Place: Jalapeño
Neighborhood: Upper West Side, 185 Columbus Ave. (between 68th and 69th St.)
Mimosa Rating:
Outside of Jalapeño
The scoop: I had been craving Mexican food all week, and figured my Saturday brunch with Jess would be a good chance to enjoy some Mexican cuisine. I did a little research and found great reviews for Jalapeño, so I decided to give it a try. Between the positive feedback and unlimited drink special, Jalapeño stood out among the other places I was looking at. We arrived around 1:45 p.m., and there were some open tables, both indoors and outdoors. Since it was an absolutely gorgeous and unseasonably warm fall day, we jumped at the chance to sit outside. The atmosphere was perfect for us to sit back and enjoy our drinks and food. Our server was very nice and helpful. Our food was out in less than 15 minutes, and our drinks were refilled quickly when we asked.
Mimosa and prosecco
Bottoms up: Jalapeño has an awesome drink special. You can enjoy unlimited prosecco, mimosas and bloody Marys with your meal at no additional cost! I went with the prosecco, and Jess got a mimosa. My prosecco was crisp and refreshing, but not too strong. Jess enjoyed her mimosa as well. It was the perfect balance of OJ and champagne. We each got three drinks during brunch. However, the complimentary drinks stop as soon as your plates are cleared. We asked for another round after our plates were gone, but were told that we would need to pay since our food was already finished. This is totally understandable, and we were both happy with the three drinks that we did get while we were brunching.
Chew on this:
Cornbread and sweet tomatillo butter / Complimentary
Cornbread
We were each given a small piece of cornbread with butter promptly when we sat down. I love getting complimentary bread with my brunch, since I feel like a lot of places don’t do this. Cornbread is a fun change from the usual brunch bread, but this cornbread fell just a little short for me. It was on the dry side. Although it did have a nice flavor, I used the butter to give it a little something else. The butter just tasted ordinary, so I’m not sure if this was the sweet tomatillo butter that was advertised.
Quesadilla Benedict $14 / Two flour tortillas filled with cheese and ham, topped with two sunny side up eggs with hollandaise sauce; Served with home fries
Quesadilla Benedict
This dish seemed like a cool way to satisfy my craving for Mexican and breakfast at the same time. Since the eggs were sunny side up instead of poached, I don’t know if “Benedict” is the best description for it. Either way, it hit the spot! The hollandaise was not your typical hollandaise. It had a nice kick to it. My only concern with having sunny side up eggs on top of a quesadilla instead of having toast on the side was having nothing to soak up the egg with. However, the quesadilla did the job. They did not skimp on the cheese and ham in the quesadilla, so the quesadilla itself was not flimsy, as it can be in some Mexican restaurants. The home fries had a nice flavor, but were a little soggy and way too greasy. This is an innovative dish that I don’t think I’ve ever seen on a menu before, so I would recommend this to someone who is looking for something a little different.
Breakfast burrito $14 / Whole wheat tortilla filled with eggs, cheese, rice, beans, guacamole and pico; Your choice of organic veggies or bacon and a side salad
Breakfast burrito
The burrito was huge! It was stuffed with delicious and fresh ingredients. I opted to get the organic veggies instead of the bacon (as much as I wanted the bacon!), and I found carrots mixed into the burrito as the veggie of choice. The mix of all the ingredients together, as well as some jalapeños, gave the burrito the perfect spice. The eggs inside the burrito were nice and hot. The sour cream on top was also a nice touch. The side salad was dressed in what tasted like a honey mustard vinaigrette. I was happy with my choice and would definitely recommend this burrito.
The final bite: If you’re craving a quality Mexican brunch, you should check out Jalapeño. The unlimited drinks included with your meal are certainly an added perk!
Reviewed by: Jen
