Breakfast at Little Purity Diner #2

I had the good fortune of having a recent weekday morning free, and got to have breakfast with a friend of mine at The Little Purity Diner in Park Slope (390 7th Ave. at 12th St.). I so love it there! Big booths line the wall by the windows, tables are in the center of the room and there are stools at the counter near the kitchen. You also get bottomless cups of coffee and you can sit there for what feels like forever, chatting and relaxing, even after you've done eating.

So, I got a bowl of oatmeal, what felt like quite a risk, being that we were at a diner, but it was actually pretty good. Yeah, they didn't have brown sugar or raisins, but they had cinnamon and I could've gotten it with banana. It was pretty thick and substantial, not the runny, gluey mess I was worried I'd be served.



My friend got an egg sandwich with turkey bacon on an English muffin which was really good. Big strips of turkey bacon layered with fried egg, just a tad bit overcooked. Yum!



It's also super cheap at Little Purity, sunny in the mornings, and like I said, pretty quiet during the week (I haven't been there on the weekend to know what traffic is like - anyone care to say?).

Brunch at Dizzy's

In all my years in Brooklyn, I had never eaten at Dizzy's (511 9th Street, at the corner of 8th Avenue, 718-499-1966). I had passed by numerous times only to see crowds of people waiting on the sidewalk, coffees in hand, hoping to get a table soon. There's seating outside, even in chilly weather to accommodate the spillover, as Dizzy's is one of the most popular spots in the area. I met a friend before a work-related meeting we had to go to one recent Sunday, and I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.

First you're given a basket with mini-muffins, scone-type baked goods and small containers of strawberry butter, which sounds weird but is actually quite delightful. Sweet, salty and creamy - how could you go wrong? The little muffins are perfect - just enough to tide you over, but not big enough to ruin your appetite.

On this occasion I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, something I usually don't get. Two eggs any style on corn tortillas with veggie chili (full of beans and corn), topped with tomato salsa, cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. It was so good. It really hit the spot in that very satisfying, hearty way. The eggs were perfectly runny, the salsa was flavorful and the tortillas had been warmed up.



My friend ordered an Omelette by Design - egg whites only for her - and a side of turkey bacon which was surprisingly tasty. Served with toast and homefries. All brunch orders come with coffee AND juice too, which is such a nice bonus.



Despite the crowds, we were seated quickly and our food came promptly as well. Our waiter was competent and humorous and the vibe is kind of joyous & celebratory. Definitely a great spot to grab a casual brunch with a friend.

Burgers at Bonnie's Grill

MMMMMmmmmm, few things are better than trekking through the driving wind and snow to get to Bonnie's Grill (278 Fifth Ave., between 1st Street and Garfield Place, 718-369-9527) where you can sit at the counter, watch the cooks prepare your food and warm up by the heat coming off of the grill. You can also choose from a huge number of bottled beer, or one of the 6 or so beers on tap. I chose a dark Espresso beer that was delicious, while my boyfriend stuck with a Brooklyn IPA. We each got burgers, but with different sides and toppings.

My Spiced Black Angus Sirloin Burger was with cheddar cheese (which went on grated, not in a slice), lettuce, tomatoes and pickles, with a side of fries. It was fantastic. It tasted like a backyard summer Barbeque, smoky and slightly burnt, totally juicy and deliciously meaty. The pickles were perfect too - not sweet or mushy - crunchy and sour dill. The fries were great too, crispy and not greasy.



My boyfriend got his burger with Swiss Cheese, lettuce & tomato and a side of their Vegetarian Chili. His was great too, and the chili was really nice - lots of beans and green peppers, not very spicy, and topped with cheddar and a touch of sour cream. Yum again! The only thing is that we ordered them Medium and both came back fairly rare. So maybe the trick is to order Medium Well to get Medium?



A lot of people were ordering the Wings, which are another of Bonnie's specialties, in addition to the Catfish Sandwiches. They also offered a Pulled Pork Sandwich which I'm definitely curious about; I might have to go back to try it out. There are tables in the front and in the back (some even with candles!), so if you're not into the counter thing there are options. All in all it's a great place for a great meal.

Polish Food at Teresa's

I was doing some Holiday shopping last weekend in Brooklyn Heights and suddenly had a craving for some Pierogis and Potato Pancakes so I met up with my boyfriend at Teresa's (80 Montague St. between Hicks and Columbia Heights, 718-797-3996), a Polish restaurant that my family and I used to order delivery from when I was in High School. I'm so glad it's still there, as so much has changed over the years.

We started out with a salad, knowing that the rest of our meal would be all things greasy, heavy and fried. The salad was perfect with crisp Iceberg lettuce, wedges of not-mealy tomato, shredded carrots and thin slices of red onion. The Thousand Island dressing came in a little dish on the side.



We ordered a half order of mixed Pierogis which is one of each of the four kinds (Mushroom, Potato, Meat and Cheese). The meat is kind of yucky and the mushroom is good, but my favorites were the potato and the cheese (which is the kind of slightly sweet cheese you'd find in a Blintz). We got a side of sour cream and applesauce for dunking.



We also got a half order of the Potato Pancakes which is three very large and very greasy pancakes that are made from what seemed like mashed potato rather than shredded potato. They're good though, and taste lightly of black pepper, which may be used in the mixture. The sour cream and applesauce is good with these as well.



As our main dish we got the Kielbasa with Sauerkraut. This was perfect, and so beautifully presented with cross-hatchings and grilled. The sauerkraut was like a stew; made with pork, mushrooms and Bay leaves and was delicious. Perfect on a cold day.



Then for 'dessert' we got the half order of the Apple Fritters, also three to an order. These were just disappointing. Too, too greasy which masked any flavor whatsoever. I remember them being better.



All in all I think Teresa's is a great, simple Diner-style restaurant with delicious Polish classics. They make a great Mushroom barley soup, and they also serve Brunch - I hear the French Toast is great!

Pancakes & Eggs at The Little Purity Diner

I love breakfast. The Little Purity Diner in Park Slope (390 7th Ave. at 12th St., formerly Katina's) offers the standard diner fare in terms of breakfast, but I was happily surprised with the dishes we had there. You can also get a bottomless cup of coffee and enjoy a leisurely, relaxed pace without being rushed out, especially during the weekdays.

I ordered the Eggs Over Easy, with a side of potatoes and turkey sausage. The eggs were PERFECTLY cooked – a runny yolk to soak up with the toasted wheat bread, and the whites were solid, with no gross raw bits. The potatoes were also great, with red and green bell pepper mixed in, and browned just so. The turkey sausage was interesting. A little….dry I guess, but they tasted OK. The toast comes out already buttered, which I love, because the best time to butter toast is when it’s right out of the toaster and hasn’t had a chance to cool off. Excellent.



The Pancakes. I’ve only recently started ordering pancakes again. Too often they’re just heavy and thick and too much of the same thing. I think people are making better pancakes nowadays, or maybe I’ve just located the best pancake joints around. New Purity Diner is definitely one of those spots; the pancakes are delish. These are the Banana pancakes, loaded with slices of Banana, and a side of Turkey Bacon, which was much better than the sausages.



They don't have real maple syrup at New Purity, but you don't really expect it, right? The breakfasts are better than decent, and are such a bargain. All of this food, plus coffee and juice, was $22, with tip! Yay breakfast!