Cafe Cluny

It's Sunday. And you know what that means: brunch followed by drinks followed by more drinks followed by another meal. That's what happened on a recent Sunday and my body is still recovering.

I asked my forever friend FunnyGirl where we should eat brunch. Like so many of my wonderful friends, I met FunnyGirl through swimming. We were Wilton Wahoos back in the day (with FoxyLady, BermudaBabe and OakGal), and we continue to joke in the locker room at NYAC, "Who would have thought...15 years ago, that we'd still be gossiping in the showers after a swim, rinsing our hair of smelly chlorine and lending each other swim caps and goggles?!" Not me. If only our coach Murph could see us now.

After tossing a few restaurants around, we decided on Cafe Cluny. Please note, FunnyGirl recently brought it to my attention that she was misnamed on my blog and I owe her my deepest apologies. Her previous name was Clippy, and the fact that I neglected to recall that in a recent post just means it wasn't a great name. So, FunnyGirl, I hope you don't mind your new name because I'm not planning on forgetting it this time around.


I arrived at Cafe Cluny and found FunnyGirl and Robo hanging out at the bar. FunnyGirl already had her hands on a Bloody Mary.

"Taste this, it's baaaaad," FunnyGirl said.

I barely got to say "Hi!" and she was pushing a watery and barely spiced Bloody Mary on me.

"Gee, thanks?" I laughed back.

Robo is on the NYAC swim team with me and FunnyGirl. He missed our championship swim meet a couple of weeks prior because he somehow got mono. We joked that it was on account of him making out too much, but he didn't appreciate it. He had been cooped up in his apartment for weeks, and while I knew he wouldn't be in great shape, I figured he had to eat at some point and maybe getting some fresh air and a change of scenery would do him good. Sitting across the table from him and looking at his pale green face and emaciated frame, I started to wonder if this was such a good idea after all.


The place was busier than Mass on Easter Sunday. There was barely anywhere to stand, much less move. Straight couples, gay couples, double and triple dates, friends, newlyweds with in-laws, kids meeting the parents, moms and daughters, you name it, they were there.

The restaurant sits on a street corner and the great big windows make (save) the atmosphere. It kind of felt like we were in a room at someone's house, only with wall-to-wall tables. They pack them in tight at CC. Don't head to Cluny if you're claustrophobic. My favorite part of the place was the bar. It made an otherwise boring setting more alive and charming.

There's a main room in the front, a small bar and a sort of hallway that takes you to the back room, where we ate. They wouldn't let us sit down until we were all there-- a policy that I find annoying. Once FoxyLady came we headed to our table. There was a chance that Activista would be joining us, but we left that part out for fear of having to wait for another half an hour for a table.

Our server was friendly and efficient. Everything came out in a timely manner, including our hefty drink orders and Activista's French toast, an impressive feat since she showed up halfway into the meal.

There were a couple orders of poached eggs with short rib hash and bearnaise sauce. I stole a few bites of FoxyLady's and it was my favorite thing on the table, though a lot of sodium on one plate. I don't think anyone who ordered this could finish his or her plate. That's where I came in.


I ordered the breakfast club sandwich -- fried egg, bacon, tomato and avocado with French fries.

Look at this bad boy. I wish the egg had been a little runnier to soften the rock hard crisp toast. I think they'd be better served to offer this on an English muffin, or different bread. The bread was just too heavy and outplayed the goodness inside. It was like eating a sandwich on an extra large cracker.


Activista's French toast was a hit with her and the rest of the table. I tried a taste and thought it was too soggy, like a sugary sponge. It was also very rich with the sugar, syrup and fruit. One bite did me in. It would have been a fun dessert for the table if any of us had the room in our stomachs.


I am glad I got to try Cafe Cluny, though I was not all that impressed. Aside from Public, the brunches I've had lately have been really disappointing. Is there a solid, consistent and reliable place for brunch in this city? I want an everyday brunch place, where I can go any Sunday, with a group or just one friend, in jeans and a sweatshirt or all dolled up, for a good glass of O.J. or a stiff Bloody Mary, and where you don't have to wait for a table like it was eight o'clock on a Saturday night. Until I find this place, I will continue my Sunday adventures in brunching. Who's with me?


In the middle of brunch I received a text message from Fashionista:

"day drinking at Spring Lounge. come."

I wrote back:

"day drinking at Cafe Cluny. be right there."

Activista, FunnyGirl and I went on our merry way to continue our Sunday fun day. FoxyLady went to see about an Irishman her mother met on the train from Connecticut, who she hoped would fall in love with her daughter. I love moms.

I can't show you all the pictures from the rest of our Sunday fun day, but I will leave you with a couple that best sum up our day. Remember, a true Sunday fun day is two meals out without returning home in between...


and if there's dancing, it automatically becomes a Super Sunday fun day.


284 W. 12th St., at W. 4th
(212) 255-6900