Stars: 4.8 out of 5
Pros: Beer Selection, Simple Menu Offerings, Quality Food
Cons:
It was the morning of one of the several Oktoberfest celebrations being held in Richmond. BN and I knew that before we went out to enjoy several steins of beer we needed to get a little base in our stomachs. As we were going to be close to Carytown, we decided that New York Deli would be the best place to go for a little breakfast and light libations. It's already a favorite of mine for their mug night and the $0.35 wings, so I was stoked to see what they offered for breakfast.
New York Deli (NY Deli) is located on W. Cary St. right next to the Byrd theater. It is a fairly decent sized restaurant that is composed of a bar area, inside dining area and an outside patio. The exposed brick and subtle walls colors that roam the inside bring a charming air to the place. We chose to sit at the broad darkly stained bar. The laid back neighborhood feel of the bar provides a pleasing atmosphere, even in cases where the restaurant is slightly crowded. It was fairly quiet on this particular morning.
It only took a second or two after we sat down for our very pretty bartender to warmly greet us. I will note here that I have found that New York Deli seems to have a habit of hiring very attractive staff. I would go just for the bartenders, if that wasn't creepy. Which it kinda is. Moving on.... The beer selection at New York Deli is a tasty smattering of offerings that change often. Every time I go in it seems there are new things on tap. I appreciate the variety as it is the spice of life. To start out I went with a personal favorite, the Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager. It's always a winner and a great way to start out a day.
The breakfast menu at New York Deli is magnificent in it's simplicity. It is one page of basic, wholesome offerings. The menu is heavily egg based, by which I mean there are more egg dishes then anything else. But it covers a variety of styles including several variations of eggs benedict and omelettes. You can also get pancakes or french toast. I went simple with 2 eggs over easy with cheddar cheese and rye toast. A simple basic foundation upon which I could lay the bricks of Oktoberfest drinking on.
As we waited for our breakfast to arrive from the kitchen, somehow BN convinced me to get some whiskey to sip on. I am NOT a whiskey guy at all, but he tricked me into it. I think the conversation went like this: BN: "Hey, want to sip on some whiskey?" Me: "Sure." Did you see the trickery? Devious. I also treated myself to a second beer because it was a Saturday. That logic works, right? I ordered up a fine Parkway Brewing Company Get Bent IPA to accompany my breakfast.
Breakfast arrived in short order and it looked tasty. My eggs were nice and runny as I love. The toast was toasted solidly and accompanied with the perfect amount of butter. I quickly slid my cheese covered eggs up onto my toast and attacked my plate. I know that this meal, compared to others I've had, is basic. But to see a restaurant nail the basics so marvelously is refreshing & reassuring. It gives me reason to try all the rest of the things they offer.
We finished up our breakfast, sipped the last of our whiskey and polished off the remainder of our beers. We paid our tabs and headed out into the great unknown in pursuit of an Oktoberfest celebration. But have no fear New York Deli, I shall return. You are too rapturous for me not to.
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