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“Breakfast at The Cafe at Country”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Brunch	New American	Murray Hill	Moderate	Great

t like feeling this way, with this big hole in my life, and my heart.” And so I sat there, with tears running down my face while she finished her eggs. I was quite a sight. Harris, our dear waiter, looked like he wanted to come over and give me a hug. I could have used it.

Look, I hate to sound so whiny. I know that I am not the first person to have their heart broken. And this one wasn’t even so bad. The last one, which was so long ago now (4 years) that I am even embarrassed to mention it, was much worse. He really cut deep. At the time, I thought it was fatal. But it wasn’t. I lived through it. But even when it doesn’t feel fatal, even when it’s just a flesh wound like now, it hurts. I guess anytime you give a piece of yourself up to someone, only to have the whole thing fall apart, you’ve got to find a way to get that piece back again. And that takes time. And I think I just thought this time would be different. It felt different. And then it wasn’t. And that is what hurts more than the broken heart—the dashed expectations. It is just really disappointing.

Anyway, soon I was sick of listening to myself moan, and I regained my composure, and we were ready to try the Leo ($16), a brilliant take on the bagel and lox for those who can’t deal with all that bagel but really love the stuff that comes with it. Geoffrey’s version takes a pair of thin crisp wafers of a sliced bagel and fills them with layers of house-smoked salmon, whipped crème fraiche, tomatoes, sliced hard boiled eggs, capers, and shaved onion. It’s really the best way to taste all the ingredients, because you are not overwhelmed by doughy bread. It also leaves you more room to have the French Toast ($12), which is a ridiculous exercise in excess. I could barely eat more than one bite, so I recommend ordering it, but maybe just having it to share with your table, or just to look at. The French toast, which is more like a giant flapjack, is fashioned from buttery and golden brioche that is sliced in half cross-wise, and filled with fig jam and topped with a scoop of melting hazelnut butter. One bite fills your mouth with the flavors of sweet warm butter, figs and hazelnuts. It’s fairly phenomenal. And that day, it was the breakfast equivalent of a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream eaten with a spoon on the couch, with no intention of returning it to the freezer.

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Posted: October 23, 2005

Other restaurants in Murray Hill :
+ Breakfast at The Cafe at Country   + A Voce   + Country (Upstairs)   + Darna   + Penelope   

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