FOOD: The Upsider [NYC]

[caption id="attachment_92289" align="alignnone" width="320"] Photo from theupsidernyc.com.[/caption]

I'm admittedly not a huge brunch person. I usually end up ordering lunch and places tend to be packed for the brunch hours, which was true today when I went to The Upsider. But once we sat down, it was so pleasant and really incredible.

I made a reservation for my friend and I at 1pm at The Upsider for Sunday afternoon because we were in the area and wanted to go to brunch but didn't want to go too far. Upon walking in, we both thought, this place is really cool and almost should be in a different area of the city. But that's also exactly why it was great -- because 53rd and Second isn't the most desired location for brunch, it was packed because it was probably one of the best places in the area.

We had to wait about 25 minutes for our table, which was fine because we were able to get seats at the bar and order Bloody Mary's while we waited. But once we were sat, in a nice corner by ourselves, it was really relaxing and didn't feel rushed at all. We must have come in at a bad time because the second our food came we saw a noticeable clear out.

I went with the smoked salmon platter which came with smoked salmon, thick pieces of wheat toast, cream cheese, tomato, onion, capers and a side salad. My friend got the honey chicken tenders and a side salad and we shared an order of the most delicious fries I've had in a while. They came in a huge bowl with a fantastic dipping sauce we couldn't quite place. I think it was mayo based but kind of looked like pate. Her chicken tenders were amazing, in a Asian inspired sauce and my salmon platter was great as well. I felt weird that it came with toast and not a bagel, but the toast was so thick it didn't even matter.

The Upsider is definitely a great choice if you're in the area and I would certainly go back. In the summer I believe they have outdoor seating, which is always a win in my book. An afternoon well spent!

The Upsider
1004 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10022