Brunch is that persistent staple of any good millennial weekend that refuses to go gently into the night.
There’s nothing better than waking up at noon on a Saturday and then getting some french toast with friends to revive yourself after a long week. However brunch in NYC is almost like a religion with each brunch spot a church frantically seeking ways to garner new members. Having good food simply isn’t enough. It’s about the scenario, the environment, the ambience, and the cool factor. Meduza Mediterrania has all of that in spades.
Nestled in the meat packing district, Meduza is the latest restaurant from Noble 33 and their first on the East coast. The upscale, high-energy dining experience, helmed by Noble 33 Co-Founders Tosh Berman and Mikey Tanha, expands across an elaborate 8,870 square-foot, ground-level location that previously housed Provocateur.
Meduza’s innovative menu builds upon traditional Mediterranean cuisine while respecting the rich culinary heritage that has made the region and its food so popular. The artfully-presented plates are structured around sustainably sourced ingredients featuring bold and inventive Mediterranean flavors inspired by different destinations within the region. Dinner menu highlights include:
- Tsukune with jidori chicken meatball, ginger scallion, panko, and tare
- Lamb chop with tabbouleh and Israeli schug
- Wagyu Kafta with tomato, roasted garlic, basil, and shaved parmesan
- Grilled Branzino with lemon, extra virgin olive oil, and fine herbs
However, my girlfriend and I were invited to try out their brunch menu and it was exquisite. We started off with a cucumber salad and a plate of hamachi. The salad was refreshing and served as a perfect complement to the bright and flavors of the fish. From there we shared the fine chopped kale salad and a plate of wagyu carpaccio. This was probably the highlight of the meal for me surprisingly enough. The Wagyu carpaccio had such a rich and strong flavor profile that left me wanting more while the fine chopped kale salad served as a beautiful compliment to the incomparable meaty flavors of the wagyu.
For our mains, I got the steak and eggs and she got the French toast. The hanger steak was perfectly cooked and beautifully marinated. The eggs, which I ordered scrambled, were done perfectly. Making perfect eggs is not a simple feat by any measure so any place that can nail something as simple of that will always get a seal of approval from me. The French toast was sweet and delightfully cinnamon flavor. Certainly an elevated version of a childhood favorite, which was topped with a berry compote and maple syrup. To finish the meal off, we were treated to an assortment of cakes, each one moist and well prepared.
As we sat and enjoyed our meal in the company of newly made friends and a violinist that casually walked around the restaurant playing along with today’s pop hits, it was abundantly clear that this is one of the new brunch meccas of New York. Whether it’s brunch to start your day or a nice dinner to tie it all off, Meduza is a wonderful restaurant that you need to try.
