Surviving the Recession without Starving to Death…or Resorting to Ramen Noodles

Jaunted.com is probably known by few outside the Travel PR/Communications industry, but it’s this great blog that’s now operated/published by CondéNet (FYI, CondéNet = credibility…most of the time at least). It’s basically a “pop culture travel guide for globetrotters, business road dogs, and arm chair travelers who are too harried to sit down with a traditional travel guide, or wait for a monthly travel magazine.”

Even better, they provide hilarious travel-related coverage of celebrities’ whereabouts and misfortunes (like Mary-Kate Olsen caught on her way to Milan Fashion Week with “oversized and understyled luggage” i.e. a worn out duffel bag (who woulda thunk it…a fashion “mogul” with hideous travel gear).

Anyway, I digress…Jaunted.com has created a Recession-Restaurants-Map, which shows places where you can still grab a relatively tasty meal for a reasonable price. The map is in progress, so it’s not as extensive as maybe one would prefer (ok, there are three listings) but, hey, it’s a start.

Courtesy Jaunted.com

To set up your daily Jaunted.com alerts (I highly recommend that you do), go to (you guessed it) www.jaunted.com.

Bargain Brunches

Any frugal diva or frugal dude living in New York with a love for good food knows that the one expense (other than rent…*yuck) that can often be the biggest, but also the easiest expense to control, is dining out. But with all the friends’ birthday feasts and restaurants that transform into trendy lounges by night, dinner seems to be the meal that manages to suck my wallet dry most often, with lunch coming in at a close second thanks to my inability to prepare my own meals during the work week (forgive me if I am left unsatisfied by anything that can fit into a 2”x 4” plastic container).

So, I’ve made a conscious decision to cut back on the pricey dinners and instead treat myself to the occasional fabulously frugal and festive Sunday brunch (note that I mention nothing of changing my lunch habits…we must all have at least one vice).

There’s something about an affordable Sunday brunch at a cool restaurant with great friends that makes me feel less disappointed that the weekend’s almost over. A satisfying Sunday brunch can make the weekend feel longer and the day less daunting (after all, Sundays have always just served as a reminder that dreadful Monday is less than 24 hours away).

So, here are a few brunch spots that fill my belly without breaking my budget:

Mamajuana Café

247 Dyckman St. between Payson and Seaman Aves.

Phone: (212) 304-1217

www.mamajuana-cafe.com

This Washington Heights gem can get pricey under normal circumstances (though I’m told they have the best paella in all of New York City, so I might have to splurge on my next visit) but the Sunday brunch is a steal of a deal and worth the long trek up to Manhattan’s northern tip.

For $18.95 plus tax, you get unlimited mimosas and coffee, plus a colorful, all-you-can-eat buffet featuring dishes like tortilla Espanola, mangu (pureed half-ripe plantains with sautéed onions), churrasco with rice and beans, chorizo and home fries made with sweet potatoes. For the less adventurous, there is an omelet station, pancakes, French toast, assorted sweet stuff like danishes and brownies, and a salad bar with an array of cheeses and fresh fruit. If you thought it couldn’t get any better – there’s also a live flamenco band (well really it’s two guys but they’re so good it sounds like a full squad).

Brunch is served at Mamajuana Café on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and if you stay long enough, you can eat breakfast on the first round (e.g. eggs and pancakes) and lunch on the second round (churrasco, mangu, etc.), then top it off with a brownie for dessert and call it a day.

Be prepared to return home with a serious food-coma!

Hudson River Café

697 West 133^rd St. at 12^th Ave.

Phone: (212) 491-9111

www.hudsonrivercafe.com

I’ve been to this place for drinks and appetizers on weekends, but only recently found out that they serve prix-fixe brunch on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For $21 plus tax and 18% gratuity, you choose one of three starters; soup of the day, field green salad with honey and white balsamic vinaigrette and fresh fruit salad. A selection of 12 entrees include skirt steak served with eggs any style and home fries, egg white frittata with grilled vegetables, Kobe beef cheeseburger with French fries and (my all-time favorite) goat cheese and asparagus omelet.

Even better than the food are the live jazz band and unlimited bellinis and mimosas. Apparently getting buzzed at brunch is appropriate these days. I’m mot complaining here.

Here’s a list of a few more brunch spots that I haven’t visited yet, but I’ve heard are befitting of frugal folk:

La Fonda Boricua

169 E. 106^th St. between Lexington and 3^rd Aves.

Phone: (212) 410-7292

www.fondaboricua.com

This place has no structured menu, they just serve whatever’s available that day, but if the resto is as festive as the website makes it look, I’m heading here next! I’m told you can eat a satisfying Puerto Rican brunch for as low as $10. Surprisingly, Food Network’s Bobby Flay recently made a trip up to el barrio to “Throwdown” some arroz con pollo….AND LOST!

Dublin 6

575 Hudson St. between W. 11^th and Bank Sts.

Phone: (646) 638-2900

www.dublin6nyc.com

Amazingly, this West village spot serves up a full Irish Brunch (2 Eggs, Irish Bacon, Sausage, Roasted Tomato, Sautéed Mushrooms, Black Pudding, Home Fries, Baked Beans, Irish Brown Bread) as part of a Prix-Fixe brunch deal with two beverages for only $16.95 plus tax.

Macondo

157 E. Houston St. between Allen and Eldridge

Phone: (212) 473-9900

www.macondonyc.com

Brunch is a la carte, but items are reasonably priced and are served in generous portions, plus the guanabana (soursop) mimosa sounds heavenly!