Who doesn’t love brunch in Manhattan? Seriously you need to be studied or shipped off somewhere where delicious food is nowhere to be found if this is the case. It’s everywhere here! The key is to find the good ones! I definitely found one this past Sunday at The Ainsworth, located in Chelsea on 26th Street between 6th and 7th Avenue. The key to this meal is one word: hearty. Tastefully hearty. Here’s why.
The Ainsworth has multiple locations in and out of Manhattan actually (one in my favorite town outside New York: Hoboken). This particular spot has everything I love in a Manhattan restaurant. It is spacious with ceilings as high as can be, with a mood that can only be described as relaxed. Or at least it was that day, as the waitress told me the night before that the joint was packed due to the NCAA Final Four game. We clearly came at the right time.
Maybe that’s why it was hard for me to believe that this location is actually a sports bar, but it is. The brunch menu itself was also perfect in that it was one page, short and simple, yet to the point with each option they presented us that all looked simply scrumptious.
This brunch outing was broken down into two pieces: Pizza and Burgers (with a side of Diet Coke & Arnold Palmer. Yum). They had a couple of great options on the small plates section of our menu, but we beelined for one of the two pizza options (the other being a Margherita Focaccia) and tried their Grilled Vegetable Focaccia Pizza with Balsamic Marinated Zucchini, Squash, Bell Pepper, Onion, Ricotta & Mozzarella. This is a fantastic option for someone who might be watching their calories with the warmer weather in check, yet is pungent and chock full of flavor with each veggie you bite into.
Although their line of salads and sandwiches looked divine, me and my friend were cruising for a yummy burger and that we got indeed. In different ends of the spectrum, I might add. For me, the choice was easy- their Mac & Cheese Burger. This Panko Crusted delight comes with a Mac & Cheese Patty, a Beef Patty and Mac & Cheese all on a sesame bun. Legit- look at it! It’s overflowing with Mac & Cheese goodiness! And it was fun to alternative between fork for the extra M&C and my mouth for the rest. Great dish!
My friend opted for something that is usually its own sort of salad: The Caprese Burger. This comes with Fresh Mozzarella, Roasted Pepper, Baby Arugula and Balsamic Pesto on a Potato Roll. This was conceptually such a fun burger to bite into, as you really get that Caprese freshness inside, and the mixture of the fresh burger with the pesto was a neat trick with a nice flavor explosion inside of it.
Overall, The Ainsworth provided us with a fantastic meal that will leave us coming back for more and more. Definitely a place you should RSVP for next weekend, if not sooner. For more information on The Ainsworth, check out their official site.