At brunch, I most enjoy sitting at the bar at Miriam and sipping fresh squeezed orange juice while I wait for my Israeli breakfast. It includes two eggs (my order: sunny side up, extra crispy), labneh cheese, home fries, Israeli salad and pita. The eggs arrived perfectly cooked as I specified, with the yolks runny, but the edges burnt to a crisp. The labneh cheese has the consistency and taste of yogurt; drizzled with olive oil, it’s irresistible with the piping hot pita. Miriam’s pitas come from Pita Express, but these thick, meaty but fluffy pitas are so good I assumed they were homemade. The Israeli salad of tomato, cucumber and onions was finely diced and provided my serving of vegetables for the day. And no brunch would be complete without home fries. These are cooked soft with juicy onions. I also asked for Miriam’s tahini sauce, which I call “the green sauce,” on the side. Green with a fragrant scent of fresh herbs, it’s tahini blended with cilantro and parsley. I add it to everything on my plate.
The original Miriam on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope (the one I visit) opened in 2005, but given the success of the restaurant, another one opened last year in Cobble Hill.