Cornershop Cafe: Good Variety in a Great Location

February 28, 2008

THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED

Big snowflakes fluttered from the sky last Friday in New York City. It was a great day to find a cozy, laidback brunch spot with big mugs of strong coffee and rib-sticking food. Cornershop Cafe, on Bleecker and Broadway, provided just that.

NYC Food Guy ordered an irresistible sandwich. Sliced Banana, crunchy peanut butter, and honey on cinnamon raisin, cranberry, and walnut bread grilled in French toast batter. It was nearly perfect, read on to find out why it just missed the mark.

My lovely date, however, was very pleased with her free-range egg white omelette with goat cheese, broccoli, and tomatoes.

Centrally located between SoHo, the West Village, and the East Village, Cornershop Cafe provides a laidback atmosphere for flavorful, innovative, and sometimes organic takes on traditional brunch fare.

Read on for the review and some delicious dessert pics…

My sandwich was served with a small cup of fresh but slightly soggy strawberries and blueberries.

The banana was sweet, ripe, and plentiful and the peanut butter was of the chunky variety, NYC Food Guy’s preference. I didn’t really taste the honey but how could it hurt? The surface of the bread was grilled to a perfect crispness and the French Toast batter added lightness and a nice shine.

I would have given my sandwich a perfect two thumbs up if not for the overbearing presence of the very plump raisins and cranberries in the bread.

Here’s a look at my date’s entire breakfast, served with wheat toast that remained crispy the entire meal. It was $1 extra for egg whites and $0.75 extra per filling.

We ordered two cups of coffee ($2.50 each) and received two large filled mugs and a small pot for refills. It was great not having to rely on the busy waitress for a fresh cup. The coffee was strong and fresh.

For dessert we ordered the White & Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Gelato ($6) from il laboratorio del gelato. The gelato turned out to be the best part of this dish.

The bread pudding was hot and crispy around the edges but…

It was uniformly sweet
There was no overt flavor except for the cinnamon gelato
The white chocolate was nowhere to be found and the regular chocolate, which resembled the consistency you’d find inside a chocolate croissant, also didn’t have much flavor.

Other dishes we spied during our meal…

Buttermilk Pancakes on the dessert menu ($6) served with organic fruit compote, hot chocolate sauce, and a side of mascarpone (the white pudding you find in tiramisu)
Breakfast Burrito (eggs, bacon, cheddar, tomato, wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla) which looked fairly generic.
Smoked Salmon Salad (arugula, tomato, red onions, and capers), which isn’t really my thing, but was big enough for 2, a good deal for $10.
Corner Shop Burger (beef or portobello) with cheese and fries looked decent, nothing special. The fries were thin shoestring and didn’t look undercooked but didn’t seem very crispy. The whole platter is $10, not bad for a burger and fries these days.
Babycakes all natural, vegan and wheat free chocolate chip cookies

Cornershop Cafe also does breakfast and dinner for affordable prices. This is an ideal place to steal away from the hustle and bustle of SoHo, the West Village, and the East Village. With the variety of menu items and the friendly service, I will definitely be going back to Cornershop cafe.