Restaurant Review: Sons of Essex

I had a great brunch experience with 6 of my gal pals at Sons of Essex. Cool place on the LES. Apparently a brunch hot spot, with dim lighting and a DJ spinning late 80s/early 90s hip hop. We got a fantastic deal from Gilt City that included 6 cocktails, 2 bottles of champagne, 6 entrees, 3 sides, and 2 desserts (oh and coffee/tea if we wanted it). So naturally, we ordered up a storm!

After popping the first bottle of champagne, we got our three sides - truffle tater tots, seasonal fruit, and truffle mac n cheese. They accidentally brought out a fruit parfait with housemade granola and greek yogurt, so we got to try that as well. Everything was great. The tots were crispy, the mac n cheese was creamy (and a generous portion), the fruit was fresh, and the yogurt parfait tasted really natural, creamy, and wholesome.

Truffle tater tots

Fruit and yogurt parfait

Truffle mac n cheese

We also ordered cocktails. Obviously I went with the Bloody Mary which was great, but could have been bigger. I also tasted some of the white sangria which was very fruity, tangy and pretty strong (not a bad thing).

Bloody Mary

Next came the entrees. We each ordered one thing, but ended up splitting and tasting everyone's. We got the lobster benedict, steak and huevos, Essex St omelette with egg whites, stuffed french toast, and 2 S.O.E. brunch pizzas. I didn't try the steak and huevos because it got eh reviews. Apparently the steak was a bit tough. I also didn't try the egg white omelette because who has time for that at a brunch like this.

Steak and huevos

Essex St. omelette (with egg whites)

I tasted the french toast that the menu says is made with cornflake crusted challah, maple marscapone, and homemade ricotta. I looked like red velvet to me, but either way it was fluffy, sweet, and delicious. I could only have one bite though since it was too sweet to eat a large portion of that. (sorry, no photo available).

The lobster benedict was pretty good, nothing crazy. The lobster flavor was definitely there, and there was a decent portion of lobster on top of an English muffin (I think). I asked for the hollandaise on the side so it didn't smother the dish. It also came with a little salad that I dabbled in, but it wasn't dressed (or wasn't dressed well), so I moved on.

Lobster benedict

The S.O.E. brunch pizza was huge and awesome. Scrambled eggs, aged cheddar, and Applewood smoked bacon on a crispy flat bread is a great combo, filling, and easy to share. I think we all were getting so full at that point so we didn't do serious damage, but this was one of my favorite dishes.

S.O.E. brunch pizza

For dessert we went with a chocolate cake and apple streusel. The chocolate cake was served warm with caramel. It was yummy, but nothing amazing. The apple streusel had a warm, crispy topping, but the filling was nothing to write home about. We also were busy with our second bottle of champagne and very full, so dessert was definitely an after thought at this point.

Apple streusel

Chocolate cake

We were finishing up around 3pm and all of a sudden we looked around and the scene had totally changed. The music was still bumpin, but now it was fuller and the crowd seemed to be really decked out, as if it were 11pm. The waitress told us that it can get pretty wild there and they always have bouncers on walkie at brunch time...totally normal.

So, if you are looking for a lively brunch spot with good food and good service, definitely check this place out. I would not recommend bringing your parents or a first date, but great for groups trying to party at brunch time.