Essex - Lower East Side

I hear a lot of mixed reviews on Essex and I have come to the conclusion on how you can really enjoy Essex and not end up being a hater. Step One: do not go to Essex on a weekend for brunch with you and a mob of your hungover friends. Just don't do it. You're going to end up waiting for an hour or more to be seated and the seating there isn't adequate for large groups of 4 or more.

Step Two: Yes, you get 3 cocktails with your brunch and that's awesome, but you have to understand that everyone else recognizes that too so DO NOT go with a huge group of people. Step Three: Go with one other person. Go on a date, a man-date, a blind date, a gay date--whatever; you'll get seated fast and I'd even go one step further and ask for a table on the balcony so you get seated faster and you get to enjoy your meal high up in a quiet area away from the sneering groups of hungover people waiting to be seated who probably hate you.

On to the food. For $18 you get a meal and 3 cocktails, it's a good deal. We got "The Southern" with eggs, sausage patties and biscuits with gravy and the ribeye steak and eggs. Overall, the food was decent, but not spectacular, but certainly worth $18 with drinks in tow--3 drinks alone will cost more than that at most bars in Manhattan. My eggs were slightly overcooked, but I don't blame the cook here since the kitchen is probably a madhouse here during brunch and the steak was actually pretty good and not super well done and dried out like most places--even pinkness and cooked to order. The biscuits and gravy were actually the highlight--the sausage gravy made everything delicious.

Beware: the screwdrivers here kill me--I switched to mimosas after one screwdriver foreshadowed my doom before my day had even started. Maybe it's just me though--vodka destroys me. A fun spot all around if you can get past the annoying techno music (hence why you should opt for the balcony seating).

120 Essex St., New York, NY 10002, 212 533 9616, www.essexnyc.com