Brunch at The People's Republic of Brooklyn

** Austria Wine Month started a few weeks ago and continues until November 22. Restaurants in Brooklyn and Manhattan will be offering special prix fixe menus, pairings and select rare Austrian wines by the glass. Boozy NYC has the complete list.**

Some technical difficulties have delayed today's post. Thank you for being patient!

Intrigued by the menu hung in the window, I ventured with some friends to The People's Republic of Brooklyn (247 Smith St., between Douglass and Degraw, 718-522-6100, in the former Sapodilla space) the other morning to check it out. As we walked in, we were told we were the second group of "victims" for brunch that day. Har har! It was a gorgeous morning and there was no way I was staying in the dark dining room, so we were escorted out back to the sun-drenched yard. We ordered coffee and orange juice. When the coffee arrived sans juice, I was told the juice would be a little bit longer. "Oh", I wondered, "Is it fresh squeezed"? "Um, it's going to be a little longer" was the mysterious reply. Weird. I was getting nervous about what the food would be like.

I was soon reassured. My friend ordered the Fritatta with Spinach & Mushrooms and an Eggplant Remoulade on top. It was quite tasty, with the contrasting flavors of the creamy eggs and the tangy remoulade.



My boyfriend and I split a savory dish and a sweet dish. I started with an order of three-eggs, over-easy, with bacon and potatoes. The eggs arrived sunny-side up, but were cooked well, with no runny whites. The potatoes were well-spiced with herbs and peppers mixed in, making them more wet than crispy, but the portion was small. We also were only given one slice of bacon. It was thick-cut, but it would've been nice to get two slices.



For our sweet dish, we chose the Banana & Chocolate Chip Pancakes. These were perfect. Just the right amount of chips were added for a touch of chocolate, along with slices of banana. They were fluffy and a good size as well. A few berries on the side added a refreshing burst of juice and clean sweetness.



The place was empty when we arrived at 11am, just as they opened, but it was packed by the time we left. There was also live music inside at that point; a woman on the Cajon and a guy on Guitar, playing a lively Samba. They've only been open a few weeks, and still have a few kinks to work out, but all in all it was a nice meal. Especially with that backyard!