The Brunch Dish: Saxon + Parole

[Photo: Maggie Hoffman]

Saxon + Parole gets packed at night; the crowds come for cocktails and the juicy egg-topped burger. But when we arrived early on a Saturday morning to check out their new brunch, the room was calm and bright, with plenty of tables available. I predict that won't last long; there are lots of delicious morning bites here.

Start with an order of warm doughnuts to share ($7). It's tempting to pop the doughnut holes directly into your mouth the second they hit the table, but your tongue might be singed if you don't wait a moment (and you should take a second to dip it into the barely-sweet chocolate sauce anyway).

Eggs Benedict gets an update here, with two nicely poached eggs each balanced atop delicate (but flavorful and salty) Smithfield Mangalista ham on a buttery Parmesan-laced potato cake. ($13) It's rich stuff, but the addition of vibrant green just-wilted spinach offsets the starch a bit, and the hollandaise is brightened with a trace of fragrant yuzu.

We were a bit less impressed with the french toast ($13) which comes stuffed with banana slices, housemade Nutella, and crispy bacon (though you can opt out of the bacon, and perhaps we should have). The french toast is eggy and buttery but not too sweet, and the bacon retains its crispness remarkably well amid the banana-chocolate filling, but the smoky flavor doesn't quite integrate into the dish. If you're thinking about bacon, perhaps order it on top of that burger instead.

Saxon + Parole

316 Bowery, New York NY 10012 (map) 212-254-0350
saxonandparole.com

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