Mayrose

Mayrose made my day for a week. We had a fantastic breakfirst and wonderful view!

RIP
I’m very sad to hear this place is closed. I think it kicked Clinton St. Baking Co.‘s overhyped ass. The pancakes here were perfect; the eggs fluffy and delicious; the fresh squeezed oj, divine; and the black/​white tile floors and eclectic characters who gathered here, a more welcome cast than the hipsters du jour queueing up to wait for hours on Clinton St. Furthermore, there’s better shopping in this neighborhood, for walking off that post-​brunch bloat.

I’m very sad to report the disappearance of Mayrose. I walked up Broadway this morning looking forward to their quick service and reliable brunch (cheap but good). They’re gone. Vanished… in it’s place (possibly using the same tables and ketchup bottles) is Lunetta an Italian crossover from Brooklyn (
).
Sigh…I’ve spent the last few months sampling other lesser brunch places and now my olé standby has left. Sniff, sniff.

On Sunday Oct 28^th, 2007 when I stopped by this place was closed. Looks like renovation or they lost their lease or whatnot. Hard to tell as there was no signage.

i go where when i have money and when i have a reason…
chicken fingers
nachos with chili
sweet potato fries
brunch
i could spend hours just sitting there people watching and besides uma thurman sighting, it hasn’t been that exciting.
i went about 2 weeks ago and it was closed for renovations. i was pissed. i’m ready for them to reopen now!

I used to work within walking distance of Mayrose and a friend and I would meet there for lunch once a week. I would start dreaming of the food days in advance and decide what to order before I even stepped in the door. «Comfort food» says it all. One of my favorite memories of Mayrose was sitting in a booth for what seemed like hours (I’m sure it was only minutes), watching large snowflakes fall lazily upon the Manhattan asphalt outside.

Fast if not overly attentive service, solid omelettes and egg dishes. Don’t try to sub the fries for a salad as a side — the salad is a single piece of lettuce and a slice of tomato. I didn’t actually like the space despite its huge windows — it was dingy and not the cleanest. Overall a good choice for a quick breakfast or lunch but don’t trek cross town.

Delightfully comfortable (as they advertise) breakfast food. It has the relaxed atmosphere of a diner, but the bustle of NYC in a wide open, high ceiling, brightly adorned retro ambiance with wall to wall windows.
The food is good. Nothing outstanding, but affordable and yummy all the same. Easy to get a table even in the weekend brunch rush. It’s really a solid neighborhood staple where you can kick back, recuperate from the previous night’s binge and stuff your face without judgement.
Plenty of larger tables for bigger groups, too… which I always find a plus.

The sign outside says «comfortable food» but what I got wasn’t that.
I had the mac and cheese which was decidedly average, but in that slightly negative way which leaves you disappointed and wanting that extra something. I also had the chili dog and bratwurst platter. I can’t describe it any other way other than it sucked. The links were flavorless as was the chili and the buns probably just came out of a wonderbread plastic bag. Disappointing all around.

Ate brunch here with a friend on a Saturday. We were seated almost immediately. I had french toast and berries, which were absolutely delicious. Her food was not as good, but hey, mine was!
It seems like a good, neighborhood staple. Extra star for the interesting and entertaining staff.

Been walking past this place on my way to work for the last few weeks and looked interesting from the outside. Their windows — which are quite large — have their name /​logo on them, and they bill themselves as «Comfortable Food» (as opposed to «comfort food» perhaps?) There is not a lot in the way of décor, but the semi-​flamboyant /​colorful waiter seemed to make up for that.
Well, I was working on a recent Saturday, so we had a pre-​work business breakfast there. We walked in, quickly got seated for a party of three and were served coffee and menus pretty quickly. The coffee was certainly a highlight of breakfast — it was fresh, hot and full of flavor — certainly a big plus.
I ordered the blueberry griddle cakes and bacon. Others in our party ordered griddle cakes and sausage and another ordered the four egg omlette (quite an omlette indeed.) It took a little while to come out, but was worth the wait while we enjoyed our coffee and conversation. The griddle cakes came out nice and hot, the syrup was all natural maple syrup, as opposed to the fake stuff (nice touch) — they were plenty tasty, had a nice amount of fresh blueberries all throughout them. The bacon was ok, but tasted a bit like it had been sitting for a while. I was told the omlette was good too (and it looked huge.)
All in all, it was a good meal, filling, warm and tasty (especially the coffee.) Give it a shot if you are in the Flatiron neighborhood.

So I wander through New York in a tee shirt past 9 pm on a surprisingly warm March evening. Union Square is packed to the gills, Whole Foods is hopping but I want an experience not a quick pop in the mouth with organic treats, per se. I look around and think New York has changed so much since I lived here.
So then I think who can I ask. Well I can turn to Unilocal but I’m in the park and Blackberry is not «optimized» for Unilocal so I think who can I call.
Wait, Liz S is always in NYC for work. I’ll call Liz S.
I call, leave a message, give up hope, walk towards Chelsea.
The phone rings.
«Sean, I’m in New York, I’m jumping in a cab and am coming to get ya baby» says that wonderfully warm and fun filled voice.
Liz S and I play cat and mouse around the Blue Fin or something or other and finally connect.
What can we have?
Sadly, New York does not live up to our 24 hour expectation.
So we hit MayRose.
They close at 11.
It’s 10:40.
They happily seat us.
Weird, sexually direct music plays over head but we’re no prudes so we take a big table by the windows (HUGE WINDOWS HERE!) and catch up while our waiter plies us with menus and returns often wanting us to order as the kitchen will soon close.
Thankfully, this comfort style restaurant, well it bills itself as Comfortable Food, offers some seriously Healthy options which is what this vegetarian is always looking for, not just carb heavy pasta and creamy, cheesy, fat filled sauce. So hooray for the grilled portabella which was presented as an appetizer but was quite a nice portion for me nonetheless.
While we were kind of pushed out the door, at only 11 pm-It’s Manhattan people!-this place is definitely worth your time, tourist dollar and is best served with good company your bring on your own.

The first item you see on the menu is «Penicillin».
We just had to ask. «Chicken soup.» Ohhhhhhhhh…
So, that’s Mayrose. It’s a diner, yes, with all of the standard dishes, but with a definite side of cheek. The caption under the name says «comfortable food», not comfort food. The décor is modern retro, all windows in it’s bright corner location. It’s cheerful and bright during the day and glowing from the antifreeze-​colored green lights at night.
The food is good, fine, not really something you’d take a cab across town for, but satisfying if you are in the neighborhood and want to settle in with an egg cream and a slab of home-​made meatloaf.
I went there last week with Sean S. (someone I WOULD take a cab across town for…) as we both happened to be in Manhattan at the same time, and had a nice late-​night nosh. Other times I have been there for breakfast and a quick lunch while shopping in Union Square.
They offer a daily Blue Plate Special, breakfast all day (called «AM in the PM» on the dinner menu), and a decent selection of vegetarian choices.
It’s like the child of Mom’s Diner all growed up and a little sassy — I like it.

A very solid upscale diner. I met an acquaintance for lunch here today. At 1 p.m., the place wasn’t totally packed, and we quickly got a comfortable table for two. Curtis ordered the chicken quesadilla, and I got the hero sandwich, which was the first item on the menu. (In fact, that gave me an idea. At a new restaurant, why not order the most prominent item or first listed entrée if you’re unsure of what to get? In this case, I did quite well!)
Curtis’s quesadilla seemed to be good eating, and my hero was excellent. A bit on the dry side — nothing a bit of mayo wouldn’t help — the sandwich consisted of turkey, cheese, and trimmings, and was served on some wonderful bread that reminded me of that at Jimmy John’s.
We both got lemonades to drink. A little on the watery and tart side, it made for a refreshing beverage.
But what struck me most about the place was how amazingly high the ceilings are. With beautiful, small-​tiled flooring, the restaurant is ringed with a top of what appeared to be leaded glass. Luckily, the exterior construction scaffolding fell at the exact midpoint between the upper glass and the main windows, which meant that tons of light still gets in. Scaffolding aside, it makes for a nice architectural touch.

This was the night we discussed the volatile egos of Hollywood stars. You theorized that it was only a matter of time before Mel Gibson would unleash his megalomania and fury on a traffic cop. I scoffed between bites of bacon, accusing you of amateurish Ms. Cleo parlor tricks. How could you have known that Gibson would one day implode in that very manner? I listened, intently, as you explained that Passion of the Christ and The Man Without a Face were foreshadowing of a future mental breakdown. You also said that his decision to star in Air America proved he was a drunk.
Ironically, this was the night that you handcuffed me to your bed and made me call you Sugar Tits.

French fries and Bloody Mary’s. Forget raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens… FF and BM’s are two of my favorite things. That being said, the FF at Mayrose are weak and I have yet to see a BM cruise by. … Yet I would still give Mayrose 4 stars. There is no better hangover cure on a Sunday morning than a big fat Mayrose omelette or the ground meat heart-​attack known as corned beef hash. Everything is made exactly as you’d like and the portions are more than generous. Though it seems maybe a year or so ago, the multi-​grain toast got a little Kate Moss (yeah… cut on the thin side) it hasn’t stopped me from heading here on a good number of Sundays to sit at the bar with an iced tea, an omelette and two Advil.

We ate a good, not great, brunch here today. The farmer omelette was definitely tasty, the coffee weak, and the $ 12 salad was huge and included lots of bacon, cheese, eggs, chicken, and lots of other stuff to improve the flavor and reduce the healthiness. The service was good and warm, with friendly note of sarcasm. Worth going to, but not worth going out of your way for.

Great for kind staff, rarely a wait, and consistent, if unsurprising, food.
Lots of choices with the breakfast, lunch, and dinner situations and for a diner, they make an exceptional green salad.
Meatloaf is a winner, as is any soup you order. My erstwhile vegetarian friends enjoy the mac and cheese (I only like the one I make at home from scratch) and you can linger here over a meal without earning passive-​aggressive angry looks from the staff.
And it will probably become overrun with annoying people now that it was the site of a scene from «The Devil Wears Prada.» Cross your fingers that that doesn’t happen.

UPDATE — 05/​27/​2007
No marked improvements in food or service here since my last visit, but the space is still cool. I took some photos on an empty Monday morning and put them in the gallery.
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ORIGINAL REVIEW — 07/​21/​2006
As I watching a sentimental scene between Anne Hathaway and Adrian Grenier in «The Devil Wears Prada» this past weekend, I noticed they were sitting in the atypically empty Mayrose diner. I can understand why the filmmakers chose the locale since it is a clean, bright-​white eatery with show windows that look out onto the hustle of Grammercy Park from its convenient Broadway and 21^st Street location. I have been there several times since it is close to the hotel I usually stay at in Manhattan. More than anything else, it is a yuppie-​centric diner focusing more on its breakfast and lunch plates.
My satisfaction average has been mixed there. Their omelettes are hearty and delicious, as well as the home fries that come with them. I find their Belgian waffle rather lacking, a wafer-​thin crust and little flavor upon bite even though the strawberries and whipped cream taste quite fresh. I had an excellent Cobb salad there brimming with bleu cheese dressing and all the fixings, but another time, I ordered a turkey burger that tasted like it was bought frozen as part of a twelve-​pack at Costco. The service has been wildly variable. On a particularly busy Sunday morning, I had a most attentive waiter, and yet another time, I couldn’t get anyone’s attention for a coffee refill or the check as they thoughtlessly buzzed by. It’s worth checking out if you are in the neighborhood.
FOOD — 3 stars
AMBIANCE — 3 ½ stars
SERVICE — 3 stars
OVERALL — 3 stars

This Gramercy diner has a sleek and silvery design, with high ceilings and and a bright, airy feel thanks to its many windows, and a menu firmly entrenched in countertop comfort food tradition. Breakfast is served until noon, but café au lait, espresso, and fresh muffins are available all day. Lunch offerings include American favorites like Cobb salad, meatloaf, and BLT sandwiches, more eclectic offerings like mushroom and eggplant lasagna and a tuna burger, and thick, rich milkshakes. You may see the occasional TV anchor or reporter gazing at the news-​locked TV screen while noshing on a burger and fries. Mayrose aims to be nothing more than it is, an unpretentious, moderately-​priced eatery with above-​average food, and it succeeds admirably.