Sunday, June 7, 2009

Airing of Greiveances: Brooklyn Label

            (What's all the hubbub about? Oh, people are getting ripped off?  Where can I sign?)

Sometimes I feel like Greenpoint is kind of like some sort of western boomtown when it comes to restaurants.  If a new place opens up, and there's nothing like it around, it will see how much it can get away with because it knows it has no competition. 

When Brooklyn label opened up a few years ago, it was one of the only restaurants on bucolic Franklin St., and the only place that served the sort of brunch that New Yorker's love - you know, eggs benedict, huevos rancheros, burgers, french toast, that kind of thing. For a while, it was great - great food, great vibe, great location. I feel like for many people it was a fun sort of "destination" brunch spot, especially if you didn't live in the neighborhood.  Three years ago, pretty much every entree was right nicely prepared, served in large portions, and priced under $10.  Amy and I were particularly fond of their hashbrowns.

Well, let's flash forward a few years, till, oh, I don't know, last Sunday.  The vibe is just as cool, the crowds just as big, if not more, the menu is much the same, except that most items are now in the $11-$17 range. Let me repeat: the same menu items are now in the $11-$19 range.  Oh, you can still get outa there under $10, if you order a bagel or something.  But, hey, this is brunch, a serious meal for the 9-5 crowd, especially on the weekends. What's a few dollars more, if you can really enjoy yourself, right? Is $40 for breakfast for two people really too much to pay if you're enjoying a nice meal, on a beautiful summer morning? 

It is.  If you wait over an hour after you order for your food. And the restaurant is completely empty.  And your $14 plate of huevos rancheros are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.  And the eggs aren't prepared correctly. And they skimp on the guacamole. And you could make better oatmeal at home.  For $2.  

Basically, Brooklyn Label is one of the swiftest, cruelest rip-offs around.  Its been that way for a while, but my last time there was the final straw.   This was not the first time that its TAKEN FOR FUCKING EVER to get REALLY PRICEY food THAT ISN'T VERY GOOD.  We've been burned by this place so many times, that I feel like a moron for griping about my most recent visit. 

Fool me once? Shame on you Brooklyn Label.  Fool me twice? Shame on...me? 

Actually, no, scratch that. Fool me once, twice, a dozen times, whatevs, this place has no reason to be as half-assed as it is for the price.  Shame on you, Brooklyn Label. 

Brooklyn Label
180 Franklin St. 
Brooklyn, NY 11222
718 389 2806

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