Sunday marked the third time that the NYC Marathon has been run since I've lived in Clinton Hill. Each of the previous two years I've spent the day laying in bed and having nothing to do with it aside from later regretting not having anything to do with it. This year was a little different since we had cause to be out of the house at 9 in the morning. We'd planned to go to Olea for brunch but both of us had completely forgotten that the Marathon was going to be run that day.
Olea doesn't open until 10, so we took a leisurely stroll up and down Lafayette before settling in to a table outside at about a quarter of. It turned out to be a perfect place to have a great brunch and watch our first live marathon.
Olea's an incredible little Mediterranean restaurant on the corner of Lafayette and Adelphi. This was the third time I've been there and the second for brunch, and each time I've been floored by the food. There's lots of southern French, Italian, and Greek fare all mixed and matched in really interesting ways. This time I had the Savory Parmesan French Toast, which is completely different from what I'd imagined it would be when I ordered it. The French toast is made from a baguette and then covered in two poached eggs and doused with avgolemono sauce - something I'd never had but reminded me of hollandaise. They've also thrown some pea shoots and scallions in for good measure, and it comes with a side of home fries. Really interesting dish that kind of reminded me of an Italian neo-eggs Benedict.
Mickey had a Greek omelet that came with home fries and salad, and while she liked it I could tell she was jealous of my meal. Next time we go back she's definitely getting the french toast, while I think I might try the steak and eggs.
Also of note were the virgin bloody Marys we had - virgin because they couldn't sell liquor before noon. Even without the vodka these were amazing. I love spicy bloody Marys, and these ranked up there with the spiciest I've ever had. The rim of the glass is even coated with what looked like sea salt and cracked pepper. Definitely give it a try if you like them spicy.
The vantage point was perfect as well. The Marathon route runs down Lafayette, and aside from having to look through a bit of a crowd, we could see everything as it passed us by. We had such a good time that we're hoping to make the Olea Marathon Brunch™ a yearly tradition. We'll see if we can wake up in time next year.
Information:
Olea Restaurant
171 Lafayette Ave
718.643.7003
Google Map
Olea doesn't open until 10, so we took a leisurely stroll up and down Lafayette before settling in to a table outside at about a quarter of. It turned out to be a perfect place to have a great brunch and watch our first live marathon.
Olea's an incredible little Mediterranean restaurant on the corner of Lafayette and Adelphi. This was the third time I've been there and the second for brunch, and each time I've been floored by the food. There's lots of southern French, Italian, and Greek fare all mixed and matched in really interesting ways. This time I had the Savory Parmesan French Toast, which is completely different from what I'd imagined it would be when I ordered it. The French toast is made from a baguette and then covered in two poached eggs and doused with avgolemono sauce - something I'd never had but reminded me of hollandaise. They've also thrown some pea shoots and scallions in for good measure, and it comes with a side of home fries. Really interesting dish that kind of reminded me of an Italian neo-eggs Benedict.
Mickey had a Greek omelet that came with home fries and salad, and while she liked it I could tell she was jealous of my meal. Next time we go back she's definitely getting the french toast, while I think I might try the steak and eggs.
Also of note were the virgin bloody Marys we had - virgin because they couldn't sell liquor before noon. Even without the vodka these were amazing. I love spicy bloody Marys, and these ranked up there with the spiciest I've ever had. The rim of the glass is even coated with what looked like sea salt and cracked pepper. Definitely give it a try if you like them spicy.
The vantage point was perfect as well. The Marathon route runs down Lafayette, and aside from having to look through a bit of a crowd, we could see everything as it passed us by. We had such a good time that we're hoping to make the Olea Marathon Brunch™ a yearly tradition. We'll see if we can wake up in time next year.
Information:
Olea Restaurant
171 Lafayette Ave
718.643.7003
Google Map
3 comments:
Really? "Olea is incredible", I've been there a thousand times and I would never describe it as incredible. I would say it's good for the money, I enjoy the staff, decor and location. But, it is far from "incredible".
Why can't you just let someone enjoy something? If she thinks it's "incredible", then to her it is!
I love Olea
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