Betel
51 Grove St., NYC
Phone: (212) 352-0460
Hours:
Drinks from 5pm, Daily
Dinner from 6pm, Daily
Open until 12am Sun-Thu
Open until 1am Fri-Sat

When I heard that the well-received, modern Thai restaurant Betel was expanding its menu to include brunch, my ears perked up and my mouth started watering in a Pavlovian response that chili and lime-laden dishes tend to evoke in this girl.

And I was not disappointed. In fact, this may have been the first time I’ve been absolutely delighted by a Brunch menu.

Forget your eggs Benedict. Your new love and brunch benchmark on which to judge all future brunches on are the Son and Law Eggs: Absolutely incredible, open-faced, hard-boiled eggs with a sweet yellow bean tamarind sauce and fried shallots.

In addition, we sampled the duck and shitake pot stickers, which were the least exciting part of the meal, especially once the Mussels arrived. The Stir Fried Mussels in Betel’s own XO sauce are a whole-mouth savoring experience. We completed the meal with the Grilled Chicken Skewers with Coconut Thai Herb salad, which my dining partner had to talk me into ordering. Regularly, I am not the least bit interested in things skewered unless they are from the exotic depths of the ocean, however this was the most tender, perfectly cooked chicken (skewered or non) I’ve ever indulged in.

Betel’s Brunch is a big win.

*Special Tip: Go for the Macau Mary, Betel’s version of a Bloody Mary, with Thai chili-infused 42 Below vodka, Red Nahm Jim sauce, tomato juice and cayenne. It is mind-blowing if you like your buds singed.