Finding Something Similar in the NYC

Bluebird Sky Restaurant, New York City

I'm a Texan, born and raised. That doesn't mean that I talk with a slow draw or that I pronounce the word Sunday, sun-dee. But I live the 'Texan' lifestyle, and I love it. I was reminded of how much I love that lifestyle while visiting Manhattan recently. Unlike Dallas, the streets of New York City can rarely be described as having a slow pace, or a steady, predictable rhythm. NYC: slow and predictable? 

Let's just say that I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled onto Bluebird Sky, a cafe half a block off a bustling section of Canal Street, between Little Italy and Chinatown. 

I hadn't planned on going there originally. In fact, my plan for the morning was to simply get out of my hotel room and cruise the streets of New York. But by 11 AM, I'd been bumped into by one too many people; I was experiencing sensory overload by all of the bags, belts, sunglasses, watches, t-shirts, shoes, and stickers that were for sale around me; and I was getting hungry. 

I had to get off of Canal Street and fast. Baxter Street was just ahead. I had no idea where it'd take me, but it wasn't Canal and that's all I cared about. No more than half a block down Baxter was Bluebird Sky. It caught my eye immediately. It looked quiet, comfortable and not too busy – exactly what I needed. 

The menu options at Bluebird Sky include breakfast and lunch, with breakfast served all day (an easy way to get my vote). 

For breakfast they offer four omelets with non-diner ingredients like fresh portabella mushrooms, Gruyere cheese and Berkshire ham (another easy way to get my vote), a frittata of the day, and French toast garnished with powdered sugar and generously topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries.

For lunch the sandwich options range from muffuletta with aged provolone and olive salad on ciabatta bread, grilled flank steak with pickled shallots and Gruyere, to peanut butter, banana and honey on multi-grain bread (a bit Austin-esque, no?). 

I opted for the spinach, tomato and goat cheese omelet, a spring salad on the side, & an Americano. I had to ask that they add bacon, of course. After all, can you really eat breakfast and not have bacon? Maybe in New York. 

The omelet didn't disappoint. It was light and fluffy, and the creamy goat cheese was the perfect balance to the crispy bacon. The side salad was simple: spring leaves and vinaigrette. Dallas restaurants don't seem to pair salads with breakfast too often. But New York and San Francisco do, and I like it. As I was finishing my omelet, a man sat down next to me with an order of the French toast. It looked delicious. If only I lived in New York, I'd have to come back and try it. 

It only took a few minutes at Bluebird Sky to remedy the insanity that Canal Street brought me only moments before. My stomach was full, my mind was at ease and for the time I was there, I felt at home. I was in New York City, yes. But somehow things did seem to move more slowly and predictably. For this Texan, I was satisfied.

Ben Howard - The wolves by sophieleach