The East Pole is a new(ish) restaurant on the Upper East Side from the guys behind The Fat Radish and The LeadBelly. We chose brunch at The East Pole becuase it was only a few blocks from the Whitney, with a good-looking brunch menu. Once we had the killer bloody marts and the tasty food, we were quite happy with our choice!
Bellini:
The cast. Sondra and Sarah:
Me and Kel:
LeighLo:
And Hunna!
We had a nice round table with a circular banquette in the back of the restuarant. The skylight above cast that beautiful light down, and we could see through the square-paned glass into the kitchen, where prep cooks were peeling pears and chopping cabbage on a mandoline.
The upstairs bar and private room:
The food was very good, but the service was slow and apathetic. Nothing quite wrong, but nothing very right, either.
Baked pollack with lentils and kale:
Nice to see something lunch-y, i.e. not egg-y, on a brunch menu.
Scrambled eggs with broccoli and cheese:
Quite a lot of flavor an a very nice crunch from the broccoli, which was diced very small.
Smoked salmon toastini:
Good salmon.
Avocado toast with eggs and hot sauce:
Good but not as exciting as I’d hope. The bread was excellent.
Fried potatoes (for the table):
These were great.
Scotch eggs! (For the table, too):
Nice but extremely filling.
The main dining room:
Sweet little bar:
And some great little sidewalk tables:
Definitely worth a stop if you’re in the neighborhood.
The East Pole, 133 E 65th St, Manhattan. 212-249-2222, theeastpolenyc.com
