Mexican brunch at Fonda

We've been walking by this place for weeks now and saying we need to try it. Fonda on 7th avenue between 14th and 15th is apparently the second location of this restaurant by Roberto Santibanez. (the other being on avenue B in the East Village, and not to be confused with "Fonda Nolita" on Elizabeth street.) Its a pretty little space that looks like a lot of money went into making it look really simple.

At 11:05, we were the second table there, and it didn't pick up too much by the time we left around noon. (does everyone in Brooklyn sleep really late on weekends? Or are there just too many options for great brunch here?)

Coffee only comes in a French press for two at $5 and was superb, despite a hairline fracture in the carafe that caused a slow leak throughout our breakfast. Both of our spoons and one of our mugs being delivered with dried bits of food stuck to them could have ruined what turned out to be an excellent meal.

Most of the food options were what you'd expect to see on a Mexican inspired brunch menu, and I ordered Huevos Rancheros ($12, made with organic eggs) while my lovely companion chose the Burrito Texano (ditto.)

The huevos were perfectly cooked and stacked on a nice pair of crispy tortillas sandwiching refried black beans, (the beans here!) chorizo, (which was bright red and a little too timid for my taste,) and diced onions, and topped with queso fresco, crema, and cilantro. This was all smothered in a very red salsa ranchera which was a little too tomato-y at first bite, but turned out to be rather complex with cumin and then chile with each bite building heat. By the end I had finished everything but a plate of sauce, and resorted to using the complimentary rice and beans to soak up every last drop.

Let's talk about rice and beans. Every time I see a combination platter on a Mexican menu that includes rice and beans, I flee to the a la carte section. Almost every mexican place I've eaten presents the same pale orange rice with some flecks of red pepper (or worse, the obviously frozen peas and cubed carrots!) and some taupe colored refried bean paste. The equivalent of fries and a crappy soda in your fast food combo meal which aren't actually worth the extra you pay over the price of your Baconator or whatever, but they offer "perceived value." There are exceptions to this rule, and this place was one of them. In the bean category, at least.

Fonda's rice is bright sunset red, frozen vegetable-free, but still pretty mild. I get the feeling that a lot of chefs in Brooklyn balk at a little heat for fear of scaring off their guests, but maybe I've just missed the spicy food here so far. (Please, send me any comments or recommendations about spicy food in general!)

Fonda's beans were transcendent. That's a word I don't throw around lightly. When I first learned the meaning during my art school days, I understood it to define something that surpasses the medium in which it is created. The Last Supper, (to stick with the food topic,) did to wet plaster what most people couldn't have done to a canvas and oil. These beans, purple-black, still somewhat chunky, but wet enough to be a sauce or a salsa or a stew or whatever else you might want, are so much more than beans. They are smokey and full of earthy flavors like wood and spice and cocoa. I'm sure there's chocolate in there, which would be a beautiful way to play with the variations of bean in Mexican cooking. I could eat them straight, dip tortillas in them, or put them on every bite of my entree. Which I did.

My companions burrito was big and full of scrambled egg, chihuahua cheese, that same timid chorizo, and roasted potatoes, and covered in a delicious avocado colored tomatillo sauce. A few dollops of a spicy brick red chile sauce offered some longed-for heat.

Both entrees were perfect and filling and we wouldn't have had room for an appetizer or a dessert. Tables near us ordered the Chilaquiles Rojos, and the made to order guacamole for two (served in a lava-rock bear bowl, it's on the main menu, so don't forget that there's more than just the brunch menu they hand you.) Both are on my to-eat list. Come with more friends so you can share an try more dishes, or sit at the small but well stocked bar.

Deal alert: While the menu promises a free mimosa, rosalita, or Fonda bloody "mery" with each entree, our server never mentioned them. (Just as well since we weren't planning on turning this into an all day brunch.) Still, $12 for a large entree and a nice beverage to start the day right is not a bad deal.

-SdJ