It’s hard to find good brunch spots in Gramercy, and let’s be honest Barbounia is what most people think of and we need other places that aren’t all about bottomless drinking. Behold, County. This adorable spot has gorgeous centerpiece flowers, lights that looked like mason jars in the back and it almost feels like something designed off of Pinterest and very Southern. The sweet staff starts guests off with a complimentary little yogurt jar that’s about 10 bites. It’s greek yogurt with nuts raisins and the sort. The Ricotta is hands down the best combination of ricotta and bread out there. The not so secret, secret is the honey and mint together. It makes all the difference plus their grilled bread mixed with this soft cheese makes the perfect little crunch. No shame in ordering a second round of bread to make the ricotta last. The Chopped Kale Salad is also totally worth the greens in the morning. The Spicy Pine Nuts and Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette and Parmesan Cheese sprinkled on top make it a little masterpiece.
The starters really are the stand out here and you can make a whole smorgasbord of these with the Paprika Shrimp, Chick Pea Puree with Grilled Pita and Roasted Chicken Salad should you choose not to go any further. For mains, the Black Angus Burger can really set you over the edge with the truffle pecorino, lemon mayo and fried egg. A fried egg on a burger in the morning really wakes you up and starts your day off deliciously. The Chicken Sandwich is pretty standard. It’s more of a flattened chicken breast and could have been a bit juicier. The fries on the other hand are necessary, skinny and crunchy. If you want to go further, you can order the side of fries that comes with truffle aioli, parsley, garlic and parmesan. I love that they use shishito peppers in their omelette because we really need more egg options these days at brunch. Everyone has a mushroom and caramelized onion or salmon and cream cheese dish.
County even offers Peanut Butter & Jelly French Toast with peanut butter ganache, strawberry compote. I love this menu because you can really go in any direction: salads, sandwiches, fried chicken and sweet. I’m pretty confident that you can always reserve a table here and you won’t be bombarded or bumped by others or ever have to wait. For those of you that feel brunch is an ordeal, County will change your opinion and bring you back to life.