Chowder Rave: Alchemist Brunch

As everyone around me knows, I’ll soon be leaving my current digs in JP and moving across the city. And it’s starting to stress me out a little—not just the idea of packing and hauling all my stuff, but the fact that I still have a lot of eating to do before I go.

While I won’t miss that chicken smell, I’ll be leaving behind plenty of Chowder faves: Canto 6, Ula Cafe, City Feed, Bella Luna (which has a newish chef, Jacob Zachow) the Behan pub, etc.

And, of course, there’s the Alchemist.

While I’ve had my share of cocktails and calamari at the former Triple D’s, the bar/lounge/resto also has a kickass brunch—something I embarrassingly didn’t realize until yesterday.

And what an oversight that was: Given the bartenders’ prowess with nighttime cocktails, I should have known that they make a mean Bloody Mary, rimmed with coarse salt and black pepper and having just the right amount of spicy horseradish and olive juice.

I should have walked the three blocks from my house for their creamy, garlicky Eggs Benny, instead of driving to the closest diner. I should have had the sweet/savory Croque Madame for breakfast and lunch.

And all the time my husband and I spent looking for a great corned beef hash—made fresh, not canned (ugh), with perfectly runny over-easy eggs—I should have known that it was right around the corner.

It figures. Still, better late than never, eh?