Miriam
79 Fifth Avenue
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-622-2250
http://www.miriamrestaurant.com

 Brooklyn Brunch

There are few restaurants that can deliver consistency & excitement while still holding onto the feeling of your local family and friends gathering site for lazy weekend brunch jaunts. Miriam is just such a restaurant, their brunch service is one of the most reliable and dazzling brunches Brooklyn has to offer. With their straightforward, consistent, Mediterranean/Middle eastern dishes with an Israeli influence, your pallet is intrigued time and time again, and the local ambience of “knowing thy neighbor” provides a comfort level like that of being at a large happy family gathering. The energy in Miriam on a Saturday or Sunday morning just simply feels right, although you typically will have to wait for a seat, as reservations are not taken, you will surely comingle with folks you know and meet new friends as well.

Once inside, you are immediately comforted by the sophisticated yet completely unpretentious artistry of the place. Arabic style hand crafted lanterns hang throughout the restaurant, and handcrafted dried herbal glass lights from Israel drape the bar with a wonderful ambiance of a feeling of an artist’s home. Warm brick walls with handmade drapes from Israel made by one of the partners mothers, Miriam, whom the restaurant was named after, offers deep subconscious warmth to the experience. The overall feeling of comfort & camaraderie with is important as the restaurant is extremely crowed for brunch and without this ambience that the restaurant evokes the experience would not be the same.

The menu is exotic, yet diverse and has plenty to offer all pallets, including children. The brunch menu differs a bit from the dinner menu and incorporates many more of the basic brunch staples that are less Mediterranean and Middle Eastern, like eggs Benedict, eggs Florentine, and whole wheat, Swedish and chocolate chip pancakes and French toast. (I must mention the French toast is a Challah French toast and is a Miriam Brunch specialty, extremely fluffy and sweet and simply decadent.) They also offer many dishes that are more American but seem to still maintain an Israeli influence, like the burgers and sandwiches. One of my favorites is the grilled chicken sandwich, with a spicy harissa style sauce and grilled onions, lettuce and tomato served in a pita. Truly finger licking good, with the spicy smooth flavors from the grilled chicken and the spicy sauce.

 

Some of the more Mediterranean & Middle Eastern dishes on the brunch offering are the real draw for many of the repeat neighborhood folks who can be seen almost every weekend throughout the year. The Israeli breakfast, two eggs, lebanah cheese, Israeli salad (cucumber, tomatoes, parsley & lemon) home fries, and pita bread is one of the most popular dishes amongst the crowd. Other favorites include, Mediterranean Crispy dough served with 2 eggs, spicy simmered tomatoes and spicy harissa sauce and pickles, Shashuka, originally a Libyan dish, widely adapted throughout the Middle East including Israel, is basically eggs poached in a spicy pepper sauce, and at Miriam it is served with a side of pita and hummus. (The hummus does not disappoint). They now offer a traditional Jewish Cholent, a spicy stew of meat, potatoes and beans, stewed overnight, and captures and excellent flavor and traditionalism of Jewish food. And then there is my personal favorite, the Buerekas, flaky puffed pastry pockets stuffed with warm feta and olives, served with two eggs, lebanah cheese, Israeli salad and green tahini (tahini with cilantro and spices). The Buerekas for me symbolizes an extremely decadent, yet comforting meal

I cannot discuss the brunch menu at Miriam without mentioning the tasty condiments that come with almost every dish, each paired so perfectly with the meal, and the ingredients. Some of my favorites include the green tahini sauce, the spicy harissa sauce (excellent on the fresh cut French fries), the spicy harissa mayonnaise served on burgers, chicken sandwiches and I have seen some order it for their fries as well, there is a cilantro chili pepper kind of paste that I love on my eggs and on pita or anything for that matter including mixed in with my lebanah, it is cilantro and chilies, and a lot of Middle Eastern Spices. The mango chutney, which they serve on the chicken shwarma is unbelievably spicy and sweet and simply magnificent.

 

If you haven’t guessed by now with the small clues, I am one of “thy neighbors” to Miriam. For the last 6 years I have been frequenting the place, (first the original Hill Diner and which became Miriam in Cobble Hill (which is now closed) and then this one on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope). I am not a brunch fan which is why Miriam is so extremely appealing to me. Not only do I enjoy seeing my neighborhood friends and familiar faces often, but I enjoy the diversity of the menu, it is not just another egg place. It is easy to serve eggs for brunch, it is just as easy to serve sandwiches, but to offer a much more exotic brunch menu with “the brunch staples” done with an exceptional flavorful and exotic twist is for me what New York brunch should be about. Good food that dazzles us yet is consistent, eaten in a place that feels like home with friends and family, this is how most of us in the neighborhood feel about Miriam.