On the actual day of my birthday, I arranged to meet some close friends in New York for the quintessential New York brunch at Sarabeth’s Central Park South. Sarabeth’s has several locations in Manhattan, but only the CPS location takes reservations for brunch. Even with a reservation, there was still an half an hour wait for our table – the place was packed (but that’s to be expected at noon on a Sunday). Once seated, I noticed that the CPS location is actually pretty roomy inside, with several different dining rooms and even a small cozy garden room in the middle that contains a table for two. The menu has both brunch and lunch items, with a separate cocktail menu. I thought that the Mama Bear, Baby Bear and Papa Bear porridge choices were particularly adorable! I had a really tough time deciding what to order since there were a few tasty eggs benedict choices available, but I was also really in the mood for lox and cream cheese. In the end, I got a little bit of both….

Goldie Lox (eggs with lox and cream cheese, served with a buttermilk red currant scone)

The eggs were deliciously fluffy and chock full of pieces of lox – each bite enhanced with a smear of tangy cream cheese. The scone was studded with bits of currant and paired perfectly with butter and strawberry preserves.

Here’s a sampling of a few other items on the menu:

For dessert, my friend S. brought me a chocolate cupcake from Crumbs! I only had room left in my stomach for one bite, and what a tasty bite it was!

Sarabeth’s Central Park South - 40 Central Park South (near 6th Ave)