Peels

I've had my eye on this place for months; every weekend, I see hoards of people lining up outside for brunch. I knew I had to try it when, a few weeks ago, the same number of people were waiting outside when there was supposed to be a blizzard that day.

Whenever I eat brunch with my boyfriend, I always get biscuits with gravy, because it is delicious. But then by the third bite I always make him promise to never let me get it again, because it's so heavy and rich that I will never finish it. The version at Peels, however, is much, much lighter--biscuits with sausage gravy for skinny girls, if you will. The biscuits weren't too special; not buttery or flaky, just kind of beginner's biscuits. The gravy wasn't as thick or flavorful as I would've liked, but it was light enough that I could finish the whole plate (but judging from the gummy, sticky texture, the thickness comes from cornstarch, rather than from fat). The dish also comes with poached eggs, which were perfectly done--firm whites and runny yolks. However, the egg whites were a bit sour; you can put a capful of vinegar in your poaching water to help the egg white set, but any more and you can taste it.

For dessert, I got the chocolate hazelnut pudding. The pudding itself was smooth and creamy, and not too sweet. The hazelnuts were so nicely toasted that it left a nice roasty aftertaste. However, you will almost definitely feel gross and greasy and fat after you've eaten half of it--after all, a good two-thirds of it is whipped cream. There are not nearly enough hazelnuts to balance the creaminess of the large amounts of fat. My suggestion is, take off the whipped cream on top, and add another tablespoon of hazelnuts.

I'm not sure if Peels is worth the brunch hype or an hour-long wait, but it is the place you imagine yourself in when you think of lunch in East Village. It's the perfect place to go for a lazy-afternoon lunch.

Peels
http://peelsnyc.com/
325 Bowery, at 2nd St.