I dislike brunch. Actually, check that—I loathe brunch. It’s not just the gloppy eggs Benedict, it’s the entire concept. I mean, why wait in line with a bunch of Yelping strangers out for bottomless mimosas when I could make most of the food better at home?
And then Milktooth happened. Now I’ve got egg on my face.
How did this place, housed in a light-filled former garage, make me a believer? For starters, Milktooth goes all-in, exuberantly serving brunch—and only brunch—six days a week, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s not an afterthought, it’s their only thought.
The servers, judging by their smiles, are all morning people. (Damn them.) Maybe they’re dipping into some of Milktooth’s no fewer than 25 house cocktails. But it was chef Jonathan Brooks’s menu—including a Dutch baby topped with ham, melty Gruyère, and cranberry mostarda—that finally made me a convert.
Sure they’ve got waffles, but theirs come with sweet plums and house-made ricotta. If there’s a better hangover cure than the lamb patty melt with a fried egg and harissa, then I’ve got a bottle of bourbon I want to try it out on. And if you don’t start your first (only?) meal of the day with a sour cream biscuit or slice of coffee cake made by the talented pastry chef Zoë Taylor, you need to go back to bed.
Me? Well, when you wake up, I’ll still be at Milktooth, happily eating brunch.
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This is how Milktooth does brunch:
Pearl Sugar Waffles With Bacon and Plums (left) and Fancy Grilled Cheese With a Fried Egg (right).
Savory lox and cream cheese danishes at the pastry counter.
Your average lox-and-bagel gets an upgrade from hand-sliced lox and house-baked bialys.
Chef Jonathan Brooks and pastry chef Zoë Taylor.
Pearl Sugar Waffles With Bacon and Plums
The setup behind the coffee bar.
Spiced Honey Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
The Milktooth space used to be a garage.
Fancy Grilled Cheese With a Fried Egg
Precious tchotchkes abound at Milktooth.
Who cares what time it is? 11 a.m. is cocktail hour at Milktooth.
The Milktooth staff.
How do you convince someone to eat chicken liver for breakfast? Put it on a waffle. That’s the genius of Jonathan Brooks, who admits, “I kind of trick people into eating stuff for brunch that they normally wouldn’t.” His strategy: fearlessly combine his favorite ingredients (sardines, beef tongue) with the familiar pancakes and eggs. (Full disclosure: The pancakes are made with masa flour and the eggs are cooked sous vide for the perfect poach.) “It’s amazing, actually,” Brooks concedes: “We’ve got people eating cuttlefish for breakfast.”—Julia Kramer
Pearl Sugar Waffles With Bacon and Plums
Fancy Grilled Cheese With a Fried Egg
Spiced Honey Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
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