Brunch at Cafe Luluc

I love Brunch. Mixing savory and sweet, all the options for easy sharing - it's the best. So we headed to Cafe LuLuc on a recent Sunday (214 Smith St., between Butler St. & Baltic St., 718-625-3815) because they have a good brunch menu and the best pancakes in the neighborhood. It's a bustling, crowded spot on the weekends, so get there early (they're also one of few places that open at 10 instead of 11) or prepare to wait. There is a small bar you can sit at if there's room, to sip a cappuccino with perfect foam while you wait for a table. They usually have various pastries and baked goods you can order while you wait, although the croissant we got was huge and really chewy.

We didn't have to wait long until we were seated and once we ordered our food came out pretty quickly. I got those pancakes I was talking about, which are similar to the ones at the Greenpoint Coffee House; kinda crusty on the outside and wonderfully moist and fluffy inside, but these are within walking distance! They're amazing, and are topped with slices of strawberry and banana. YUM! I was in heaven!



My boyfriend got the Eggs Florentine, two poached eggs on top of English Muffins and spinach and topped with hollandaise sauce. They were perfectly poached, no runny bits at all, and the spinach was fresh and delicious, but the hollandaise sauce was disappointing. It had almost no taste and just ended up being a coagulated skin on top of the yummy eggs. No thanks. The fries are also some of the best around, thin sticks perfectly salted, and the salad is a nice accompaniment to the rich flavors but next time, I think it'll be an omelette, or something sans hollandaise sauce!



We also got a side of bacon. This was on the disappointing side too. It was a bit too greasy and very fatty, not thick cut or smoky like the bacon at many of the other brunch places in the neighborhood. I ate it though, cuz it wasn't awful, it was just less than it COULD be.



I do love it here, and think the brunch is a good deal, particularly if you're in the mood for pancakes. The spinach and goat cheese omelette is great too.