Mayrose- Comfortable Food

Swimster and I had a rough night Friday. We stayed out way too late at a smoky bar in the East Village called Karma. When dancing started downstairs it was all over. Friends were in town and you just can't bail on visitors, work or no work the next day. I had to be at work at 11am and when the alarm went off at 9:15ish, we were groggy, had minor headaches and ravenous appetites. Neither of us felt it would be smart to continue the rest of the day without some serious nourishment.
Swimster and I had come across Mayrose on one of our morning walks and wanted to try it out. I mentioned Friend of a Farmer, but since I'd eaten there a while back, we decided to try some place new.
The restaurant has a prime corner spot, on 21st and Broadway. And its massive windows and high ceilings are extremely inviting. The day I walked by it on my way to work I couldn't help but look inside and wish I could be in there relaxing, sipping coffee and reading the paper.
I was happy the hostess sat us against the window facing Broadway. It's nice when the hostess knows what he/she's doing and they spread their patrons out, rather than pack them all in one area of the restaurant. Mayrose has the feel of a diner, with its countertop seating and bright yellow leather stools, but with subtle Manhattan flare.
Our friendly server brought us water immediately and handed us the large brunch menu. He was quite chatty and shared his adventures at ESPNzone the night before. Mayrose has a little of everything to offer: pancakes and muffins, hamburgers and omelettes, fries and waffles and sandwiches.
Swimster decided quickly on a hamburger. "Is that weird?" he asked. "No, definitely not," I said. When he sneakily tacked cheese fries with gravy on to his order, I took it back, well, maybe that is weird. I went with the more standard breakfast order: a goat cheese, mushroom and spinach omelette with wheat toast and potatoes. I was extremely impressed. Goat cheese in an omelette is hit or miss. A lot of times I feel the omelette-maker will put WAY too much goat cheese in, overpowering everything else. Not this case at Mayrose. The omelette was just the right size and served with some spiced potatoes which weren't nearly as crispy and cooked as I like. I tend to go for the burnt pieces in the potato batch. But still, so far so good.
Swimster's burger was large and in charge. I liked how the bun was buttery and grilled, always a nice touch and reminded me of my favorite childhood burgers at Fuddruckers. The cheese fries were a different story. At first glance we thought they forgot the gravy, until we started eating away at the top layer and realized the fries were swamped in a gravy stew below. Swimster said the gravy was a little too watery to work well with the fries, also noting that nobody does cheese fries like Outback. And what I noticed, and didn't particularly like, was they melted what seemed like Kraft slices of cheese over the fries, making it look like an orange rubbery substance. I prefer the fresh grated cheese myself.
I decided to order a scone, and was somewhat annoyed when they didn't have any. I opted for a blueberry crumb muffin instead and was pleased several hours later when I actually had room in my stomach to eat it. It was huge.
Mayrose does indeed serve "comfortable food" as it states in its full title and I am sure we will be getting back.





920 Broadway, on the corner of 21st,
212-533-FOOD