Because I saved so much money by going home to MA for 10 days, I decided it was ok to splurge on a restaurant brunch with the “Comm Girls”: Q, Gina, Di, Feld, and Kate. We all studied communications together at NYU. There used to be more of us, but they’ve fanned out across the country and could not fly in from, say, Athens, GA (hi Wife!) to join us today. We ate at a restaurant in the West Village called Garage where we were serenaded by live jazz music:

I will get my complaints out of the way first:

1) This was a fixed price brunch that came with a choice of bloody mary, mimosa, screwdriver, or orange juice. I did not want any of those. I wanted tea, especially after my tragic tea-less morning. I had assumed it would be no problem to order tea in place of one of the above-listed “complimentary” beverages; after all, if they’re willing to hand out free alcohol, they would surely be willing to hand me a cup of hot water. But they were not. The tea was going to cost me $3.00! I passed.

2) The food, though yummy, was cooked in too much oil. Oil does not look pretty in photographs.

3) No substitutions were allowed. So, even though I fiercely despise potatoes, they had to be delivered on my plate in a big oily lump. I was not allowed to replace them with a few simple pieces of lettuce. Gina tried to help me with my mission of eliminating food waste, but even she could only manage a few bites.

4) When the bill came, half of us discovered that ordering our omelets with egg whites cost $2.00 extra! An egg white surcharge is standard in many restaurants; however, advance notice of the surcharge is even more standard. We felt deceived.

Onto the food:

Q and I both ordered the Farmer’s Market Omelet with egg whites. (I have nothing against egg yolks … when I cook for myself. Restaurant omelets, however, often contain lots of oil/butter and three eggs! I like my eggs one at a time, so it’s safer to order the whites when I’m out.) Description from the website: fresh-roasted zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus, eggplant, and yellow squash, tossed with goat cheese and served with brunch potatoes and your choice of toast. Yum!

The omelet came with a pile of potatoes (which we’ve discussed already), a slice of whole wheat toast (though mine only had half a slice, hmph!), and one itty bitty wedge each of watermelon and orange for garnish (but I ate them, of course):

Kate ordered the Farmer’s Market Omelet with regular eggs (not pictured), Feld ordered the Applewood Smoked Bacon & Vermont Cheddar Omelet, Di ordered the Spinach & Mushroom Omelet with egg whites, and Gina ordered the Famous French Vanilla Bean Soaked French Toast (with sliced fresh bananas and homemade chocolate sauce!):

I finished off with a few bites of the Feld’s bacon and cheddar omelet that she couldn’t finish:

Girls, feel free to chime in with your reviews!