In the West Village, the zombies get a late start. They appear around noon in their sneakers and sunglasses, blinking in the sun before lurching off to the usual gathering spots: Tartine, Elephant & Castle, the Little Owl. If the crowds are too daunting, they leave phone numbers and shuffle off to the next haunt. But eventually, they will pick a spot, and then they will wait. And wait. And wait. For these zombies must eat, and it's not brains they're after: it's eggs benedict.
New Yorkers lose their minds when it comes to brunch. Crain's recently reported that we make 35% more Google searches per capita for "brunch spots" than any other city. And while we feel personally persecuted waiting 10 minutes for the F train, we happily endure Soviet-style lines for a stack of pancakes. On Saturday, outside Good Restaurant, a sleek spot where an egg sandwich sets you back $14, entrepreneur Alex Bell said she was resigned to the 35-minute delay: "Every place in the Village has a wait."
A half-hour wait is nothing. At Manhattan spots like Penelope, Sarabeth's and Clinton Street Baking Co., the brunch wait often exceeds the length of a feature film. Yes, brunch can be an all-day affair. Folks sleep in late and spend four hours at the restaurant. And when breakfast consists of booze and waffles, the afternoon is hopeless, so it's back home for a nap. "Brunch is really an event in New York City," says Doug Crowell, who owns Buttermilk Channel in Carroll Gardens. "I'm not aware of anywhere else in the world that does brunch like we do."
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