitely no skimping on the cheese. If anything, it may have been a bit too cheesy. It was undoubtedly tasty, but the cheese actually became a bit too much for  Mr P, which is a bit unusual for him. Once again, HH had to come to the rescue . Ah, my work is never done. It came with some cute little new potatoes, a few of them were of the purple variety . Along with the omelet, Mr P was also given some granary toast with butter and jam.

But you know, despite this being plenty of food, I wanted to have the bread basket too. Hey, I’m on vacation okay?!? Actually, there was no actual bread in the bread basket, just sweet baked goods. Included in this selection of carbs were a very moist and super delicious orange and cranberry cake slice, very zingy! There was a tasty blueberry streusel muffin that looked like a little panettone, banana bread, a yummy cinnamon apple raisin mini muffin, and there was a fairly decent croissant, by American standards that is. Sorry guys, but you just don’t get the croissant so well; they are never the right crispy, flaky texture– maybe I just don’t know where to find them though, so let me know where you recommend. Anyway, for the most part, that “bread basket” was pretty marvellous.

Before going to New York, I did a bit of research on Norma’s and read a few reviews. I’ve read a lot of good and bad things. All I can tell you is that as long as you go in there planning to spend money, you will have fun. Our service was a little slow, but it was manic. Our waiter with the funny mushroom haircut, was more than accommodating. As for complaints I’ve read that the ridiculously overpriced freshly squeezed orange juice ($9!) is forced on you, that just was not true; and yes, we both had a glass. Refills are free though, if that makes any difference.

If you are visiting New York, I highly recommend Norma’s for a fun splurge on the last day of your visit. It is a great place to bring any little kiddies too, as Norma’s is very family friendly. It is just pure fun, and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a few pounds on your thighs. This is a real girdle buster of a meal, that’s for sure. Happily, despite the giant portions, there was absolutely no skimping on quality. My only advice is DO make a reservation. Also, keep in mind that they only serve breakfast and lunch.

Overall score for Norma’s: 8/10