Brunch is Now Terroir-fied or Whatever

Terroir Terroir Terroir. Since around the time they opened up in the former Great Lakes space back in September of 2012, I've been by once every month or two. I was there in November for my 38th birthday and took a "Wine 101" class in February of this year. As a result, over time I've become relatively chummy with a few of the folks there.

Then, late last week when I was wondering what the fuck I was going to do on Sunday for my 39th birthday, I got an email from Terroir. They were letting me know that, starting on Sunday, they'd be doing brunch again and going forward they'd be doing so on both Saturdays and Sundays (11am-3pm). In addition to a new brunch menu, they're also now rocking a full liquor license. In short, if I was free on Sunday, I should totally come by to check it out.

The moral: Planning birthday stuff is stupid. Just let it come to you. Wu wei or some shit.

On Sunday, the lady friend and I arrived right around 2pm to a space that was relaxed but pretty much empty, not the typical Terroir setting. Apparently the place had been hopping til 1pm approached and people took off to watch the Jets lose again. I was still a bit fatigued from the previous evening’s festivities so I, for one, welcomed the relaxed atmosphere, where we were able to just chill at the bar. Thank god for football, I guess.

Typically, Terroir serves up a selection of quality, fairly straightforward plates. The brunch menu is similar (full menu), with a lot of your standard items, junk like Waffles & Fried Chicken ($14) and French Toast & Bacon ($11). If you've got breedlings (and I know a shit ton of you jabronis do) and enjoy getting all brunch toasty around them, you're in luck. Bring the kids! For them, everything on the menu is available for a half of a portion for half of the price. Also, maybe you can even secretly slip them some wine and start developing their palates early!

For starter items, there's Crumb Cake ($5) and Apple Cider Donuts ($6). Both were a little on the dry side with some sweetness (the crumb and the glaze)...in all, they were aight. For a lot of people, the starters are probably all Kool & the Gang though, something that's better with a cup of coffee anyhow.

I was already a bit cracked out on coffee at that point though, so I went right back to celebrating my birthday with a nice, spicy Bloody Mary ($5). Thanks to the new liquor license, Bloodys are now available along with the typical brunch Mimosas ($8) & Bellinis ($9).

For my meal, I was totally going to go with the Waffles & Fried Chicken but the waffle maker apparently shit the bed part way into the brunch service, so...SAD TROMBONE. No worries...Chicken & Waffles is in serious "jumping the shark" territory anyhow and I like to be a TOTAL INDIVIDUAL. My second choice was the Pork Sausage & Black Cabbage with Poached Egg ($11). Unfortunately, they'd run out of sausage earlier in the brunch service. MOTHERFUCKER DOUBLE SAD TROMBONE, SON.

Ultimately, I went with the Rapini & Bacon Frittata ($14).

The lady friend got the Braised Short Ribs with Eggs ($17). The rapini & egg blended well together but between the bacon inside & a sprinkling of sea salt on top, it was a bit salty. There's also a couple pieces of garlic toast in the mix, so...salt. I mean, I love sodium in all its glory but middle-aged Park Slope dad wads might want to get their sodium levels checked before sampling the frittata.

The short rib looked like a giant piece of chocolate cake, with a very light glaze on the outside that sorta reminded me of a mole, and a meat that was tender and cooked true to short rib form. 'Twas damn good and paired with two expertly-cooked eggs. It's a hefty portion for sure, though.

Both dishes also came with a side of potatoes covered in a light sauce flavored with shit like tomato & tarragon. While they weren’t offensive or anything, I definitely could take or leave them. They did complement the saltiness of my frittata pretty well though.

All told, for brunch, the price is about on par with your typical Park Slope brunch. For a starter, two dishes & two rounds of drinks, you're looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 per person after tip. Not too shabby. How easy will it be to get a table? That'll likely be a bit shabbier.

Read way more from Shawn at eatdrinksnack.com and eatdrinktaco.com.