All's Well That Ends Well... Brunch at DuMont

My Williamsburg friend and I were discussing brunch options this morning. "How is Gribouille's menu?" I wondered. "They have a good prix fixe - it's three courses," said my friend.

"I don't know if I'm in the mood for three courses this morning," I said. "Then why don't we check out the new PT?" suggested my friend. "Someone told me it was fabulous."

We walked over to South 3rd and Bedford, and PT, a new Italian restaurant, was not open for brunch. "What about Bonita across the street?" asked my friend. "I thought that place was OK," I said, "but they skimped on my huevos rancheros." We continued walking and wondering what to do.

We decided to walk to Diner, that eminence grise of Williamsburg restaurants. There was a crowd waiting outside, and as we approached the door, we saw masses of people standing inside as well. I sighed, but perked up when my friend informed me that Diner's owners had opened Marlow and Sons, a little restaurant/gourmet market next door. Although the restaurant did not serve brunch, I was excited to find out that the market, which was somewhat reminiscent of the popular Bedford Cheese Shop, offered fresh-baked goods ("We bake everything except the croissants," said the counterperson). There were all kinds of goodies: apple scones, bacon gruyere scones, raisin-studded iced bear claws. I wondered if we might grow hungry during our search for brunch, so I ordered a deliciously crumbly apple scone and a huge tomato mozzarella basil sandwich. My friend laughed. "When are you going to eat that?"

We kept walking. "Dressler is hot," said my friend. "I wonder if they have brunch?" A lovely woman named Christina told us that Sunday brunch will be served starting October 1. She handed us an enticing new fall dinner menu - it included braised short ribs with parsnip puree, pea & Fontina raviolini, and pan-roasted quail with baked white polenta - and those were just the appetizers!

Now we were really hungry. "Do you think we might get into Colin Devlin's original spot, Dumont?" I asked. "There's probably a line," replied my friend dolefully. Still, we resolved to walk all the way over to Union Avenue. When we finally reached DuMont, we were welcomed by a smiling server and an empty table!

There were so many appetizing choices... eggs Florentine or Benedict on brioche toast, croque-monsieur, smoked trout salad with a poached egg. I ordered the special smoked salmon omelette and my friend chose the huevos rancheros with eggs over easy.

We were surprised by a complimentary plate of warm, sugar-sprinkled doughnut holes. (What a wonderful way to begin a brunch!) The entrees arrived without delay - according to my friend, many Williamsburg restaurants suffer from lackadaisical service - but not DuMont. The smoked salmon omelette was wonderfully fluffy with a filling of thick salmon slices and tangy puffs of dill-flecked goat cheese. Also served were a refreshing mixed green salad and some really amazing home fries. Large chunks of well-salted fried potato were perfectly crispy on the outside, light as air on the inside. The potatoes were mixed with onions and red peppers, and all vegetables kept their shape instead of being smooshed into an overcooked, unrecognizable mass. My friend liked his huevos rancheros with black beans (the avocado in his salad was a nice touch), but he preferred my entree. I tried to be generous with it.

The finishing touch was a warm, dense chocolate brownie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!

Dumont: 432 Union Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn, (718) 486-7717.