Brown Cafe

Fashionista always picks birthday dinner winners. She should be a consultant. Last year she nailed it with Bondi Road. This year she stuck it again like Shawn Johnson with Brown Cafe.

We were throwing ideas back and forth before the big night. Clinton Street Baking Company almost became the destination front-runner -- we were wooed by its comfort food selection -- but Brown snuck in there for the win. This actually may work out to my benefit as I begin to vet spots for my own birthday dinner at the end of this month.

We all know my problems with punctuality. I have made slight improvement over the past few months and my early arrival at Brown was a new record. I showed up almost a half an hour before anyone else. When I inquired what Fashionista and LittleMissSunshine's status was via text messages, I got some bad news. I wasn't early. I had simply misread the e-mail. I knew it was too good to be true. Oddly enough, the same thing happened to me for Mother's Day brunch a week earlier...

I was really impressed with Fashionista's pick, not only because I loved the comfortable bench I became friends with outside, along with the adorable baby pine tree in the wheelbarrow, but because she had stumped me. When people pitch dinner spots or bars, I've usually heard of the venues. In this case, I'd never heard of the restaurant, or the street it was on, for that matter.

When the party arrived, we walked into the little bungalow of a restaurant. I was shocked. I tried looking for more of it, but what you see is what you get. There were maybe five tables inside and the bar was miniscule. It was the type of bar you'd find in the basement of a friend's house. Brown only has wine and beer so a mini-bar is all they really need.

The light brown tables were the same color as my East School elementary school desks. It was like we were in an uber-small homeroom class of fresh eating and drinking 101.

We were starving and thirsty so we didn't waste any time. We ordered a bottle of bubbly to celebrate Ms. Fashionista's special day, then we went right in for the charcuterie and cheeses. The various hams were sliced comfortably thin and the cheeses -- a goat, a cow and a sheep --were all equally smooth paired with the fruit or the meat.


The entrees consisted of a roasted free range chicken breast with a sweet layer of skin and green beans,

roasted striped bass with wild mushrooms,


macaroni and cheese with two-year aged gruyere, ricotta, fontina and mozzarella,

and grass-fed flank steak with potato gratin and roasted shallots.

I was blown away by the simplicity and complexity of the dishes at Brown. Each item was so fresh and clean I felt like I was eating at a farm table, and the food had just come off the pasture or was handpicked from the fields. We all licked our plates. The food temps were spot on and even the macaroni had perfectly burnt edges.

It would be a real challenge not to get good service in a space that's so tight. The furthest the server ever got from our table was about three feet so if you needed something she was there in an instant. She was amiable and had solid meal suggestions, especially with the wine and cheese.

For dessert we ordered a big, fluffy, berry tart. It was a flaky, filo cupcake with berries on top. Some forkfighting ensued as we all tried to scoop up the remaining bits. The candle on a birthday dinner is always an appreciated gesture.

Brown is one of three businesses run by a colorful group. Green is its catering branch, while Orange, nextdoor to Brown, is the "epicerie," where you can plan small dinner parties.

I was excited to discover this small gem with Fashionista and LittleMissSunshine, and our two other friends. The only reason this can't be on my shortlist is because of its location. It is on the other side of the Manhattan planet from where I live. Brown is the kind of place, on a weeknight (weekends it would likely be too swamped with people waiting for tables), that you can cozy up with a glass of grenache, some cheese and a good book. The tables in the front use the windowsills as seats so it feels like you're sitting in a bay window.

Our night ended at a bar The Skinny, another Fashionista-picked success. It was long and narrow, like its name suggests, dark, it had good tunes, and the birthday girl got a nice bonus -- free drinks all night long. What more could you ask for on a day of celebration?

My birthday is around the corner and my third-life crisis is starting to kick in. Am I as successful as I should be? Is it acceptable to be still living paycheck to paycheck? Should I be married with a family living in a suburb? Is it OK that I live in a fourth-story walkup with two roommates on the upper west side? Are me and my other local, single girlfriends destined to be mirrors of the "Sex and the City" cast?

I recently ordered business cards with my blog banner on them: "Mona's Apple: A 20-something's slice of life and food in New York City," and it has been brought to my attention ad nauseum that that phrase will expire in twelve months.

I am well aware of this fact. But am I supposed to expire, too? I e-mailed a co-worker today about being excited to "rage" tonight. His response: "Rage tonight? How old are you?" Am I too old to seek or anticipate a fun Friday night? It bothers me that fun has an expiration date, and once you reach a certain age, you're expected to have less of it. I don't come with a sticker that says, "Best used by: 9/27/09." I will be raging well into my thirties, and as Dylan Thomas wrote, "against the dying of the light." Peter Pan complex? Maybe. Staying true to my city that never sleeps? Definitely.

Brown Cafe
61 Hester St., between Ludlow & Essex St.
212-477-2427

The Skinny
174 Orchard Street
212-228-3668