Deceptively Simple Menu Descriptions At NYC's Loring Place

When chef Dan Kluger's Loring Place opened on West Eighth Street, the critics pounced — in a good way. It's one of Zagat's "hottest" and a New York Times Critic's Pick.

Since I always go into restaurants "blind" — without any bias, good or bad — I didn't know any of the above before I went in for brunch and admired the bright, airy rooms; the simple but chic décor; and the adorable, tiny tree in a vase at my table.

I wasn't expecting the grilled strawberry salad to be as tart as it was sweet, served with a bit of a char and a swipe of sungold tomato purée. I thought the French toast would just be good old French toast, maybe dressed with berry compote for good measure, but what came out of the kitchen reminded me of the French toast sticks of my youth, only about a thousand times better, with a cinnamon crumble on top, a crispy crust surrounding a silky soft center filled with chocolate chips.

There's only so much that two petite ladies can fit into one meal (although you'd be impressed at what I can pack away when I set my mind to it), so we'll have to go back to try the zucchini fries, Cheddar waffles, or the chicken sandwich, which I feel that I can safely assume won't risk being predictable iterations. 

By the time we polished off the surprisingly satisfying squash pizza — which works, honey and all — we couldn't even think about squeezing in dessert...

...so we took a box of cookies to go.

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