Well, it has been a month since my last post. I would like to blame it on the iPhone. Perhaps I spent the last month caressing its beautiful exterior and forgot to eat. I may have tested out its camera (it failed with flying colors at indoor macro photography) at several restaurants, thinking this one device could save me from toting a camera with me. It’s even possible that the six hundred dollar price tag set me back so much I had to curb my appetite for haute cuisine. Alas, the truth of the matter is I have just been lazy. It could not last forever though, so in an effort to atone for my sloth, I will attempt to write several entries before the end of August.

Last weekend I went to Brooklyn to visit my dear friend Tadashi. After a night of dancing to house music at Shelter in Manhattan, we were ready for mimosas and Sunday brunch. Last time I visited we tried to eat at a French bistro on Smith Street called Patois, but arrived before the restaurant had opened and had to find another venue to eat. This time we were prepared and slept well into Sunday afternoon before leaving his house.

Patois features a pri fix Sunday brunch that features unlimited mimosas, coffee and juice. I can’t think of a better way to recover from a long Saturday evening than that. We arrived at the table and were immediately served mimosas, and with a little exploration, uncovered a selection of breads stored in a baking tin. Both Tadashi and I ordered the duck confit over hash with poached egg and mixed greens. There were many interesting items on the menu, but if you are offering an animal cooked in its own fat, I will never pass it up. The hash was not of the crispy fried variety, admittedly my favorite way to eat them, but they were seasoned well and balanced the duck nicely. The duck confit was every bit as good as I could have hoped for, a healthy portion covered by the poached egg and a hollandaise sauce.

August 16th, 2007 by John (Cho-Tabetai)