HIGH FIVE for Five Points

Being tipped off to great NYC restaurants by out-of-towners makes me feel like a bad foodie. In this post however, I put my shame aside and focus on two other things I'm feeling: gratitude for Cheyenne, a dear friend from L.A. for taking me to Five Points, and adoration for Five Points, which served me the best breakfast dish I've had in NY. I use this superlative without even the slightest hesitation- the brunch I had at Five Points was absolutely the best I've had in NY.

Above is what I ordered. I referred to the Five Points Website in hopes that the online menu will ensure I miss nothing of what went into this dish, but it didn't exactly. The menu item I ordered, per the website is "Roasted Tomato & Eggs Soft Polenta & Parmesan." True these are some of the ingredients in this dish, but there are others missing: Fresh Mozzarella and Fresh Herbs, not to mention proper punctuation. More critically, what's missing is insight into the composition of these ingredients, and how they're cooked; is it a scramble? A frittata? Even though I asked the waitress to describe it, I placed my order unsure of what to expect.

I was very, very pleasantly surprised. No justice is done in their menu; here's what I would say: 'Baked in an open wood fire oven, whole organic eggs and herb roasted tomatoes swim in delicate synchrony atop creamy polenta. Anchoring these flavors is a generous presence of fragrant herbs, and a core of melted fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.' I know that I don't have the space constraints of a menu- what I mean to convey is that what was set before me was way more than the menu gave credit.

To demystify how all of the above was arranged in the dish, here's a diagram:


Concentric circles of fresh, simple, goodness was it. At Five Points, they feel no need to exploit a sensational ingredient like truffle oil like Norma's (a snazzy brunch place at the Le Parker Meridien Hotel) does in a similar dish. They stand tall, confident in the quality and freshness of the Organic Hudson Valley eggs, the DiPaolo Mozzarella, and the locally grown herbs (these are not assumptions, the menu at the restaurant mentions all of these). A tad of innovation in the way that the ingredients are grouped, and the essence of a wood-fire that you would guess is in it's twelfth hour of burning, made this dish perfect.

In each bite, the eggs were made interesting by the tomatoes and herbs. Both of these were undercut by the luscious polenta and gooey cheese so that there was never a bite that was too loud or acidic. A perfect balance was achieved in this dish; this dish makes you feel like whoever is back there really knows food; there's a delicacy and a confidence to the Five Points chef's hand that is hard to come across.

The entire experience of eating at Five Points was one of supreme comfort; the setting was warm, chalet-like with wooden beams cutting across the sun lights in the ceiling. Warm lighting, likable service, simple pine garlands, and restrained use of white Christmas lights create a space that makes you want to linger. The shelter is irresistible, it makes you feel like you're stranded in a remote mountain lodge while it snows heavily outside.

We stood up from our table reluctantly, and stepped outside to NYC feeling comfortable, happy.