Brunching Above Fairway: A Slice of New York Life
May 11 '01
The Bottom Line Irresistible brunch specialties served above Manhattan's best market. What could be better than eating delicious food while surrounded by more glorious food?
On the Fairway Café sign, the following words are printed: "Featuring the haunting foods of the mystical Mitchell London." For weeks I saw him while brunching at the Fairway Café, and I never even knew.
I guess "mystical" is not a word that comes to mind when describing Mitchell London. He's really more of a hearty, gruff, salt-of-the-earth type of fellow with a slightly bohemian look and a touch of eccentricity. Then one day, I saw his photograph in a local magazine, and I realized that the man whom I thought was only the manager at the Fairway Café, was actually the genius behind the wonderful food.
Earlier last month, I had my first face-to-face encounter with Mr. London. I was lunching at his new midtown outpost, Mitchell London Foods on Sixth Avenue and 57th Street. It was their first week of business. Mr. Epicure and I were sitting at the counter by the window, clearly relishing every bite of our meal when Mr. London himself stopped by. He casually slid a warm, flaky Apple Millefeuille in between our plates and said, "This is good." Then he walked away. Mr. Epicure and I each took a bite. It was more than good - it was positively sublime! Each pastry layer so thin and crisp. The apples so perfectly spiced and sweet. (Little did he know that he was wooing an epinions food critic with this unexpected act of generosity.) Not that I wouldn't have given the Fairway Café high marks for food anyway. The food is truly delectable. But allow me to digress for a moment.
Besides the scrumptious food, there is another reason why I highly recommend the Fairway Café, and that is the market scene below. Within its markets beats the heart of a city - that's what I believe anyway. The Fairway Café is located above Manhattan's best market -Fairway. Yes, that is a rather bold statement that will undoubtedly be interpreted as a challenge by many Manhattanites. Everyone has a favorite gourmet market, usually in his or her own neighborhood, toward which he/she exhibits fierce loyalty. Those in the Village will contend that Balducci's is best. Those on the Upper East Side will contend that Eli's or the Vinegar Factory is best. Those in Soho will contend that Dean & Deluca or Gourmet Garage is best.
How do I respond? Unlike any of the aforementioned, Fairway is an everyman's market - no wide, sparkling clean shopping aisles, no neat little pyramids of white peaches, no extravagant display cases filled with French pastries, no fancy bread bags, etc. But that is not to imply that Fairway is not a gourmet's paradise. Fairway has an olives bar that will make you drool and a cheese cave that will make you weep. Fairway carries precious bags of dried pasta from Italy and jams from France. Fairway offers fresh-baked breads from some of the city's top bakeries and imported spreads, pastes, oils and spices from all over the world. Fairway has the freshest produce of any market that I have visited in the city and the quantities are abundant. Best of all, Fairway charges reasonable prices for everything. Of course, along with the reasonable prices comes the crush of the crowds that defines living in an overpopulated city like Manhattan. Saturday and Sunday afternoons are a madhouse in the market, but luckily that does not extend to the Café.
Whenever I am playing host to out-of-town guests, I bring them to the Fairway Café. Not only do they get to experience the haunting foods of the mystical Mitchell London, but they also get to observe a slice of New York life, which they always get a kick out of, especially my California friends who do all of their shopping in big name chains like Vons and Ralphs.
A Few of My Favorite Brunch Dishes and Sides
Elaine's Special Pancakes ($6.50). I don't know who the heck Elaine is, but her pancakes are indeed special if not magical. They remind me of Swedish-style pancakes - round, paper-thin, silver-dollar pancakes that melt in your mouth. They are so moist that you can taste the butter oozing in your mouth with each bite. Served with fresh berries and real maple syrup, Elaine's Pancakes are positively addictive. You know that old phrase "disappearing like hotcakes." I think they had Elaine's Pancakes in mind when that phrase was coined.
Big Boy Special ($10.50). A hearty combo for bigger appetites - a full stack of Elaine's Special Pancakes plus two eggs (any style) and bacon. The bacon served at the Café is relatively lean and has a nice smoky taste. Yes, this is what Mr. Epicure frequently orders (and finishes).
Ham and Cheese Quiche ($7.50). The texture of the quiche is eggy like custard and surprisingly light. The ham is chopped into tiny, crumb-size pieces, and both the ham and the cheese are evenly blended into the quiche, so that each bite provides you with a harmonious mix of the salty, savory pork and the nutty parmesan. The quiche is served with a small mesclun salad tossed in a tangy vinaigrette.
Fish and Chips ($10.50). Having never tried fish and chips in England, I can't say whether Mitchell London's fish and chips are the most authentic version of this dish, but I can say that if this isn't what fish and chips taste like, it ought to be. The cod fillets are moist and tender, lightly coated with batter and crisp fried to perfection. The accompanying fries are long, skinny and crunchy (I hate soggy fries). Add the malt vinegar and what more could you ask for?
Croque Madame ($8.00). The crusty cheese layer which surrounds the outside of this sandwich is what makes it so irresistible. That bubbly, baked cheese coating is what separates a Croque Monsieur from a simple grilled cheese sandwich with a slice of ham. And a fried egg on top of the Croque Monsieur is what separates a Croque Monsieur from a Croque Madame. The Café's version of the Croque Madame is delicious and filling although a tad heavy on the bechamel.
Pain Poilane ($7.50). NOTE: I have not tried this item yet, but I would be remiss in my duties as a restaurant reviewer not to alert you to its presence. Why? Well, my friends, Poilane bread is only the most lauded bread in all of Paris (and that's saying a lot considering how many marvelous boulangeries there are in Paris). Parisian cafes love to proclaim that their sandwiches are made with Poilane bread as if the very association with the Poilane name elevates their sandwiches to a higher level. Well, perhaps they are right. The bread does lend special something to a sandwich. The Café has two open-faced Poilane sandwiches - one made with smoked salmon, butter and chives and the other made with prosciutto, butter and comichons.
Sally Darr's Crullers ($1.75). Oh my, how to describe these little misshapen puffs of heaven. In my self-constructed donut hierarchy, cake donuts are at the bottom, then comes yeast donuts, and finally at the top of the totem pole - crullers! And Fairway Café's crisp, airy, buttermilk crullers, each handmade with loving care and finished off with a hint of ginger and nutmeg, are the best crullers that I have ever had.
Apple Turnovers ($3.00). Another delightful treat - the secret is in the dough. Like the apple millefeuille, the turnovers contain layers upon layers of delicate, crispy pastry. The filling is generous in chunky apples and appealing spiced.
Almond Pithiviers ($2.50). I can never resist anything made with real almond paste - the kind where you can taste the almond bits in the rich, crumbly paste. The Café's pithivier is a long, narrow strip of pastry, sandwiching a thick layer of almond paste, which inevitably falls apart after the first bite. I always spoon up the remains of the paste from my plate. It would be a shame to let anything so fragrant go to waste.
Service
Now let me see, how can I put this tactfully - the servers are velocity-challenged? How else to explain the interminably long wait before someone comes to take our order. I think they are trying....just not hard enough. Maybe serving meals is merely a side job for them. Overall, I would characterize the service as friendly but amateurish. Yes, the Café has a casual, laid-back atmosphere, but that doesn't mean the servers should take on the same free-and-easy attitude when it comes to taking the customers' orders or delivering their food. Don't feel bad about nudging the servers a little or dropping some subtle reminders. On more than one occasion, our server has forgotten part of our order.
Ambiance
There is definitely a bohemian charm to the Fairway Café. Located on the second floor of the market, next to the organic foods section, the Café exudes a down-home friendliness, which makes it attractive to families in the neighborhood. It resembles one of those healthy food restaurants in California where you would find tofu burgers and wheatgrass on the menu. Deceptive appearances, I can assure you, since there is nothing healthy about dishes like Elaine's Pancakes, other than the fact that they are made with all-natural ingredients like real butter. There is a juice bar by the entrance, featuring refreshing smoothies of all varieties (the fruit is probably supplied by the downstairs market). The kitchen is open and spacious and full of tempting aromas. I like the funny, irreverent signs posted on the Café's wooden beams. More revelations about the great Mitchell London. The one above the condiment stand reads: Mitchell London knows from eggs. Mitchell London knows from pancakes and waffles. Mitchell London believes in ice cream. Pure maple syrup. Butter. A serious vinaigrette for a serious salad. Fresh seasonal fruit. He knows Jack about cheese, but he knows what he likes. And what he likes is good food.
Address: 2127 Broadway (between 74th and 75th)
Telephone: 212-595-1888 (no direct number - need to be transferred from main line)
Hours: 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. everyday, except on Wednesdays when the Café closes early at 5 p.m. for cooking classes.
Child Friendly? Yes
Vegetarian Friendly? Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Epicure
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 100 members
About Me:
I generally avoid temptation....unless I can't resist it.
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