Green Eggs Cafe

We recently spent a lovely morning at Green Eggs Cafe celebrating Chad’s birthday. There are two locations: one in Northern Liberties and one in South Philly. We made the quick drive to NoLibs and found parking pretty easily at 9:30 on a Sunday morning.

With the no reservations policy, it was smart we got there as early as we did, as soon after we arrived the place filled up and a long line outside started to form. We were a party of eight plus one toddler. Unfortunately, the only available space was a table really made for six, and there was no room for a high chair, so Anabel took turns sitting on our laps. 

The ambience was a bit tense, as the servers waited for us to decide if we would stay in the cramped quarters or leave.  We decided to stay, and I almost felt the staff regret our decision.  There was a bit of a hoity toity air about the place, but maybe I’ve just been in the burbs for too long and am overly sensitive to center city attitudes.  We did notice the interesting item menu below–if you can’t make it out through the blur, it is a “Carafe of Valencia Orange Juice served with a complimentary bottle of prosecco” for $30.  Huh.

Adding to the feeling of being annoying customers, the sign below also didn’t help us to feel any more welcomed.

I do understand the problem of a wait, but I don’t see any other local brunch hot spots being so obvious–nothing on the tables at the Morning Glory Diner, at least the last time I checked.

In any case, all of the food was amazingly delicious.  My stuffed french toast (below) was truly a treat and I took half of it home as leftovers.  Which brings me to my next gripe.

Yes, the establishment has an eco-conscious philosophy, but charging for a take out container? Really? If I had known, I would have brought my own Tupperware. 

I think that the management here is just a little too up tight. I can see how the local NoLibs crowd would flock to a place as trendy as the Green Eggs Cafe but this old school gal probably won’t be going back, no matter how good their food is and earth conscious they are.

Le Pain Quotidien

What a find!

I hadn’t been out to eat in the city for a while and am always worried about taking Anabel out, even though she is generally a very good baby. My brother chose Le Pain Quotidien for a brunch with my family on Saturday and we all loved it, even Anabel.

The atmosphere was warm and welcoming. The noise level was high enough so that a rambunctious baby wouldn’t be heard, but not so noisy that you couldn’t have a conversation over brunch. Our waitresses were so accommodating and thoughtful. The food was perfect. Between the six of us, we had a huge bread basket; two ham and gruyere croissants; many bowls of fresh berries; and a few omelettes. All of which got rave reviews.

It’s difficult taking food photos with a baby in tow.  That’s OK.  Just take my word for it that it all looked appetizing and go check it out for yourself.  I look forward to going back very soon.

There was also a very impressive selection of desserts:

And as I said, Anabel loved it, too.  She ate her first blackberry and piece of bread there.

Sabrina’s Cafe

Because Matt and I are now both early risers, we decided to head down to South Philly on Memorial Day weekend and start the day with brunch at Sabrina’s Cafe.

Sabrina’s is known for its long waits and delicious brunches.  When we arrived at 9:00, the tables outside were already full, although we didn’t have to wait long for one.

Baby P is craving carbs, unfortunately, so I indulged her and ordered the Kate’s Explosive Stuffed French Toast ($11.95) stuffed with apricot, oatmeal and ricotta cream cheese, topped with a peach-vanilla syrup from the “Lost Brunch Special Menu.”

Completely decadent and way humongous, I managed to finish one half and save the other half for dessert that night (it was just as good cold). The pieces of bread were sandwiched together with egg.  All of my favorite things were thrown in–apricots, strawberries, blueberries, ricotta, and bread.  I didn’t really taste or see the oatmeal, but I didn’t miss it.

Matt ordered the Eggs Benedict Florentine ($10.95):  Poached eggs, spinach and hollandaise sauce with Canadian bacon. The avocado and tomato were an extra $2.00.  The report from Matt: good and huge.  He couldn’t even finish his hash browns.

Sabrina’s is also a popular dinner BYOB but why would anyone wait for dinner when they can get brunch like this?