Little Owl

This little Greenwich Village place on Bedford & Grove is a favorite of mine but I've never been for brunch. It was G's idea so I have to thank her for the suggestion. I got there about 10 minutes before they open at 11 am worried that there would be an insane line like at Prune. Lucky for us there were just ten other people so we were easily seated. We actually table hopped when I noticed the view and location further away from kids was near the door. I worried about a cold draft but I was comfy in the window seat right next to a radiator heater! I was in cozy bliss tucked in this gem or a place, conversation and good food with a friend, the picturesque snow and historical streets all around us. Looking out, we noticed a tour group traveling in a pack looking over at our building, taking pictures; I felt a bit like a goldfish in a bowl. It sort of felt good to be a local - an ignorant local who still has no idea what the histroical significance is of the building we were sitting in. At that moment all I care about was the menu and my hot cup of Mighty Leaf tea. Hmmmm, good.

I know it was 11 am in the morning but I had to have the burger. After reading a piece in the Guardian on the 50 best foods to eat in the world, I had to get me a Little Owl burger. I've had the pork belly at Gramercy Tavern and the pastrami at Katz's; still haven't been to Babbo (bad me!). The burger has also been featured elsewhere (e.g. Serious Eats, Saveur) as one of the best in the city. So I ordered the burger, rare. Yep, I'm a red meat carnivore. When the meat comes from Pat La Frieda, it's gonna be good. And it also comes with cheddar, applewood bacon, and fries. The meat, cheese and bacon were perfect. I can say it is the best ground blend burger I've had in a long, long time. I think the roll was a tad disappointing but that may be due to the need to give it some density to stand up to the juicy meat and not go soggy. I'm going to disagree with other reviewers with my preference of brioche-style buns over this carb-heavy roll. My favorite is Shake Shack's potato bun when it's perfectly grilled with a crispy crunch edge on the rim. Lettuce - good, tomato - not ripe but ok, red onion - perfect and thinly sliced to not overpower. Fries were crisp and seasoned well. Condiments of ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard all came in individual serve containers which is really, really un-green, unsustainable. G noticed my eco-disgusted face when they plopped those on the table. I slowly ate my way through almost the whole burger but I had to leave a bite or two, plus some straggler fries, on the plate. My jeans could only contain so much. I won't have to eat for a week after this.

G got their version of eggs bennie - two poached eggs over a fontina sausage bun (more of a roll-biscuit hybrid), a rustic green (G's guess - escarole, my guess - kale or chard variety), and hollandaise. Looked good. She said the eggs were perfectly poached and they broke into a creamy yellow goodness, no signs of being under or over cooked. The bun however really didn't express either a sausage or fontina flavor in any noticeable way in her opinion, and G knows food! She added a side of bacon 'cause it's just soooooo good. Her latte was good; no foam as she asked. Hard to grab the waiter's attention for some fresh ground pepper for her eggs but in general, the service was attentive.

The place was packed by 11:30 am so best to get there early. Next time I'd do the brunchy stuff. I also like the pastas at dinner. My preference is dinner. But on this cold, snowy and lazy Saturday, it was nice to enjoy the sounds, warmth and comfort food at this neighborhood gem ... that really is more of a city treasure. Good eating!