Brunching in New York: The Four Seasons Brunch NYC

Weekend brunching in New York has become an institution. Indeed, some New Yorkers even claim that if you don’t brunch on the weekend, you’re doing it wrong. So when my first weekend in New York City finally approached, I grabbed my Australian friend who was also visiting the city and we head on down to the Four Seasons in Midtown to try the brunch experience for ourselves.

We arrived fifteen minutes before our 12 noon reservation and were asked to wait without menus until the clock hit precisely noon. As if it were clockwork, the waiter then appeared with the brunch menu 30 seconds before the clock struck noon and offered to return with drink orders. I had unknowingly skipped breakfast on the (mis)conception that Brunch was a conjunction of Breakfast and Lunch – but according to the wait and menu options, it certainly appeared much less breakfast and much more lunch than anything.

There were a couple of egg dishes on the menu, but very few in comparison to what I am accustomed to back at home in Australia. Perhaps that was my first flaw in the whole affair – I wasn’t prepared for the American’s take on brunch. As there was nothing on the menu appealing to a vegetarian who favors breakfast as their most favourite meal of the day, I was quite pleasantly surprised when the waiter offered to have the chef prepare a fruity bowl of yoghurt, fresh fruits and granola – not on the menu.

Our meals arrived some 15 minutes later which I would normally consider quite prompt but there weren’t many other guests in the restaurant to keep us waiting. It’s difficult to complain about a dish that wasn’t on the menu to begin with, but I was quite surprised to see something as staple as a yoghurt parfait appear to be so mistaken. The three key ingredients were all present, but there was far too much granola and only a very small portion of greek yoghurt, making it mostly inedible. My girlfriend chose the eggs benedict which appeared to be a much safer option – though we were largely confused as to what made the bacon ‘Canadian maple’ as she informed me it didn’t have a sweet taste or indeed any taste other than bacon (?). Perhaps this was again due to our country of origin to expect such a label translate into taste on the plate.

The service was unfortunately not quite up to par for Four Seasons standards, either. The staff weren’t exactly rude but they weren’t very welcoming, either – hopefully something that is out of the ordinary for the New York property as I have only ever encountered world-class service at other Four Seasons properties around the world.

There was certainly the potential for this to be a great late-morning affair, but perhaps the Four Seasons New York has on this case fallen victim to resting on its’ laurels. If I were to return I would expect a wider variety of standout dishes on the menu (brunch is usually a hard choice for me with so many delicious options), and a more welcoming attitude from staff.

A la Carte Menu around $35 per main.

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