Spring has Sprung on the Bowery

Even the rain today can't put a damper on the fabulous weekend we had in NYC. Not a cloud in the sky and temps running from 65-75 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday was a great first official Spring weekend. Anticipating the warm weather on Saturday, Lindsey and I made brunch plans with the newly named "The Brunch Crew" at Gemma where the outside seating is abundant. They don't take reservations for brunch, lunch or dinner unless you're staying at the Bowery Hotel, but if you have connections like we do, a reservation was easy. Maybe it was because we went at 11:30, but I like to think that we're moving our way up in the world.

I really didn't know what to expect at Gemma because their brunch menu is MIA. It's not on menupages, chowhound, yelp, anywhere!! But I had faith that it was going to be good because their dinner is delicious -- (get the branzino and any pasta in their spicy tomato sauce).

We all started out with a morning cocktail, I got a blood orange mimosa, and the banana bread they serve. It was soft and moist and could have been even better with some chocolate chips like my mom does it. The menu is big with a lot of egg dishes, fritattas, pizzas and other lunch options. Linds, Britt and I did a three way share with the baked eggs that comes with avocado, prosciutto in a light tomato sauce, the french toast and the egg, truffle mushroom pizza. We didn't know what to expect with the pizza but it was pretty much a full size pie with mushrooms, cheese, truffle oil and a cooked sunny side egg on top. Definitely different from your average eggs Benedict or pancake item, but it was really good. You can get it with prosciutto on top as well, but we decided against it. The baked eggs were my favorite, mostly because I'm a sucker for avocado and tomato sauce (usually not together but in this case it worked). They even brought you a side of bread to dip into the sauce - a huge plus. The french toast was basic but still fluffly, served with a berry compote.

All in all, a great brunch experience with great company and even better weather. While some reviews are harsh on Gemma, I have had great service for dinner and now brunch and would definitely return for both. Sitting inside is just as good as outside if the weather isn't that great. There's melted candelabras throughout and has a Gothic castle vibe to me. It's still an East Village hot spot so put it on your check off list asap!