Restaurant Experience: Roberta's, Brooklyn, NY

After an eventful night of lamb eating, Kabarette watching, and drinking, Kate and I decided to go pamper ourselves with a nice and lethargic recovery brunch on Sunday morning. Since I was quite far out of my stomping grounds, I let Kate take the lead completely on this matter. We walked about 15 minutes down Bushwick Avenue, and eventually turned into an area with massive abandoned enclaves surrounded by various graffiti walls. I was busy marveling at all the colors and the violently barbed wires atop these aforementioned walls, when Kate suddenly announced that we were arriving.

Wait, what?

Where?

This hole in the wall?

Imagine my surprise when we walked through a pair of faded old drapes (with a brazen massive "R" stamped across them) and were greeted with a spacious room, teeming with nice baking smells and laughter of employees echoing across the floor. No, of course I didn't take a picture of the interior as I was walking through because I am a.) a clumsy nitwit that would've fallen and broken everything and b.) a forgetful nitwit that was too busy being hungry and in awe.

No, that was not a multiple choice question. If it were, the answer would be c.) all of the above.

Kate and I were seated in the "outside" area, which was basically a lean-to shanty with clear plastic roof plates, complete with air conditioning.

No smoking, por favor. Danke schoen.

With a hangover and lethargy nipping at our heels, Kate and I quickly perused the menu - she reviewed it - and after a short debate about morality and conscience, we both decided that we would start our day with a little bit of 11:30 am day drinking.

Kate opted for a beer, and I decided to go with a mimosa.

Fun fact: I was never really a beer girl until I got to France, and when I was there all I drank - if I had the option - was Grimbergen Blanche. And if I had the option, I would only drink it at Flanigan's - my favorite bar - served up by Frank - my favorite barman and irishman. But Grim Blanche opened up all sorts of doors for me, and now I have developed a fervent love for all light beers, and an apprehensive appreciation for darker beers.

Also, I have yet to have locate or consume a Grim Blanche since I left Lyon in May of 2011, and I am mightily thirsty for it.

Roberta's is most well-known for their pizzas topped with the fresh and organic ingredients, but seeing as it was indeed 11:30 in the morning, I opted instead for a Cemina (skirt steak, avocado, salsa verde, mozzarella on a toasted sesame roll) and Kate took the Sausage Egg and Cheese on a Potato Roll.

I didn't try Kate's beer (I think she got a six point? Or was it old dog?) but my Mimosa was absolutely delicious. The ratio was just perfect, though it was almost a Buck's Fizz. What is Buck's Fizz, you ask? Buck's Fizz is the precursor to the Mimosa, and while Mimosa is equal parts of orange juice and champagne or sparkling wine, Buck's Fizz is two parts OJ and one part champagne or sparkling wine. Both are delicious.

Kate's meal selection arrived before mine, and she allowed me to try a few small bites of it to garner my approval of her tastes, which she promptly received. The sausage was... creamy. I honestly don't know how else to describe it. The flavor was more akin to a smoked bratwurst than to a breakfast sausage, which was what I had expected. So needless to say, I was caught a little off guard. But once I regained posture, I tried to zone in on the taste - and failed. The flavor of the meat was quite overwhelmed by a smokiness, but when paired with the potato roll and PERFECTLY fried over-easy egg, it was quite a deadly combination.

I'm not exaggerating when I say perfectly, underlined and bolded. That egg was absolutely delicious. That takes the best fried egg in my book, right next to Momofuku's poached egg. Apparently, I have an egg book now. It's new.

Now for mine.

I got a Cemina, origins of name unbeknownst to me, which was skirt steak, avocado, salsa verde, and mozzarella on a toasted sesame roll. The side which you see so daintily placed... well... on the side, is a simple - yet exquisite - Romaine lettuce salad dressed with only the slightest bit of EVO, lemon juice, and salt. What about the sandwich? Oh, the sandwich. Where do I even start?

The skirt steak was seared to a perfection. I'd never had skirt steak more tender and juicy than here at Roberta's, and while the pieces weren't exactly bite size, they were soft enough to be bitten through without too much of a struggle. The beef was thankfully not overly seasoned, so the sweet natural flavor of the meat still soaked through the palate, complemented by the creamy sweetness of the avocado and the soothing richness of the mozzarella. All of this was perfectly held up by the mild sweetness of the roll, which was toasted to a perfect crunch, offsetting the texture to keep it interesting.

I'm not done yet.

The most astounding factor of this sandwich? The final tangy kick of parsley at the end when the salsa verde finally hits your tongue, having fought through the layers of tastes and flavors that will stay with me forever.

Looking forward to my next brunch at Roberta's.

Roberta's
http://robertaspizza.com/
261 Moore Street, Brooklyn, NY
Take the L train to Morgan Ave
Hours: 11am - 12am (midnight) everyday.
Phone: (718) 417-1118
Price: Around $25 per person for brunch (incl. tip and drink)