A Sunday Brunch fit for more than just the SATC girls

In New York City, Sunday Brunch is an institution. Long before there were four stylish ladies from Sex and the City meeting on a regular basis prompting many others to do the same, brunch was (and continues to be) a tradition of families, post-partiers, and first dates the world over. All the first foods I taught myself to cook were breakfast foods, and I have to admit that brunch is definitely my favorite meal both to eat and to cook. People who visit for an overnight trip are routinely treated with vanilla french toast with fruit, salmon eggs benedict or scrambled eggs with rosemary, a million different kinds of pancakes, bacon, and anything else you can think of.

But this entry is not about the breakfast that I serve (those can come later!). This entry is about a few really amazing places that I have been out to for brunch that put my brunch to shame.

Smorgas Chef - New York, NY - My all time favorite place to go for brunch (although in all honesty, the normal restaurant offerings were not that impressive), the last day Nick and I spent in NYC before our move we started off here. My personal favorite are the Vanilla Waffles that come with Cloudberry (and I always ask for the second one too) and a blueberry/raspberry sauce and of course whipped cream. If you're lucky enough to go to West Village location in the Spring and sit outside, this with a side of Potato au Gratin and some Earl Grey is the perfect start to any NYC morning.

Sarabeth's Kitchen - New York, NY - Not just about the jellies and preserves you see at fancy food stores like William Sonoma, Sarabeth's actually started out as a restaurant in NYC. There's multiple locations now in NY and one in Key West Florida, and all serve up a mean brunch with some of the items including Papa Bear porridge (hot porridge with bananas, fresh cream, raisins and honey), Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes with Fresh Berries, and a Farmer's Omelette with leeks, ham, chunks of potato, and Gruyer cheese.

Strawberry Place - Nyack, NY - A favorite among our friends back home, this little whole in the wall restaurant is known for their breakfasts. Sometimes there's a wait (especially on a nice day on a weekend), but it's well worth it. The breakfast menu is two pages and has pancakes every which way from Tropical offerings to more traditional ones, lots of eggs, and of course, lots of strawberries.

William Penn Inn - Ambler, PA - My Granny lives in Pennsylvania and every time we spend the night into a Sunday morning, we go to Sunday Brunch at the William Penn Inn. With a huge buffet that stretches into two rooms and includes every breakfast food (from fruit to danishes to custom made omlettes) you could possibly want and a great selection of hot lunch and dessert options too, why would you ever consider ordering off the menu they provide too? I'm not normally one to go back for seconds at a buffet, but for this one, I'll usually go for thirds.

Ok, I think I need to go make a killer breakfast now.