Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but
it's also the most easily skipped - especially in the winter months. On dark,
bitterly cold mornings, we can barely manage to drag ourselves out of bed, into
our slippers, and over to the coffee machine in the kitchen, never mind out
into the big, bleak world any earlier than absolutely necessary. But if you
can't avoid all your early-morning meetings, and don't want to excommunicate
yourself from your social circle by hibernating through every weekend breakfast
meet-up, the promise of Bananas Foster French Toast ($11) from Pairings
is just the kind of incentive you need.
When it opened this October in the old home of Bonfire, Pairings
added breakfast and lunch to the space for the first time. The spot has also
undergone a chromatic facelift, trading the former Todd English restaurant's
bordello reds for a calming, creamy off-white and tan color scheme that will no
longer assault Park Plaza Hotel guests' eyes with all the subtlety of a morning
wake-up call as delivered by Fran Drescher, concierge. The dinner menu is solid
and safe (with the exception of a cuttlefish creatively served as
spaghetti-style ribbons in a miniature kettle - maybe it's just us, but eating
mollusks with a spoon is less than appetizing). Still, it's the breakfast menu
that has us particularly excited about the prospect of having found a new
morning haunt.
That aforementioned Bananas Foster dish takes the cake (or, um,
the toast): its three thick slices of Texas-style toast are slathered in the
sweet sauce, complemented with macadamia nuts and slices of fresh banana, and
topped with a healthy scooping of vanilla ice cream. If you were raised to
believe that dessert comes last, think again: this is one hell of an indulgent
way to start a morning. Runner-up is the plate of Pancake Tacos ($10), three
buttermilk pancakes folded like half-crescent moons around centers of
pork-belly hash and chipotle-raspberry compote. They're hearty and filling,
with just enough of a tart tang to make our taste buds rise and shine. When
we're still in a sleepy stupor, we're more apt to burn our toast than concoct
anything this creative. If only they could serve us breakfast in bed.
