Country
90 Madison Avenue (between 28th and 29th)

This Sunday brunch process was not one that lacked drama. A friend had suggested we meet at Country, a place I had heard good things about. Sure, why not. So as I walked down 3rd Avenue, I witnessed an extremely old lady having fallen down. So a quartet of us good Samaritans helped her home up a few blocks, but we ended up calling for an ambulance due to her 93-year old hip possibly being seriously damaged. So I didn't make it down to Country until we got her safely into the hands of the EMS. What saddened me is that not more people tried to help...what pissed me off is how many people tried to be obstructive. Ugh...

So by the time I got to Country I was pretty fumed up. I had a coffee and my friend to calm me down a little, and I needed some comfort food. I didn't want a large meal, but I ended up having a big and wonderful brunch. And comfort food comes best in the form of grits -- a food I miss since coming up to the North...

This particular dish was quite unique and large -- a layer of barbequed pulled pork on the bottom, with grits in the centre and topped by grilled shrimp. What a fantastic mix! It was shockingly good, a novel way of approaching this humbling form of sustinance. And comfort it did give.

The restaurant, which is within the posh Carlton Hotel, offers a very nice atmosphere that would accommodate the lone diner to the large group -- as most top hotel restaurants would. The decor matched the general theme of the hotel, without being too trendy nor too conservative. Boasting such a fancy and creative menu for brunch surely keeps Country, already in a prime location, a favourite for the brunch hunters out there.

Food: A-
Atmosphere: A-
For Lone Diners: A- (*)