[Photos: Ashley Muir Bruhn ]

With a nod to the classic Jewish deli—barrels of pickles at the doors, lox and pastrami on the menu—Friedman's Lunch draws you inside, out of the Chelsea market's long corridor. It has a nice aesthetic: the name is spelled out in large, block letters above a chalkboard wall and the space is a mix of bar-level communal-table seating and banquettes.

The Housemade Granola ($6) is beautifully divided: lightly sugared oats with almonds, cranberries, and golden raisins to one side, ample berries to the other, and a Greek-style yogurt, drizzled with honey, in the middle.

Their namesake dish, the Friedmans Omelet ($10), is made up of pastrami, caramelized onions, and mustard. It's a little like a cross between corned-beef hash and a sausage omelet. Unfortunately, any of the smokiness or distinctive flavor that the pastrami might have had is obscured behind the sweet mustard and caramelized onion. It's not unpleasant, just not as interesting as it could be. On the side comes a serving of hash browns, as well as some toast and berry butter (which seemingly comes with everything, though it's not clear why).

The B.E.L.T. ($10) combines, as you'd expect, bacon, lettuce, and tomato, but with the addition of eggs over-easy and an herbed mayo. It's a very messy mix, and you'll want to ask for your eggs done medium if you're trying to look delicate to the person sitting across from you. Otherwise, go to town dipping your crunchy sourdough sandwich in the dripping yellow yolk for as long as you can manage before you have to resort to knife and fork.

Their breakfast menu also includes a handful of Egg Wrap options ($6-7)—many of which sound like nice ways to start a morning—but I admit I left more intrigued by their brunch menu, which adds to the comfort-food focus with items like Fried Chicken and Cheddar Waffles.

Friedman's offers gluten-free dishes (nice for those who may have suffered while passing by the ovens of Amy's Bread company), and emphasizes their connections to local vendors.

Friedman's Lunch

Chelsea Market
75 Ninth Avenue, New York NY 10011 (map)
212-929-7100
www.friedmansdeli.com

About the author: Ashley Muir Bruhn is an editor and freelance writer who values dining partners who will share their sweet so that she can order savory. Ashley and her husband write a travel and lifestyle blog, Hither and Thither.