As I mentioned a few months ago, Rene recently moved into a new place - one in the much sought after neighborhood of Cobble Hill, no less. Sure, it’s not very glamorous to live with three roommates, but it’s still lucky that he found it. There are so many amazing places to brunch (or lunch, or dinner) in the area that I don’t even know what to do with myself sometimes. I secretly think that the universe has aligned just so, so that this pristine neighborhood could taunt me with its limitless restaurant possibilities on a regular basis. Universe = 1. Me = 0.
Okay, JK. Let’s just file this under #firstworldproblems.
The weather this past Saturday was gorgeous and in the morning we headed out for what turned out to be a very saturated day - it included strolling through the shops on Atlantic Avenue, passing through the West Village to Chelsea, briefly paying the Highline a visit, ending up at Herald Square and taking the PATH train to Hoboken, coming back to the city and topping it all off with jazz at Fat Cat. Yeah, I guess you could say we were out for a good time. But before all that, we fueled up at Chez Moi, a charming French bistro on Atlantic.
Chez Moi is a stylish space with subway tile on the walls and floral arrangements strewn throughout. The restaurant was practically fully seated, which is usually a good sign, and luckily, we didn’t have to wait for a table. The menu featured all the brunch standards - the croques, the benedicts, the pancakes. I went with the croque madame as always and Rene chose eggs Norwegian.
It’s hard to be disappointed with a croque madame, since it has everything you’d want from a hearty brunch - saltiness, carbs, cheese and a fried egg. This sandwich was creamy without being soggy, and I could not get enough of that sharp Emmental cheese. My only complaint is that the accompanying roasted potatoes were poorly seasoned.
The brunch competition on Atlantic Avenue is, no doubt, stiff. But Chez Moi can evidently hold its own and I can see myself going back there for another leisurely meal soon.
