Public

210 Elizabeth St

CanuckDJ, Sir Fancy Pants, and I visited Public, a Nolita hot spot, for Brunch Saturday afternoon. A thirty minute wait was lightened by the offer to sit at the bar until a table opened up.

To get started, I ordered the Public Mary, Public’s version of the Bloody Mary. It is not listed on the drink menu of their website, and I can’t say I blame them. It was the best Bloody Mary I ever had. It was a refreshing take on the classic cocktail. Sir Fancy Pants ordered a Fig and Vanilla Bellini, which was light and crisp. Drinks for my meal included my staple Café au Lait and the Passionfruit and Orange Bellini, also very nice. CanuckDJ stuck with coffee and later on pineapple juice.

We were seated at a table near a brick wall towards the front of the restaurant. All three of us ordered some version of Eggs Benedict. I ordered 2 fried eggs on English Toast, which came with spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes. I also ordered a side of hollandaise sauce because I heard good things.

When the food arrived, I was disappointed. I quickly realized I had ordered the wrong dish. I could have easily executed the meal myself and I make much better fried eggs. The hollandaise sauce was good, but I was so disappointed with the rest of my meal that I barely noticed. Sir Fancy Pants and CanuckDJ had no complaints.

After our meal, we split a blood orange muffin from the table in the center of the dining room. It was good but nothing special.

Public is owned by a concept and design firm called AvroKO. In addition, they own recently opened Double Crown in SoHo, and do a number of other projects around the city. Judging by the scene and presentation at Public, the masterminds behind AvroKO know exactly what they are doing, but the chefs have a thing or two to learn.

The space was bright with high ceilings and mirrors along one wall, giving the appearance you were dining in a space much larger than it was. If you were to walk past the bar, you would come to the Monday Room, a small space with lounge seating, meant to enjoy cocktails or perhaps a muffin.

The bathroom had free bars of soap for the taking featuring the Public logo. In the center of the restaurant was a small table with different types of bread and muffins. If you wanted one, you simply paid for it with your meal.

There were 2 larger spaces enclosed in wine bottles that were shut off by a sheer curtain. My guess is those areas are reserved for larger parties over 10 or for a fee.

Despite my meal leaving something to be desired, I would be open to going back for dinner or perhaps Brunch, if nothing else but to have the Public Mary grace my lips again. If I do go for Brunch, I guarantee I will not order the same dish.

DAMAGE ~ $120 (Brunch for 3 w/ drinks)
VERDICT: Go

Lombardi’s

32 Spring St

Yummy, yummy, yummy! A quest for the best pizza in the city is not complete without a visit to Lombardi’s. This was actually my second trip to the nation’s oldest pizza eatery (est. 1897) located in Nolita. I cannot say it took the prize for “best pizza in nyc,” but it definitely tied for third place.

TheStageManager (a friend from out of town) and I arrived on a Friday evening to a 15 minute wait. We took advantage of our spare time and immediately sat at the bar ordering a glass of wine each. About 10 minutes later, a table opened up on the other side of the restaurant. We were led down the dining area, through the kitchen, out the other side of the “U-shaped” restaurant and seated next to the brick wall on the right.

We ordered a medium size pizza with the following 5 toppings: red onions, olives, sliced tomatoes, red peppers, and ricotta cheese. Man oh man, was it delicious. I ate three of the six slices with my fork. I used to have a saying that you know you have good pizza when you have to eat it with a fork; that’s exactly what I had was good pizza.

The restaurant was big for Manhattan; people were not seated on top of each other as you find in many other pizza parlors. The medium size pizza was perfect for two people and the toppings were a delicious combo leaning on perfection. Although the pizza could have been a bit crispier, I enjoyed every minute of it.

The wait was not as bad as I expected; the server was friendly; and the prices were cheap. I cannot wait to go back.

DAMAGE ~ $40 (before tip) CASH ONLY
VERDICT: Go