North Street Grill for brunch

This past Sunday, after being "good" and cooking on Saturday night, Sebastian, Z and I decided to treat ourselves to brunch. We decided to wander over to North Street to try Boston magazine's "Best Brunch Spot, North End" --North Street Grill.

However, even with this prestigious award, I was skeptical as it's kind of the only brunch option...The North End is known for many things, but pancakes and eggs? Not so much..

We got there and of course there was a wait, but when I spied the menu, I didn't mind-- I have NEVER seen so many types of pancakes and french toast offerings!! I was giddy with excitement. We even ran into Skylar's foodie boyfriend heading in-- a good sign!

Finally we were seated. The place is tiny, but so North End, in that its like you're sitting in someone's living room with 40 of your closest friends. Massive bloody marys passed me by, but I resisted (trying to be sort of good) and got a cup of coffee. The boys started with some OJs.

Oddly enough, we all got variations of eggs benedict. Sebastian went with the smoked salmon benedict:I chose the eggs florentine. One cool thing was the options for "subbing in" for the traditional sides. For example, instead of homefries I got mixed greens, and instead of toast, a bagel. (They are about $2 extra for each though, keep in mind.) Sebastian got rosemary fries instead of homefries-- these were amazing!!My eggs florentine were pretty good; nothing crazy or mind-blowing but good. Nothing to write home about...

Z's benedict was "Eggs in Bed"-- poached eggs over french toast with hollandaise. Clearly not the most heart-healthy choice, but damn it was actually really good! I thought it would be trying too hard, but it was yummm.

The service was definitely spotty (took about ten times asking to get glasses of water), but they were definitely short-staffed, and it was similar to service you'd expect in a busy diner.

Though not fine dining by ANY means, I will definitely return to the North Street Grill to try other things on their extensive menu. And while chic South End hot spots are fun, sometimes it's nice to take a break from that and enjoy a more relaxed, truly neighborhood joint.