NYC Best French Toast Diaries – Volume 5

Introduction

Weee how are we almost to the end of the year? To date, we have written six diary entries of of NYC’s best pancakes, yet only four for the breakfast dessert that is the French Toast. Oh no! Allow us to remedy this terrible neglect asap with the following fifth volume of scrumptious French Toasts for your brunch dreaming! Enjoy!

Swirls of chocolate babka

Dessert destination: Jack & Charlie’s No. 118, West Village, Manhattan.
Short and sweet story: Chocolate Babka French Toast ($22 + tip/tax). Jack & Charlie’s offers a rare quiet brunch in a part of town that is more commonly known for maddening boozy brunch crowds. Don’t miss the “Chocolate Babka French Toast,” which does not require any maple syrup to sweeten it further.

Where New Orleans meets New York meets Asia

Dessert destination: Kyu, Soho, Manhattan.
Short and sweet story: Banana Bourbon French Toast ($20 + tip/tax). We have previously featured Kyu on this NYC dessert blog – albeit for its dinner desserts. See past review here. Kyu is an equally wonderful proposition for brunch: it’s far less cacophonic, and similar to the dinner offerings, Asian flavours are scattered here and there in the brunch offerings. The Korean fried chicken is a wonderful savoury brunch dish, and for sweet gluttony, look no further than Kyu’s “French Toast” layered with dulce de leche and caramelized banana.

Modern cha chaan teng

Dessert destination: Potluck Club, Lower East Side.
Short and sweet story: Hong Kong French Toast ($18+ tip/tax). Ever had a Cantonese brunch in NYC that is not dim sum? We definitely haven’t, so when we heard about the Potluck Club, we couldn’t wait to visit. Decorated as a nostalgic cha chaan teng of sorts, complete with memorabilia from another era, Potluck Club’s brunch is one of a kind in NYC. The char siew burger was memorable, but we loved the “Hong Kong French Toast” even more. The cloying sweetness from lacings of condensed milk was countered by the salted egg that topped the bread, and which melted into the soft bread.

Vive la tradition

Dessert destination: Balthazar, Soho, Manhattan.
Short and sweet story: Pain Perdu ($23 + tip/tax). NYC is full of restaurants that are impossible to get into. Many of these restaurants are new, but some are years old and yet still garner incredible waitlists. One example of the latter is Balthazar. Unless you visit early, i.e. before 10am, and on a weekday, we do not recommend a visit. This is because you will likely find yourself seated closer to a stranger than to your dining companion, and you will likely loose your voicebox by the end of the meal in the struggle to be heard over the din. But if you visit early, Balthazar’s traditional bistro fare, and its general vibe, is so quintessential old New York that it is difficult to not visit. And if you do visit, its French Toast is just textbook breakfast glory. Thick slabs of brioche bread, sweet, but not saccharine, find a salty counterpoint from bacon strips and a tangy edge from circles of grapefruit.

In celebration of the end of another NYC fall

Dessert destination: The Stone House at Clove Lakes, Staten Island.
Short and sweet story: Peach and Pistachio French Toast ($19 +tip/tax). Over the last seven years in NYC, we have only visited Staten Island maybe twice? Add one more visit to that tiny tally, and this time we ventured deeper into the island to Clove Lakes. Perched at the edge of the lake is the Stone House, and here you can have brunch overlooking a glistening mirror-like lake that reflects a firestorm of autumnal colours. It’s similar to Central Park’s Boathouse, but devoid of tourist crowds and with a serenity that can only be found outside of Manhattan. One day, we would love to return for spring.