On the fifth day of my NYC vacation, I was
strolling around Court St. in Brooklyn with my friend, a Big Apple local. It
was about 11, and we hadn't eaten much breakfast, so we decided to stop at a
restaurant for an early lunch before continuing on our way. My friend
recommended a place called Watty and Meg, a restaurant that serves very good
brunch and was close to us. We walked a few blocks till we got to the place,
and then we walked inside.
We were seated comfortably at a clean table
almost at once, and we got our drinks and menus. I studied mine hard. There
were tons of wonderful looking delicacies on the menu; I had a very hard
time choosing. Finally I singled out the Roasted Sweet Potato Soup with
molasses, almonds, and chives, and a side of cheddar grits. My friend chose the
Veggie Huevos Rancheros, since she is a vegetarian. We sat and talked while we
waited for our food, looking around the bustling restaurant. The atmosphere was
nothing spectacular but very pleasant to be a part of. The tables were clean,
and the linen napkins were folded prettily, sort of like origami.
Our food came soon after we ordered it, and we
dove right in. My soup was absolutely beautiful. It was a lovely orange, with
an artistic drizzle of molasses on top, sprinkled with toasted almonds and
snipped chives. It was perfectly smooth, had a very silky, satiny texture, and
was very sweet and creamy. The flavor of sweet potato was not quite as strong
as it could have been, but it was still so good, I forgot that small complaint.
The grits, however, were not so good. They were
watery, absolutely bland, and had a weird separated texture. I almost never
reach for the salt and pepper shakers, but this time I felt compelled to. It
tasted like they just flung grits, water and salt into a pot and cooked it without
experience. Which leads me to another criticism. They said “cheddar” grits on
the menu. Uhhh…where was the cheddar? There was no trace of cheese at all in
that unappetizing gruel. Leave good grits to us Southerners.
I also tasted a lobster omelet, which I adored.
The lobster was cooked well, and the egg was fluffy and creamy.
The service at Watty and Meg was good. Our waiter
was nice to us, and he brought us our food promptly.
So if you’re in Brooklyn and feeling hungry
around brunch time, stop by Watty and Meg. Take it from me—you’ll have a meal
to remember. Just skip the grits. Brooklyn is a long way from New Orleans.
