The Brass Rail, Hoboken

A trip to NYC is not complete without a boozy brunch experience. On Cassie’s last day in NYC, we walked to Hoboken for brunch at The Brass Rail. The first floor is your typical sports bar, but the upstairs space was quite nice with hanging lights and comfy booths. I felt a little under dressed in jeans and a sweater as some people were really dressy.

You can order a la carte or choose from two prix fixe brunch options. $19 for two courses or $30 for two courses and mimosas, bloody marys, beer, or red sangria. The waiter told us that the drinks are not unlimited, but you do get more than one. I interpreted that as “we’ll keep serving you drinks, but we reserve the right to cut you off at any time if you get too rowdy and obnoxious.” Hah. That said, we experienced no shortage of drinks as our waiter was constantly refilling our mimosas even after just a sip or two. Yay!

I really wanted to try the sweet potato and ricotta crepes, but they were out of that. Instead, I ordered the French onion soup with maderia reduction and gruyere croutons. This was probably the heaviest appetizer on the brunch menu. Not bad.

John got the crispy falafel bites with yogurt cucumber dip. The exterior texture is a bit different from your standard falafel, but this was tasty, especially with that dip.

Cassie got the strawberry banana parfait. Layers of macerated strawberries, toasted granola, banana whip, and bruleed bananas served in a cute little jar.

John got the sweet potato omelet, while Cassie and I both ordered the eggs benedict. I asked if they could substitute the bacon for spinach or some kind of veggie, but they couldn’t do that. That said, it was a decent eggs benedict. The eggs were nicely poached, but the hollandaise could use a little more work. I’ve stopped buying eggs to cook at home, and this was my first taste of eggs in two months!