Brunch: sitting around with family and friends on a Sunday afternoon—and now socially
acceptable on Saturdays—to enjoy a few mimosas and an eggs Benedict while the person across from you orders the cheeseburger and fries with a bloody Mary.
The in between breakfast and lunch meal seems to be all the rage in New York—and Long Island. So much so that the word brunch has become both a noun and a verb, as one may often hear the phrase, “brunching” or “let’s brunch.” Across Long Island new brunch-specific restaurants have been popping up nearly every month and restaurants without that special menu are scrambling to add it, usually a menu mixed with twists on traditional breakfast and lunch food, many options with the power to cure a hangover from the previous night.
Some Manhasset restaurants have picked up on this brunch obsession, making sure they have a brunch menu to offer residents on the weekends, while others focus on a daily brunch-like menu. The hamlet is home to pubs like Schout Bay Tavern and Publicans, the famous Sarabeth’s Bakery in Lord & Taylor’s, a local staple like Louie’s Manhasset and more grab-and-go-like stops such as For Five Coffee Roasters and Buttercooky Bakery.
Buttercooky Bakery
Need to stop into a restaurant for a quick bite? Or want to grab brunch with a friend with the smell of bakery items surrounding you? Try out Buttercooky Bakery, which offers Manhasset residents a cute place for breakfast and lunch as well as their bakery needs.
Most breakfast options can be made on a choice of bagel, roll, brioche or croissant. For some quick bites, locals can sink their teeth into a breakfast wrap, a fried egg BLT, a breakfast salad, or two eggs any style with toppings like bacon, ham, sausage and cheese.
For those with a sweet tooth, but also a drive to stay healthy, Buttercooky has Greek yogurt parfaits, açaí bowls and an oatmeal bar, featuring the Manhasset Rise n’ Shine complete with fresh fruit, maple syrup and steamed milk. For those who have a cheat day, Belgian waffles come with a variety of toppings from dulce de leche to mixed berries, and crepes—some with Oreo cookies, chocolate and whipped creme and others with creme anglaise and dulce de leche.
On the lunch side, paninis range from a delectable chicken pesto to a turkey with sliced caramelized apples and goat cheese. Three quiches adorn the menu: quiche Lorraine, broccoli, cheddar and Monterey jack quiche and a spinach and sun-dried tomato quiche. Quinoa, Asian, house, arugula, kale Caesar and spring mix salads also appear on the cafe menu.
For Five Coffee Roasters
The modern wooden and dark coffee shop offers a bit more than the beverage it’s named after. Although it has a limited number of offerings,
For Five’s menu packs a big bite with flavor. A few breakfast options include one named after the hamlet, The Manhasset (scrambled eggs, halloumi cheese, spinach, roasted peppers, tomato and basil mayo), 24 hour oatmeal (overnight oats, honey caramelized walnuts, flax and chia seeds), berry dragon açaí bowl (pink pitaya, banana, berries, and dragon fruit), avocado crush (pomegranate, pumpkin seeds, basil seeds, corn shoots and jammy egg), creme brûlée French toast (baked milk toast, tigernut ice cream and blueberries) and more.
For lunch, which is served from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., For Five creates a Long Island street corn salad (roasted corn, avocado, red peppers, radish, cilantro and cotija cheese), coffee rub brisket (caramelized pears, pickled red onion, white cabbage, chimichurri sauce and arugula), chicken pot pie (shredded chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas, corn, thyme and puff pastry) and chicken satay sandwich (spiced chicken thighs, peanut sauce, pickled cucumber, pickled Japanese radish and cilantro).
For Five is also stocked with pastries for a quick grab-n-go meal. Some of these tasty pastries range from an almond croissant and cinnamon bow to a spinach pie.
For Five Coffee is located at 292 Plandome Rd., Manhasset. For more information, call 516-918-9488 or visit www.forfivecoffee.com.
Sarabeth’s Bakery
Nestled inside of Lord & Taylor in Manhasset, the little cafe offers brunch dishes Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with brunch starting at noon on Sunday.
Sarabeth’s offers the perfect fresh and fruity start to any brunch meal with the four flowers juice—a blend of orange juice, bananas, pineapple and pomegranate juice.
The quaint little shop’s menu has five different egg options, each of which comes with a choice of muffin, scone or croissant and Sarabeth’s preserves. Options are a spinach and goat cheese omelette, scrambled eggs with scallions or smoked salmon and cream cheese, a quiche of the day or Popeye eggs, of course, with spinach.
For those in a sweeter mood after a brief shopping trip, Sarabeth’s boasts fluffy lemon-ricotta pancakes served up with strawberries and warm maple syrup. For those who can’t get enough pumpkin, the pumpkin waffle comes topped with sour cream, raisins, toasted pumpkin seeds and honey.
Guests can also choose from a variety of lunch items including salads (Caesar, roasted chicken cobb or Waldorf chicken), warm plates (jumbo lump crab cake; penne pasta with fresh veggies and ricotta cheese; and a roasted portobello mushroom burger) and sandwiches (open faced tuna salad, classic club, grilled mozzarella cheese and smoked salmon).
Sarabeth’s Bakery is located inside Lord & Taylor at 1440 Northern Blvd., Manhasset. For more information, visit www.sarabeth.com.
Publicans
Although the local pub at 550 Plandome Rd. may not have always held the name of Publicans, the spot is forever solidified in history in J.R. Moehringer’s The Tender Bar. The pub with the new name opened about two years ago and each weekend from Friday to Sunday, the restaurant serves brunch between noon and 3 p.m.
“The bar has meant a lot to people,” said general manager Lauren Trivedi. “We offer a welcoming, warm atmosphere where families can come with their kids. It’s a special place because for many, their grandparents used to come here.”
That familial atmosphere is the reason the pub decided to serve up brunch to keep the family together for a meal.
“It’s important because Sunday’s are normally for families,” said Trivedi.
Publicans will soon introduce a new brunch menu to locals. But for now, the current menu offers a plethora of options. Starters range from steak tidbits (filet tips, mozzarella, horseradish cream, barbecue sauce and garlic ciabatta) to a classic French onion soup.
During brunch, Publicans boasts salads—chopped western, super food salad bowl, classic Caesar and wedge—and tavern classics—the Vermont burger, veggie burger, Publican burger and new school French dip. On the more brunch-y side, Publicans can satiate any breakfast taste buds with its breakfast bowl complete with two eggs your way, quinoa, baby spinach, mushroom and avocado. Also on the menu are a veggie frittata, avocado toast, stuffed French toast, bagel and lox plate, coconut chia pudding and a bacon, egg and cheese.
Publicans is lcoated at 550 Plandome Rd., Manhasset. For more information, visit www.publicansmanhasset.com or call 516-627-7722.
Louie’s Manhasset
A staples in the hamlet for years, Louie’s Manhasset serves up American and Greek-style cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day.
The restaurant offers the usual breakfast options from bagels with all the fixings (cream cheese, lox, lettuce, tomato, onions and black olives), eggs any style with sides from sausage to corned beef hash, three egg omelettes—including the Manhasset omelette filled with bacon, ham, sausage and cheese and the Louie’s omelette packed with baby spinach, avocado, red onion and goat cheese—breakfast wraps and egg sandwiches.
While they offer a large egg selection, griddle options are a must-try. Louie’s Manhasset boasts the classic Belgian waffle that can be topped with anything from fresh fruit to a scoop of ice cream, french toast and buttermilk pancakes with special shapes like Mickey Mouse.
The extensive lunch menu features simple sandwiches from peanut butter and jelly to Monte Cristo and triple decker club sandwiches—including a grilled chicken with bacon, cheeseburger club and more.
Gourmet burger and salad bars allow locals to customize and create different combinations.
Louie’s Manhasset is located at 339 Plandome Rd., Manhasset. For more information, call 516-627-0022 or visit www.louiesmanhassetrestaurant.com.
Also see what Schout Bay Tavern has to offer for brunch: Schouting For Brunch
https://www.longislandpress.com/schouting-for-brunch/
