Sunday Brunch at Comfortland!

Comfortland, that den of decadence in Astoria, has been taking reservations for Sunday brunch since November to get themselves back in the swing of indoor dining. We headed there last month during the craziness of the holidays for a cozy and indulgent multi-course meal that made me wish that I'd worn sweatpants instead of my compression leggings. We’d made our menu and drink selections in advance, so all we had to do was enj

We started off with crispy egg and cheese empanadas with a spicy mayo and bacon bits (which was SO GOOD but next time I should have noted that J doesn't eat eggs - oops!).

John had the Cap'n Crunch French Toast Sticks with a tart and creamy cranberry mascarpone which dovetailed into the Fried Chicken Farmers Market Salad.

I had chosen the Shrimp & Cream Cheese Grits with Red Eye Gravy. I don't eat grits often, but these were SO creamy and good with the savory/sweet sauce and the crisp, briny shrimp.

For some reason, I thought that following that up with the Fried Green Tomato Benedict would be a good idea.

By the time we got to the main courses, I was already aggressively full. Our server had warned us earlier that even though they'd paired down the portions from prior brunches, we'd might want to bring some of it home. I ate half of one biscuit and packed up the rest so I could attack my dessert - a gingerbread blondie topped with a frozen eggy custard, enrobed with a cranberry caramel sauce.

I took the tiniest bite of J's Eggnog Pie just to give it a try (delicately spiced and tasty), and after a large sampling of my own dessert, I had to concede.

Okay, I did take my frozen custard and throw it into my coffee so I could drink it - I'm not a complete philistine.

I have to admit, it was surreal to be sitting indoors at Comfortland after all this time. Most of our meals there since 2020 have been either: enjoyed while sitting outside of the restaurant, or ordered for take out and eaten at friends' homes nearby. It felt like such a treat to shoot the shit with our servers, dance in our seats, and giggle at the Power Ranger fight compilations that were projected on the wall. Brunch will run you around $65 a person (you get to pick your booze - I chose the savory, spicy Bloody and J got a Cranberry Moscow Mule) and you pick your courses ahead of your reservation, which gives you a day or two to mull your choices. Previously, you had to make your reservation via email, but now you can do it on Resy. We’ll definitely do this again - I’ll just make sure to wear looser pants next time.