Review: A stick-to-your-ribs brunch at Tipsy Parson
Restaurant: Tipsy Parson
Cuisine: Southern, regional American
Location: 156 9th Avenue, (Btwn 19th & 20th Streets)
*All of my photos from this meal can be viewed on Flickr
Hangover + bone-chilling cold weather + grey skies = not the kind of morning that I want to be satiated by anything fancy or (gasp) healthy. No, I want a plate of food that will make me feel as comforted and warm as that first hug I get from my parents after going months without seeing them. For this exact reason, I chose one of the Chelsea neighborhood's newest regional-American restaurants, Tipsy Parson, to meet Pax and Caroline for Saturday brunch.
Despite the fact that it was 12:30pm on a Saturday (prime-time in NYC), the three of us were seated immediately. We squeezed in to a cozy banquette + table/chair situation in the restaurant's front room, which conveniently occupied the bar and table seating for approximately 20 diners/drinkers. Beyond this was a short hallway that led to the main dining room. Tipsy Parson's interior decor reminded me of many of the restaurants I dined in during my visit to Memphis. Imagine banquette's made of old church pews, a long and voluptuous marble-topped bar, mismatched wooden chairs, ice cream parlor (style) bar stools, a melange of old-fashioned chotchkies adorning the walls and hugging the ends of shelves, etc.
Tipsy Parson's brunch menu could best be classified as "Southern American," with offerings such as: Country Ham & Biscuit, Oyster Po'Boy (sandwich) and Sweet Potato Beignets. I chose to whet my palate with a glass of North Carolina's own Cheerwine Soda, which tastes almost identical to a Shirley Temple (Sprite + grenadine). Yum!
Cheerwine Soda, a peppy beverage from North Carolina that tastes almost identical to a Shirley Temple
The three of us unanimously agreed to split a Cinnamon Doughnut and Monkey Bread for appetizers. The latter did not resemble the ooey-gooey, caramel-y, finger-licking-good breakfast bread that I had secretly been fantasizing about. Imagine a tower of Dunkin Donuts' Munchkins clumped together, forming a single pastry about the size of a popover, finished with a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar. The Monkey Bread itself was stale and arid, leading me to believe that it was baked one to two days prior to our visit. I found this unfortunate and unacceptable.
The driest Monkey Bread on the planet
After pushing the crumbly Monkey Bread off to one side of my plate, I decided that it was time to taste the Cinnamon Doughnut. Warm, doughy and sweetened just enough from the cinnamon and sugar, I had to restrain myself from not only from taking smaller bites, but from ordering a doughnut all for myself.
Since we felt guilty enough for ordering appetizers at brunch (who does that?!), Caroline and I decided that it would be best if we split the Pimento Cheeseburger. A large oval plate arrived that was topped with three fresh-out-of-the-fryer golden/amber-brown hush puppies served alongside a dollop of spicy remoulade dipping sauce, and a fully-dressed cheeseburger about the size of my hand. The bun tasted as though it had been fully dredged in melted butter for about ten-minutes prior to being grilled. A thick schmear of pimento cheese spread topped each half of bread, followed by a couple of fried kosher dills, crunchy red onions, slices of salty bacon, and a 3/4"-thick beef patty grilled to a perfect "medium."
I don't give a damn if you're kosher or a vegetarian; this is one sexy cheeseburger!Aside from the Monkey Bread mishap, I cannot wait to return to Tipsy Parson! "You can take the girl out of the South, but you can't take the South out of the girl."
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Until we eat again,
Lindsay, The Lunch Belle