Clinton Street Baking Co: A Dream Deferred

This post is about a restaurant in the Lower East Side called ‘Clinton Street Baking Company’. It’s on Clinton between Houston and Stanton and though certainly NOT for lack of trying, I have never eaten there. It has to be at least a year now since I read about it on I think nymag.com as one of the best breakfast/brunches in the city, and if you’re reading this now, then there is an okay chance that I’ve tried to go with you there at some point since I first read about it. If this is the case, or if you’ve been there with other company (which like, is fine, I guess), then this should be a familiar image to you:

If not, this shot is from outside the restaurant today at 1:47 pm, though from what I gather, it really could have come from any Saturday or Sunday late morning/early afternoon. I have to imagine it isn’t quite as mobbed when the weather sucks; I think I’ve only tried to go there on sunny days like today (and WHAT a top-ten day it was!!). Anyway, as Hannah and I were both craving hearty breakfasts this morning, and as I had to pick up a prescription from the Rite Aid on Clinton street and Grand street, I figured we could at least try swinging by the ole' Baking Company and, in the off chance of crowds being humane, we might be able to throw down our two names for an under 30 minute wait. Then we would be able to run down to the drug store, get my drugs, and get back just in time to try the fresh country biscuits, fluffy eggs and brioche french toast that have so long been withheld from me. And so we decide to give this a shot. After our walk east down Houston, we finally hit Clinton and turn right. I'm trying my best not to let myself get excited, as you see, a man can only have his heart broken so many times.

Well, in case you were confused, the crowd you see above is not indicative of a speedy seating. In fact it's more of a communal "good fucking luck" that you can read from the faces of all the other impatient hungryover people waiting outside. But then, despite it being obviously as crowded as it always is at that time, I decided make it sting just a little more by poking my head inside. And of course, the wait for two people was an hour and a half.

The story doesn't end on a bad note, though. Because of the wait at Clinton Street Baking Company, Hannah and I ended up at Clinton Restaurant across the street. You can see it (and Hannah, in a cheerful state) here:

Despite it being a little slower than it should have been (considering Hannah and I were the only ones in there), this charming little Nuyorican joint, with traditional specials listed over the counter in back , did just as good a job whipping out the heavy, greasy breakfast fare as anywhere. Hannah's chorizo quesadilla was a behemoth of flaky dough and cheese, and my Spanish omelet was surprisingly flavorful and satisfying. Coffee was good too. So moral of the story is, obviously 'the place across the street' was hardly gourmet, and I didn't check to see, but I don't think they had a winelist. The fact is that it's ridiculous, disgusting even, that this place (which I would bet has been there at least twice as long as Clinton Street Baking Co) was completely empty while people were waiting 2 hours outside across the street! I'm sure that Clinton Street Baking Co is great and all, and I'm certainly not trying to tell anyone not to go there. In fact, it is my hope that I might even get the chance to eat there on some rainy Tuesday afternoon. But come on folks, let's stop being so obsessed with the best, especially when the best is a meal, and especially when it means waiting 2 hours for that meal, and SUPER especially when there is a perfectly decent establishment across the street. Help another local business out, while maybe (god forbid) absorbing a lil' latino culture while you're at it.