Locanda Verde

To kick-off a lazy Sunday morning (that would lead into a productive Sunday afternoon), we made the trek from Mid-town Manhattan to TriBeCa in order to eat at Locanda Verde, a popular brunch spot known for their pancakes. It was way more than worth it. Being a big bruncher, I like to think I’m not easily blown away anymore by your typical brunch. This one definitely wasn’t. The atmosphere was really nice and festive, with decorations ready for the holiday season. The space was on the larger size, but not too large, and had both a bar area and regular dining. Plenty of light came in through the wide windows (a must for quality picture-taking).

We began with an order of sheep’s milk ricotta infused with truffle honey that came with a delicious burnt orange toast. The restaurant also sent along a tasty basket of bread with onion and spices that was a real treat. I was a bit nervous, as cheese can be a hit or miss for me, but I was extremely impressed with this dish. The subtle hints of honey in the smooth and light ricotta were delicious in a delicate and simple way. I was tempted to just eat spoonfuls of the ricotta by itself towards the end. We also ordered an apple cider doughnut from the pastry section. It had caught my attention right away and sounded so interesting I just had to try it. The doughnut turned out incredible – firm on the outside, but moist on the inside, and tasted just how I imagined (like apple cider in case you were wondering…duhh ^-^).

Sheep's milk ricotta 

Bread :)

Apple Cider Donut

For our main dishes, we ordered their famous lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberries, lemon curd, and sprinklings of powdered sugar, as well as the hazelnut-crusted French toast with assorted chunks of citrus fruits and mint. It’s always a struggle to choose between sweet or salty, so to compromise, we also ordered sides of crispy garlic potatoes and homemade pork sausage. Both the pancakes and the French toast were absolutely delicious. I really liked how the pancakes were so light and simple, but still so flavorful. The French toast was a lot of fun – every bite had a mix of hazelnuts, grapefruit, orange, or fluffy toast. I also really enjoyed the potatoes, especially the small pieces that soaked in a lot of the garlic flavor. They were super crunchy as well, just the way I like them. Personally, I like to dip my sausage in a bit of syrup for a sweet, salty, and slightly spicy contrast, but the sausage was great by itself as well. 

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Hazelnut-Crusted French Toast

Crispy Garlic Potatoes

Homemade Pork Sausage

If the food wasn’t so incredibly delicious we probably wouldn’t have been able to finish all of it between the two of us, but as it was, we were pretty stuffed by the end. We left the restaurant full and very happy with our meal.