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. 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:

General consensus: A+ for decor, A for taste, and B for service!