Brunchtime at the Apollo
I might have denied it when I moved here three years ago, but I'll now admit that I am gentrifying yuppie scum, albeit marginally employed gentrifying yuppie scum. And at no time am I more reviled* than Sunday afternoons--open house time (my roommate calls it "Brunchtime at the Apollo"). Normally, the only thing I encounter that even approaches tension happens as a result of my own annoyed glares, on my trips to the local laundromat--where I inevitably end up getting mistaken for the owner ("Yes, I get it, I'm Korean; and no, I won't give you change for a dollar."). On Sundays, though, the shoulders turn a little colder--for which a hearty, gut-busting breakfast is the perfect remedy.
I've been to the M&G Diner countless times over the last few years, as I have the extremely good fortune of living just two minutes away from it. And although they make some of the city's best fried chicken and, usually, collard greens (when it's on, it's full of silky, porky deliciousness; when it's not, it's a bit of a disappointment), they're at their best at breakfast for one simple reason: they make the best grits I've had in New York.
Mind you, I don't take my grits lightly. I may look like the proprietor of the local laundromat, but one of my family's weird, culture-hopping stints include the time my father lived in Mobile (that's "mow-BEEL," Yank), working at a shipyard. As a result, grits 'n kimchee weren't an uncommon breakfast item growing up.
But back to the M&G. Their grits, like their digs, aren't anything fancy. The hominy, I'm sure, comes out of something resembling a large, unmarked burlap sack, and not some fancified, design-firm-created, market-tested, overly-rustic tin container. You'll find no shavings of Parmagiano reggiano, no dabs of truffle oil, and no dusting of fleur de sel on these babies. Instead, you'll find light, fluffy spoonfuls of buttery, buttery, and ever-so-slightly-sweet goodness. Skip the pancakes, definitely skip the French toast, order up some eggs if you'd like, but do yourself a favor, and try these grits. With sausage, they come out to something like four bucks.
(Oh, and don't get the coffee unless you really, really need the caffeine. Otherwise, I'd hold out and walk over to one of the coffee places on Amsterdam Avenue, or head over to Lenox.)
M&G Diner (map)
383 W. 125th St. at Morningside Ave.
*Well, not really. The neighbors are actually quite nice.
I've been to the M&G Diner countless times over the last few years, as I have the extremely good fortune of living just two minutes away from it. And although they make some of the city's best fried chicken and, usually, collard greens (when it's on, it's full of silky, porky deliciousness; when it's not, it's a bit of a disappointment), they're at their best at breakfast for one simple reason: they make the best grits I've had in New York.
Mind you, I don't take my grits lightly. I may look like the proprietor of the local laundromat, but one of my family's weird, culture-hopping stints include the time my father lived in Mobile (that's "mow-BEEL," Yank), working at a shipyard. As a result, grits 'n kimchee weren't an uncommon breakfast item growing up.
But back to the M&G. Their grits, like their digs, aren't anything fancy. The hominy, I'm sure, comes out of something resembling a large, unmarked burlap sack, and not some fancified, design-firm-created, market-tested, overly-rustic tin container. You'll find no shavings of Parmagiano reggiano, no dabs of truffle oil, and no dusting of fleur de sel on these babies. Instead, you'll find light, fluffy spoonfuls of buttery, buttery, and ever-so-slightly-sweet goodness. Skip the pancakes, definitely skip the French toast, order up some eggs if you'd like, but do yourself a favor, and try these grits. With sausage, they come out to something like four bucks.
(Oh, and don't get the coffee unless you really, really need the caffeine. Otherwise, I'd hold out and walk over to one of the coffee places on Amsterdam Avenue, or head over to Lenox.)
M&G Diner (map)
383 W. 125th St. at Morningside Ave.
*Well, not really. The neighbors are actually quite nice.
posted by Dave Lee at 10:25 AM
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