Breakfast in NYC

For me, breakfast always begins with coffee, so I went to Joe for a macchiato to start my morning.

 I should have just gotten my caffeine at Donut Plant,

 because their cappuccino was the best I had in NYC :)

 The hand made, natural ingredient donuts were great, from the vanilla yeast,

 to the tres leches,

 and excellent cinnamon sugar. At about $4 each, they are worth the splurge in both calories and $ :)

 My friends told me Maison du Macaron had great croissants, as well as macarons,

 and other sweets,

 but after living in Paris, I found them good, but not great.

I missed real NY bagels ever since I moved to CA decades ago, so I was thrilled to find Brooklyn Bagel, literally next door to my friend's apartment (she never goes because she prefers croissants)! They have a full deli counter with flavored spreads, sandwiches, soups, and smoked fish.

 Yes, they make their bagels on the premises!

 The flavored spreads range from scallion and cucumber to smoked salmon and tuna,

 but I chose plain cream cheese on an onion bagel,

and enjoyed every wonderfully rich warm bite (they will toast the bagel for you if you ask them). The regular size is easily enough for two, but I "somehow" ate the whole thing :)

One of the things I miss most from the US is bacon. Thick cut, chewy, crisp, fatty American bacon is as hard to find in Paris as a Dodo bird (the bacon they sell is either so salty you can't eat it plain (because it's meant to flavor a stew), or something akin to Canadian bacon. I went to Trestle for a full American breakfast, with eggs, hashbrowns,  bacon, and toast. I loved that I could get tabasco for my eggs (like finding a Dodo bird egg in France), and that the orange juice was freshly squeezed. It was a $25 breakfast including tax and tip, but for someone who hasn't had these simple pleasures in years, it was worth the exorbitant price tag.

A brunch breakfast bowl at Cookshop was also pricey at $16 for this plate of kale, spinach, faro wheat berries, feta, hazelnuts, egg, and falafel. It was a hearty bowl but could have used a bit of zing with either spice or acid to perk it up.

 A bottle of old Brown Dog Ale was a great accompaniment for $8,

 as was the view from the sidewalk patio of the  High Line Hotel.