This is our second visit to Tanner Smith’s, and we went to very early brunch. Well, what we didn’t realize is that they do “breakfast” and not brunch from 8am – 11am. However, it seems like they were changing out the menu from breakfast menu to brunch menu at 10:30am, around the time we were leaving.
The front dining area by the bar, which I thought was a main dining area, was empty when we arrived. Another thing we discovered is that they do not serve alcoholic beverage until 10:30am. We were looking forward to getting some brunch with cocktails, so we were a bit disappointed… Anyways, I assume they leave the front area open for the brunch crowds starting at/around 10:30am, which makes sense.
We were taken to the back area, behind the bar, few steps up. It was small but cozy and I liked all the small mirrors on the wall. The only thing is that this area was dark…more than just dimmed lights, but it did not have sufficient amount of lighting. It does create certain relaxing atmosphere, but it was not really a fun breakfast/brunch energy that I wanted.
Behind this area was another seating area that had really nice, antique feel to it. This room had much better lighting, we should have asked for a table in this area… But, regardless of where we sat, we knew we were going to get some good food!
Since we couldn’t get brunch cocktails, we got some Brewed Coffee ($3) instead. It came with a nice size milk jug, which was awesome since we love lots of milk in our coffee. It was a good coffee, and the price was great. And yes, it came with free refills, nice!
They don’t have a large breakfast menu, but it still looked enticing enough. I went with something that sounded interesting, Scrambled Egg & Beef Chili con Queso ($14). I know, it has a long name, and a bit exotic, right? Our server told me that it is kind of like a quesadilla, which was surprised to hear, but I was ok with that. When it arrived, it was very much like quesadilla, but fancy.
Jack cheese was really nice and cheesy, which was awesome. Light and crunchy yet soft tortilla, holding lots of ingredients that were rich and decadent. It had a little kick to it which I really enjoyed. It was comforting and filling.
My hubby went with our server’s recommendation, Brussel Sprout Hash ($14). Now, this item was framed on the menu, so we knew it was some kind of special dish. But it didn’t sound so exciting… But we trusted our server and its popularity of the dish, and my goodness we made the right decision! It looked very different from what I expected it to be. It came with two fried egg and dill crème fraîche.
Brussels sprouts were shredded, making them almost like shredded lettuce or cabbage. But it did not lose its texture. Soft without being mushy, good amount of solid texture left in it. After one bite, we understand the reason why it was one of the most popular dish. The dish was packed with flavor, with nice amount of seasoning. It was like an orchestra to my taste buds. It was comforting, delicious, each bite was excellent!
After the nice breakfast, we decided to try some desserts. We went with Sticky Toffee Pudding ($9). The main breakfast dishes came out really fast, but it took a while for the dessert to arrive. And when it finally arrived, I was surprised to see what it was. Very different from any kind of bread pudding I am used to… It was small, like super mini chocolate muffins with toffee caramel drizzle all over. Regardless of its size, it was very tasty. And actually, we were quite full after the main dishes, so it was a good portion for us after all. The dessert itself, although it was tasty, not anything special. If you like mini chocolate muffin with toffee caramel drizzle, you will enjoy this.
The way our bill was presented was pretty funny. It had “The Damage” on it, and in the inside was an old photo of women guzzling down a bottle of…something fabulous I am sure.
They have bathroom on this main level, but I decided to explore and went down the stairs for the bathroom. It had kind of secret speakeasy feel to it, and I found a surprise when I got to the basement.
The bathroom for gentlemen was located right at the bottom of the staircase, but behind the signage was a large dining room, yet cozy and warm. It had perfect speakeasy atmosphere, a great spot for any kind of special event!
The ladies bathroom was around the corner, and it was whimsical with lots of antique photos.
Just like the bathroom on the main level, they had an old pipe looking thing as toilet paper holders down here as well. Pretty cool!
We had a nice breakfast here, our server was very nice and friendly, and gave us great recommendation. We have to go back for their Tipsy Tea brunch for sure!
Tanner Smith’s – 204 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019