Oh my god, friends, did Hannah and I ever have a brunch before I left for Paris. When I say we had a brunch, I mean, basically, a Brunch with a capital "B." This brunch was a scene. This brunch was a party. This brunch was awesome. As you may recall, we hit up Union Rooftop for Restaurant Week this winter. As the weather is getting nicer, the two of us decided it was prime time for a sunshiny, outdoor-ish brunch to keep celebrating spring. So we did just that! Without further ado, Union Rooftop...
Location/Ambiance:
From the minute I set foot on the roof of Union, I could tell this was not the way I ordinarily do brunch. Union's "Solar Sundays" are a place where one is clearly meant to see and be seen. Everyone, including the employees, was rocking aviators, while a DJ spun tunes more suited to the Saturday night crowd than the Sunday morning hangover crew. The hostess, a Lorde lookalike with burgundy lips and thigh-high boots, sat me at a prime table overlooking downtown:
We couldn't have had a lovelier view, until they did THIS!
That's right. They opened the roof, and that took the French bistro party brunch atmosphere skyrocketing to a perfect score.
Score: 10/10
Beverage:
Although every other person on the roof seemed to be taking advantage of the $10 bottomless mimosas, we weren't in the mood to let the champagne flow like water, and instead went with the "spiked latte." A concoction of cold press coffee, vanilla vodka, caramel, and whipped cream, topped with a Rolo, it was the perfect marriage of caffeine and buzz. I absolutely loved it...but it was a truly potent little sipper. Next time, we're bottomless'ing for sure.
Score: 10/10
Food:
To start off, everyone in the restaurant receives this precious little bundle of delicious, hot blueberry scones upon seating:
Yeah, I'd call that starting on a high note. Hannah went with the breakfast sandwich, and it looked delicious. I broke out of the box a bit and ordered the "Signature Hashbrowns," trashed-up with bacon, scallion and a fried egg. Just take a look:
Yeah. Perfect portion size, totally soaked up the residual Saturday night hangover and tasted delicious in the bargain. They were buttery, crispy in all the right places, and the egg just added to the perfection. Would definitely order again.
Score: 8/10
As if the experience weren't already amazing, the brunch ended up costing us a grand total of $2.41, after I applied a LivingSocial deal and our book club friend Ginny, who is the manager, comped us our delicious liquor lattes! We had to head out around 1, but apparently the place turns into a full-on rooftop day dance party around 3pm. Can you say "June Book Club Location?" Because I sure can! To check out Union Rooftop for yourself, head here, or hit up my brunch list for more breakfast inspiration!