After years of construction and waiting with trepid anticipation – the 2nd Avenue Subway Line has finally opened its doors at 3 new stops along the Q line. Things are looking up for the many millennials living in Yorkville.
But the 2nd Avenue Subway isn’t the only new thing bringing a smile to the faces of twenty-somethings on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Trendy new restaurants and bars seem to be springing up left and right.
Blake Lane is one such restaurant – opening in November and quickly becoming a popular spot for both brunch and dinner. I first heard about Blake Lane when a friend tagged me in a picture of their perfectly Instagrammable brunch dishes.
Served in a cute, airy space on 3rd Avenue, Blake Lane is the type of place you’d expect to find in the East Village or Brooklyn – full of Lululemon clad weekend warriors gossiping over coffee as they Snapchat their avocado toast (I hope no one finds offense to this – as I am 100% one of these people...I just might be wearing Old Navy workout gear).
In fact, I came here after a particularly amazing 9 mile run one weekend, with a friend who was visiting from LA. I resembled the heart-eyed emoji as I sat down and looked over the menu – full of dishes I wanted to sample.
Luckily, my friend and I agreed to split a few different things. I appreciated the mix of hearty options along with light, refreshing choices that made me feel like I was back in California ordering acai bowls and poke on the boardwalk.
(Speaking of California...here's a picture from my recent trip to La Jolla - more to come!
Brunch At Blake Lane
Poke
Wild Tuna, black rice, avocado puree, mango, cucumber, sesame seeds, nori
This was our favorite part of our meal and it might have had something to do with the artful smear of avocado puree that was so visually appealing. Or the fact that everything tasted so fresh!
Acai Bowl
Banana, cashew butter, marinated berries, granola
A so so acai bowl – I wouldn’t necessarily order this again when there are better bowls in the city and a ton of other options on this menu.
Squash Toast
Kabocha, onion, Aleppo pepper
Branching out from avocado toast, Blake Lane also offers squash toast and a nut toast with cashew butter. We opted for the squash toast which had a really great flavor, but threw me off a little because it was served somewhat cold. I think I would have preferred this warm and on freshly toasted bread!
Beverages
They have a pretty extensive morning beverage menu. I ordered an Americano but there were no sugar substitutes – organic sugar cubes only (a rolled my eyes a bit at this one, I will admit).
Emily ordered a acai limeade that was on the sweet side and I was really intrigued by their Hot Cocoa served with cayenne, cinnamon, date and sea salt or their Golden Mylk made with almond milk, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, date and sea salt!
Dinner at Blake Lane
When I visited for dinner after my kickboxing class a few weeks ago, Blake Lane was bustling. Where I had felt totally normal in athleisure on a Saturday morning, I felt a little out of place waltzing in on a Thursday night in my sweaty clothes – oops!
Again, we tried a bunch of different dishes and I might have liked them even more than brunch! That being said, the cost was a lot more of a hit to my wallet ordering off the dinner menu!
Roasted Beets
Grapefruit, shaved onion citrus vinaigrette, mint
While I like all of these things on their own, I wasn’t completely thrilled with the combination. It felt like they just threw a bunch of on-trend ingredients together for the hell of it.
Broccoli
Cashew butter, chili oil
Loved this dish – the broccoli could have been charred a bit more, but the cashew butter was absolutely delicious! I could have drank a cup of it.
Tuna Tartine
Yellowfin tuna, broccoli salsa verde, Aleppo pepper
The waiter recommended this, and it ended up being one of our favorite items! Definitely recommend! It was so fresh and filling!
Chicken Lettuce Cups
Warmed spiced yogurt, herbs
Lettuce cups can be a bit bland, but these were full of flavor!
Courgetti
Spirazlized squash, basil pistachio pesto, roasted tomato, avocado, poached gulf shrimp
Personally, this was my favorite! I’m a sucker for pesto using alternative nuts (did I really just say that?) because pine nuts are so expensive – and I will definitely be taking a stab at my own pistachio pesto one of these days! The dish came with 4 good sized shrimp and the roasted tomatoes were a great finishing touch.
