One pancake, a couple of eggs, a bit of breakfast meat and a hashbrown is a wonderful combination curiously hard to find at a lot of NYC’s benchmark brunch spots. Denny’s named the same basic blueprint a Grand Slam decades back; a chichi destination could probably get away with calling it a tasting. And, although you’re a little more likely to find it at one of the five boroughs’ dwindling diners, this true tour of morning taste sensations does not quite enjoy the ubiquity of, say, unlimited mimosas.
At Stowaway, a southern-influenced operation that opened in Greenpoint late last year, it's listed as the Shoreline Breakfast: All of the above with a choice of bacon, smoked and cured on-site, or house made sausage for $17. The scrambled eggs are properly fluffed, the medium-density sage sausage patty is substantial, the thin, slightly and delightfully greasy hashbrown harks back to fast food favorites with added made-to-order attention and the golden pancake is peak form, with the ideal porousness to soak up maple syrup that turns the plate into a dizzyingly decadent dessert. It’s a satisfying brunch.
The Hen House Breakfast ($15) swaps the shoreline’s hash brown for a copiously-battered fried chicken thigh. It's nicely prepared, if lightly seasoned, with a suitable crunch. The chicken is also served in sandwich form on Stowaway’s promising southern-style buttermilk biscuits. The biscuits’ interior’s a little denser than expected, especially given their photogenic finish, but they’re still a fine vehicle for the chicken, painted with a dash of bright yellow bread and butter pickle aioli and paired with sweet heat peppers. BECs and SECs are also available on biscuits, or you can order one doused in herbed mushroom gravy or plated with jelly and whipped molasses butter. Biscuits are all priced from $7-$11.
Small plates like the deceptively generous portion of terrific fried okra with remoulade ($8) and the airy pimento cheese on grilled rye ($10) are lovely as starters, sides or as first-class snacks at Stoways’s cozy marble bar. Mid-back stools can accommodate a few pairs at the cozy slip, with more counter space available in the large, sidewalk-facing picture window and mostly two-tops lining an exposed brick wall. Natural light hits the intimate space’s high ceilings, curved lines, subtly nautical design elements and brassy chandelier suspended from the seafoam green ceiling.
Stowaway achieves the exact notes that create a neighborhood cafe-bar where it's easy to imagine becoming a regular, sipping hot and iced coffee and tea drinks in the morning and beer, wine and cider a bit later on. It offers a lot on its relatively brief, brunch-leaning menu, and its bountiful Shoreline Breakfast in particular is a home run any time of day.
Vitals
The Vibe: Bright, intimate and welcoming with subtle maritime style.
The Food: Breakfast and brunch plates like the outstanding Shoreline Breakfast, served with a pancake, bacon or sausage, hash brown and eggs any way.
The Drinks: Hot and cold coffee, tea and espresso drinks, plus beer, wine and cider.
Time Out Tip: Stowaway splits the difference between counter and table service: You’ll order up front, have a seat, and pop back to the register for additional items. The restaurant plans to expand with cocktails and dinner service this spring.
Stowaway is located at 159 Greenpoint Avenue and is open Monday-Wednesday from 8am to 4pm and Thursday-Sunday from 8am to 10pm.