My husband and I participated in the Climb to the Top this past Sunday March 3rd. It was a fundraiser for MS, climbing 66 flights of stairs to the top of 30 Rock.   To celebrate our success, we headed out to Parish Hall for a delicious brunch.  Trying to hit all of New York Mag’s “Adam Platt’s Where to Eat 2013” and ready for brunch by 10am (since we had been up since 6), we figured this would be a good time to jet to Williamsburg Brooklyn.  Brunch can be such a scene but arriving by 11am allowed us our space and some peace to enjoy our victory meal.

Walking into Parish Hall was the breath of fresh air. It was a bright spring sight for our winter sore eyes.  Some say the decor is that of an IKEA cafeteria but I liked it. The decor reminded me of that of the cafe in the MoMa which is another great find in NYC. It is clean and modern, bright and not too much of a stiff feeling – just like their food.  In my opinion this “cafeteria” feel condones a relaxed conversation as it was always the designated time to socialize but in the end we were there for the food!

We started off with brunch cocktails which I ordered the bloody mary.  I’m not usually a bloody fan but this time I figured I’d give it a try. It was light on the tomato juice and heavy on the peppers with a wonderful garnish of a picked carrot to cleanse the palate for what was to come.

We ordered the French Toast to share which came as an appetizer but should have come as a dessert. It was amazing. It was perfectly toasted on the edge and just gooey enough in the center. It wasn’t too eggy nor too buttery.  Jayson and I debated whether the french toast “needed” the maple syrup; his argument is that french toast isn’t complete without it but my argument is that the french toast didn’t need it at all. As good as the maple syrup is, not too bitter and not too sweet, it only masked the savory goodness of the french toast.  Jayson went on to have the egg sandwich as his main dish – liking that the cheese was melted into the eggs and that the eggs were still a little runny.  And I had the turkey hash which is unusual for me but I’m glad I stepped of my box.  I don’t like breakfast potatoes because they are usually cooked with too much oil, too crispy and burned, cooked with onions and peppers (although I do like onions and peppers), nor would I choose a dish that included the dark meat of the turkey.  With all of the reasons listed above, I’m not sure why I chose this dish but I did and I’m glad that I did for it opposed all forces for my reasons to avoid it.  Everything tasted the way I would cook them at home.  The potatoes tasted like they were baked and served straight from the oven without any oil or butter; the kale served its purpose of adding some bitterness and some crunch with a beautiful addition of green to the plate; chopped green apples added a wonderful juicy sweetness and the dark meat although a little dry, but tasty and wasn’t fatty which was perfect for me.  The dish came with your choice of eggs and Parish Hall was happy to make egg whites for me.  It was a morning full of proof that it is never a bad thing to move outside your comfort zone.

A good workout and a good meal shouldn’t go without a good dessert.  Which is why we made our way to Blue Bottle Coffee where I had a pour over coffee (thanks to my girlfriend in Toronto that introduced it to me) and their amazing homemade Brooklyn Bootleg S’mores made with their homemade graham crackers, Mast Brothers Chocolate and Kings Count Distillery Moonshine marshmallows all with a drizzle of honey and cinnamon – YUM!