Friedman's - Hell's Kitchen
Disclaimer: Let me be honest. I didn't go to breakfast intending to write about it. I've never written a review of a place I've gone alone, at least I don't remember ever doing it. But halfway through breakfast, I thought of the title for this and had to write something to justify using it.
I started my Saturday morning at 6:45AM. There were days, many moons ago, that I used to just be getting to sleep at that hour. I stumbled around my apartment and dragged my disgruntled ass to the Javits Center for my second vaccine shot. It's pretty impressive just how streamlined and quick that process was and how pleasant all the people there have been both times I was there. I was in and out in about 25 minutes and that includes the 15 minutes you have to wait after you've gotten the shot. Can't complain about that at all.
trip to the Google showed me that there was a place called Friedman's just 2 blocks away. So I strolled my newly vaccinated self those blocks in search of caffeine and tasty morning victuals.
I walked in, had my temperature taken, filled out the contact tracing form and was seated right in the window pretty quickly. There was outside dining and a dining room in the back that I didn't see. I was seated in the little coffee shop up front. More or less nondescript. Some exposed brick and a tiny bar.
I then sat there for a solid 15 minutes before anyone even spoke to me again. The guy that seated me was in constant motion. It almost seemed that he and the busser were the only people working. There were two other people that I noticed as I was there, they seemed to spend a lot of time chatting with each other or with friends. Quite honestly, I waited at my table so long without anyone even looking in my direction that I considered leaving. Right before I put my notebook away and walked out, I someone finally came over. I think the busser noticed me writing in my little review notebook and said something to someone. I noticed that he kept staring at me as he went past me. I thought maybe I had begun to grow a cock from my forehead, but maybe it was just that he noticed me writing and thought it was about the restaurant. He was right...about me writing about the place, not about me having a cock on my forehead. I spoke to all 3 of the waitstaff while I was there. I didn't speak to the staring busser (I can't call him “bus boy”, he was easily older then everyone else working there.), he freaked me out a little bit. They were all very nice and friendly. It just quite often seemed that only 1 of them was working there.
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| I was hungry. It was good. |
nice chunks of pastrami, perfectly cooked oozy eggs and scallions that really helped brighten up what could've been a heavy meal. Even the toast was good. The dish was in need of seasoning, but after adding some salt and pepper...it was really an excellent breakfast. The side of bacon was thick and nicely cripsy without being burnt. After a couple of pieces though, the sweet glaze, or something that was put on it, became a little cloying. Not that I didn't finish it. There was nothing but empty plates and cups left when I left. Unfortunately, the coffee was kind of bitter. Not bold, just bitter...maybe a little burnt. If you're serving breakfast, you've got to have good coffee. This coffee was a fail. I finished that cup of coffee with a grimace, which will tell you just how much I needed the coffee.
A slightly uneven experience. But if I find myself at the Javits Center again, hopefully for something more pleasant than getting jabbed in the arm with a pointy object loaded with drugs, I'll try them again.
450 10th Avenue
New York, NY, 10018
212-268-1100
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