Brunch at The Brooklyn Public House

Brooklyn Public House (247 DeKalb Ave., between Vanderbilt & Clermont, 347-227-8976) is an Irish pub, complete with Van Morrison on the stereo, wallpaper in cream & burgundy and Irish flags scattered about. There's exposed brick, hanging flower pots, and red leather booths that add to the homey and cozy quality of the space. The Sunday papers are available for patrons to peruse while dining, and there's seating in the bar area or in a separate room in the rear. On this visit, my friend and I sat in the window and enjoyed the sunshine in what felt like our own private nook.

I was tempted by the Pumpkin Pancakes and found them to be quite good. They were fluffy and moist, with a subtle pumpkin flavor that did not overwhelm. I thought the few lettuce leaves on the side an afterthought, and wished instead I'd had some slices of apples or a few berries. The maple syrup seemed real though, but that minor change would improve the situation greatly.



I also got a side of bacon with my pancakes. The strips were meaty and nicely cooked, but I found them to be a bit bland. Something more smoky or spicy would have been tastier and would have provided a nice counterpoint to the sweet pancakes.



My friend chose to get the Crabcake Eggs Benedict with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. (Look at her awesome multi-colored sweater in the background!). This dish does not look appetizing to me. The red pepper sauce looks too neon and weird. The crabcakes were good though - dense, moist and flavorful, as were the potatoes - nice and crisp, although they needed some more seasoning. Again, the three limp leaves of lettuce was forgettable. Either don't give me any, or give me a handful and some balsamic and call it a side salad.



It was a decent Brunch, and I'm interested to see what they do for dinner, but I'm not about to rush back there. Anybody been and want to let me know how it was? It might just be a better bet for beers - they've got 20+ on tap and maybe twice that in bottles.