Pizza for Brunch with Doughnuts for Dessert

Rainy Sundays are a not-so-fun way to end the weekend.  But a great brunch can go a long way to making the day a little better and putting a smile on our faces.  A cozy seat by the window at the end of one of Co.‘s long tables was great for people watching with a convenient spot to park a sleeping baby and her stroller.

Cups of coffee and orange juice for the adults.  A decaf latte for KA and dark thick Americano for MD and I.

In addition to the regular full menu of delicious pizzas, Co. offers a few specials for brunch.  The three of us settled on splitting a Florentine pie, a side of crispy pancetta and two toasts.  The Florentine, a brunch relative of the Popeye pie, had a thin base of bechamel, parmesan and gruyere.  A pile of slightly toasted vibrant spinach leaves buried the two poached eggs that were only revealed when we pulled the pizza apart.  All this was, of course, built upon Co.’s amazing crust, blistered and chewy.  Crumble a little slice of pancetta over a slice and I happily dug in.

We also split the egg & avocado and Co. Boy toasts.  These were small compared to the pizzas and a bit tough to split but the flavors well made up for the shortfalls.  We must be catching the last ripe days of the avocado season.  The avocado on the egg & avocado toast was perfectly ripe and was topped with a well poached egg, shards of parmesan, basil and chili pepper flakes.  The Co. Boy was my personal favorite.  A base of basic creamy cannelini bean stew with carrots and celery packed a surprising punch.  The broth had soaked fully into the crusty bread, making each bite absolutely delightful.

As we finished brunch, the rain took a small break.  Taking our cue, we took a little stroll with the baby, right down 23rd street to the Doughnut Plant.  I love their doughnut seeds of select flavors.  These seeds are three bites, maybe two if you have a mouth like me.  For MD, the peanut butter banana cream hit the spot.  My favorite?  The once seasonal rose doughnut that is now a stable on the menu.  The little yeasty parcel is filled with a rose flavored cream and topped with a rose sugar glaze and a beautiful petal.  Because it was a rainy day, we threw in two more doughnut seeds, the cinnamon apple and the chocolate hazelnut, for good measure.

Pizza for brunch followed up by doughnuts for dessert, it is definitely great to be an adult.

Co. | 230 9th Avenue  New York, NY 10001 | http://www.co-pane.com/

Doughnut Plant | 220 West 23rd Street  New York, NY 10011 | http://doughnutplant.com/