Brunch at Manhattan Diner, Upper West Side, NYC

Another lazy Sunday morning.  NYCity Mama is one of those fortunate wives that she rarely , ever hears of.  Normally on weekends, but especially on Sundays, her husband lets her sleep in till she is fully rested, or her kids wake her up (usually the latter).  And usually, she will drag herself into the kitchen where her husband has a warm cafe mocha he’s made himself waiting for her and they discuss what they will be making for brunch.  Brunch at Mama’s house is huge.  This is the one time of the week when they will make hash browns from scratch, and whip up creative omelettes with garlic, mushrooms, tomato, and whatever else they can find in the fridge.  It’s when they bake rolls, or muffins, and prepare a feast aimed to keep their bellies full all day. But on this particular Sunday, after a week of rain and cold winds, Mama decided she wanted to go out and enjoy the beautiful morning with her family and have someone else prepare them a brunch that would come as close to their own wonderful feasts.  NYCity Mama knew just the place. Manhattan Diner, on West 78th St. and Broadway, in the Upper West Side, is one of her family’s favorite places to go.  Not only is the diner in one of NYCity Mama’s favorite neighborhoods, but it is also one of the very few diners where she and her husband feel completely welcomed and comfortable in bringing all of their kids.

The Upper West Side is such an awesome area, with tons of families, and shops and restaurants.  It is one of those neighborhoods that makes NYCity Mama happy to be back and she can’t get enough of it.  Ah, if only the 3 bedroom apartments didn’t cost an arm and a leg and an eye (that is of course, if you could find one).   Once in the area, they walk past the various shoppers and christmas tree vendors.  The smell of bagels and coffee is in the air, and restaurants are packed with patrons talking and people-watching out the windows. They arrive to the diner and it is also full of people standing around waiting for a seat.

But Mama isn’t worried, and that is because  even though hers is considered an extremely large family by city standards, she has never had a problem getting seated right away at Manhattan Diner.  And so after waiting for about 5 minutes, the hostess sat them at a nice big table, where they all fit and there was still room to spare. Mama’s 11 year old knew immediately what he wanted.  ”The Lumberjack”, he said without hesitation. “That’s what I want.”   The Lumberjack is an even larger portion than the diner’s already generous portions.  A hefty serving of pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon makes this not only the perfect breakfast for any lumberjack who happens to find himself in New York City, but also the eternally hungry pre-teen sitting before her. NYCity Mama decided to try the Manhattan Frittata today.  She has ordered frittatas at other diners and always found them to be too dry and tasteless.  But her husband never ordered anything different when they came here, swearing this was the best dish on their brunch menu.  So she decided to see if he was right. The diner is busy.  A bit loud, but not in an annoying or distracting way, just  loud enough where NYCity Mama never has to worry that her kids will be disturbing anyone with their songs, stories, laughter, or whining, because it’s busy “enough”.   The servers, and even bus boys, are always smiling and greet them as they pass by, winking at her kids, and at times, stopping to chat with them, especially if they start to fuss too much. The brunch menu is the standard diner breakfast/lunch food (they also serve dinner), with a smaller selection for the calorie concious and organic devout.  But Sundays for NYCity Mama is not about diet or reservations about food, it’s not about French linen napkins, or Italian cappucinos.  It is about enjoying time with family, and sometimes even friends, and allowing yourself the indulgence of a hearty late morning, early afternoon meal.

Today their server is Lily. They have been fortunate enough to have almost always been served by Lily.  Lily is a charming waitress, friendly and efficient, fast and courteous.  NYCity Mama thinks she is awesome.  When you have as many kids as Mama does, you really appreciate fast service, with no errors, and a friendly smile, even when your kid spills an entire glass of orange juice all over the table, seats, and floor.  Speaking of the orange juice, Mama believes it is freshly squeezed.  Even her 11 year old comments of how good and “refreshing” it is.  She takes a sip, and he is right.  Wonderful.

The food arrives quickly, the coffee is a little burnt, but no one cares.  The food is delicious.  The toddlers don’t hesitate to attack their Silver Dollar Pancakes, and her 11 year old feasts on his Lumberjack as if he is preparing to go cut down some Redwoods himself!  Lily brings the frittata and it looks great.  Oozing with melted mozzarella cheese on top, Mama can see the rings of sliced sausages baked in the egg underneath.  She cuts a portion with her fork and a nice piece of plum tomato reveals itself and she takes a bite.  Heaven.  It’s diner food at it’s best, greasy, but not gross, generous in portion, very tasteful and well seasoned.  She loves it, and though she wasn’t able to finish it all, she understood the loyalty her husband had to this dish, and why not a trace of leftover could be found on his plate.

Lily brings them the bill and for $62.00 they managed to cover lunch and breakfast in one sitting, and even satisfy themselves enough where the thought of dinner was optional. They left diner as happy and satisfied as they always do when they come here and decide to walk around the neighborhood before heading back to their own.  It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, the air is cool and crisp, the sounds of the city are energizing and entertaining. They walk along one of the two nearby parks (Riverside Park with the other being Central Park) in an effort to walk off some of the delicious calories they just ingested.  But Mama isn’t worried because it isn’t too long before she and her husband are running after their toddlers, who manage to always keep them active.

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Tags: food, kid friendly, nyc restaurants
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