Sarabeth’s At the Whitney

So this Sarabeth’s suffers from some kind of captive audience issue.
The wait was great, we were seated right away and overall the service I though was very good. However, the food was not so great. Our eggs were a little cold and there was not much to it.
The place is conducive for chatting away and thankfully the company was good. I don’t think that there is too much around that would make a better alternative than this if you are at the Whitney.

I remember a limited menu. It was an okay brunch. My friend’s frittata wasn’t memorable but I had a great crab cake in comparison. The corn muffin that came with the former was good though. Our waiter wasn’t attentive.
The cookies I ordered as takeaway could have been better. The entrance is past the gift shop. The view outside the window is like an empty concrete moat until you look up to street level. Tip is automatically included in your bill, even if you get a separate receipt for takeout. It was more than the service I received, but we were seated immediately.

:S
BAH. Average.
I wish we had stayed and waited for Alice’s Tea cup, because they called only 15 minutes later — Lesson learned. However, once we got to Sarabeth’s at the Whitney, we were seated immediately, so that was a plus. 1 prop
This location, compared to the other Sarabeth’s, was not as cozy and brunch-​like. Rather, it was more Au Bön Pain-​like. Nothing memorable. The service was fairly good (the got an order wrong, but replaced it immediately!), and the menu was not as exciting as you would hope, but the food came out okay (plated nicely, but not incredibly delicious). The price? $ 5 for 2 sausages.
Good, but it wasn’t fabulous — as any Sarabeth’s should be!

Sarabeth’s 4 stars for good food excellent service and an excellent location.
I think if Sarabeth’s was anywhere else it might not have got 4 stars but I love the Whitney on so many levels my view is possibly biased. That said the service was really great. Our server was very sweet, calm and helpful. I had an unimaginative, on my part, Caesar Salad which was really tasty and my date had a Garden Salad which, amongst other things, featured baked beetroot and goats cheese which she really likes. We had a desert as we are on holiday and mine was a delicious cheesecake with orange sauce and crystallized ginger, most of my favourite sweet things. My date, which was my wife by the way, had pistachio and choc fudge ice cream, that was also delicious. This all set upon the rather dated furniture and fittings of Sarabeth’s but sitting in the Lower Ground of one of the greatest pieces of architecture in the world, I’m a huge fan of Marcel Breuer. Sitting amongst a couple of Park Avenue ladies on one table, a blazer wearing old gent on another and a group of Christian art lovers… oh and Martha Stewart. New York, again, at it’s finest.

Sarabeth’s at the Whitney was a pleasant surprise. I actually thought this was just a normal museum cafeteria, but turns out Sarabeth’s has its hands on the ingredients and recipes here. While it feels like the menu is smaller than the other Sarabeth’s, this place still has a decent selection of most of the menu.
I had the salmon benedict, which they didn’t bother asking which kind of bread I wanted, but miraculously came out with the sourdough I was thinking of. The wheat pancakes… okay, but my brunch partner didn’t seem too enthused for any of it past the bananas.
Service was crisp, fast initially but then petered out a bit. And when my plate was empty they just up and took my friend’s plate, too… instead of asking what they wanted to do with the half-​eaten plate. Ah, well.
Still, a nice little outside area under the Whitney and ability to sit and chat out of the sun.
And while I say they have no alcohol of note, it means that they have mimosas and some bloody mary’s, but not a full bar that I saw while sitting outside… They might have a selection of wines, not sure.
If you’re a group bigger than 6; well, expect to be waiting for a bit; their tables are smaller.

Bland, uninspiring, so-​so service.

I have been going to Sarabeth’s and Sarabeth’s at the Whitney since I was a child and have always regarded both locations as really nice and yummy brunch/​lunch spots.
Some favorite menu items through the years are as follows: The tomato soup is creamy, delectable goodness! The Poached Salmon Cobb salad is really fresh and light with interesting ingredients such as wheatberries and marinated tomatoes, which make this a unique and special salad.
If you are looking for items more on the brunch side, I recommend the Farmer’s Omelet and the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. The eggs come with a muffin of your choice. ALL are absolutely delicious, but my favorite has always been the pumpkin muffin. And, of course, the muffins are all served with Sarabeth’s famous jams. YUM.
Both locations are well run, well maintained, and remain staples on the upper east side.

These four stars are mainly for the ambiance. Each Sarabeth’s is a different experience — and this is the one to go to when you’re in the mood to feel like a cultured UES artsy fart.
The crowd includes tourists (dressed like tourists) grabbing a nosh between exhibits, and over perfumed middle aged to senior women wearing giant sunglasses and chunky jewelry whilst sipping bloody mary’s. Between the two of them, I feel young and beautiful. If you’re dating a jerk with a wandering eye, this is the place to go… but seriously, why are you dating him? What is the matter with you?
Every Wednesday morning I have a Bible study in the neighborhood and and find it dificult to find a reasonable place within 20 blocks. The bustling greasy spoon diners in the area are far too greasy and hostile for my stomache to handle, and other charming spots (La Goulue, Nello) cost the jewels off my neck… if there were any there… because I spent them on Madison Avenue… Sarabeth’s at the Whitney is a perfect happy medium.
This is a little more like a $$$ than a $$. Favorite item on the menu is the side of Chicken Sausage with Apple Sauve ($ 6.25)
THE TIP IS INCLUDED IN THE BILL — buyer beware

It’s cool to have a Sarabeth’s inside the Whitney. Grab a decent brunch there and check out the museum and walk off some of the meal. Their brunch selection is fine (nothing to rave about), but I love their biscuits/​muffins (pumpkin or the banana muffin is great!).
Lines can be long, but nothing too bad.

Another case of flagrant Health Dept violations (as of Jan ¹³⁄₀₉) :
Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.
Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in facility’s food and/​or non-​food areas.
Evidence of roaches or live roaches present in facility’s food and/​or non-​food areas.
Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/​or non-​food areas.
Cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation.
Do yourself a favor — don’t eat here, unless a trip to the emergency room for food poisoning is your idea of fun…

Dining in a museum on the UES adds a certain class to Sunday brunch and was worth the street hiking after the snowfall. I was concerned that we would have to wait for a table, but arriving before 10:30A beat the morning crowd. The salmon eggs benedict was a fantastic twist to the ones I enjoyed growing up at the country club. The cornmeal type bread underneath my poached eggs and salmon added a taste and texture that I have not found elsewhere. In fact, it even beat my all-​time favorite Santa Fe eggs benedict (poached eggs over peppered ham and fresh baguette with chipotle-​cilantro hollandaise) at Plum’s Café in Costa Mesa. I poached some buttermilk pancakes with strawberries and tried the scrambled egg whites with a muffin, which were nothing special. I was disappointed in the so-​called legendary baked goods and found the roll accompanying my dish quite ordinary. Despite the somewhat pricey menu for a museum café, we enjoyed its charm.
$$

Sarabeth’s is that well-​known and generally well-​liked small chain of restaurants that seem like the prime place for the quintessential Upper West Side family to brunch on weekends when the au pair has her day off. Finding one inside the Whitney Museum was something of a pleasant surprise.
For a museum café, it’s pretty well-​run, although I must say the atmosphere and the fare could all use a little updating. The menu is rather limited, although if you go for brunch (like I did), you’ll find pretty standard, high-​quality selections from omelets to pancakes and all the other little things in between. I had the frittata which was really good and served with a fresh corn muffin. I like that there are free refills on the coffee too — You don’t find that diner-​esque touch in many places like this. My friend ordered the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and said they could use some improvement… They did look a little lackluster.
The atmosphere itself is cool and retro, but seems a little worn down. It is, of course, in the basement of the Whitney Museum, so that’s one consideration, but for the prices they charge (kind of high for what it is), the atmosphere could certainly be a little nicer than this — It just feels dated. The staff was friendly, attentive and patient, and there was no wait at all for my party of five on a Saturday morning (and we had no reservation), so no complaints there at all.
If you’re in the area and/​or heading into the Whitney anyway, why not try it? Otherwise, I hate to say this, but you could do better somewhere else on Madison Avenue pretty easily.

This place was ok but the pricing is off. It was just kind of expensive and I couldn’t figure out how it was justified. The food was meh, the service was just ok, and the ambiance was peaceful but uninteresting.
And what’s this about the baked goods being so great? Good thing I didn’t come in expecting to be blown away, because the pumpkin muffin that came with my Goldie Lox omelet was nothing special. I’ll give them credit for the cute naming of the lox+cream cheese+egg dish, but that’s about it.
I just can’t figure this place out. Is it sophisticated because my just-​decent omelet cost $ 15? Or is it quaint because the menu has inexplicable typos? Since it’s at the Whitney, I guess it can get away with just being complex and aloof.

While settled into your chintzy table, you can view the lines of museumgoers waiting, a gentle pond, and bamboo installations. While I was there for their biennial, there were installations of gourd shaped birdhouses, placards about various water-​life, and a twiggy bird-​nest big enough for a flock of bald eagles.
Great for people and artwatching, Sarabeth’s isn’t known for spectacular food, aside from those famous baked goods. (Somehow they’ve set up shop at a number of locales around Central Park so, should you be craving a waffle or those addictive lemon ricotta pancakes, this isn’t your only fix.) I flopped and got an open faced tuna sandwich with subpar chopped tomatoes and soggy tuna on grilled toast. For the price I was disappointed. Don’t make my mistake, go for the baked goods!

This was a charming place for brunch. Take note that if you’re planning to visit the museum on a Friday that it won’t open until 1PM, and Sarabeth’s opens at 11AM. We arrived at the restaurant about 15 mintues early which worked out well because there was already a small crowd forming.
We ordered the frittata, french toast, their famous velvety cream tomato soup, and shrimp and crab meat quesadilla. The food was overall mediocre, but a few things did stand out. Their famous velvety cream tomato soup was definitely satisying, and the quesadilla wasn’t half-​bad. I loved their delicious award-​winning jam that came with the frittata, and couldn’t resist picking up a jar of the Peach Apricot on my way out.

i took my parents to brunch here on saturday morning around noon and there was no wait. we had called another sarabeth’s near my sister’s, as well as annie’s, but they had waits of 45 minutes to an hour.
the lemon ricotta pancakes and the salmon eggs benedict were really good. the frittata and the farmer’s omelet were not bad but i didn’t think they were special. the waitress spoke korean so that was nice for my parents.
as we were leaving, i spotted a jackson pollack like painting. it might’ve been a jackson pollack piece but i couldn’t get close enough to find out for sure. i wish we had time to wander around because it sounds like from some of the other reviewers we could’ve snuck into the museum. unfortunately, we had to go. next time, next time.

I dragged my friends here so I could partake in my favorite dish, goldie lox — perfectly creamy scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and cream cheese. I like the location here, and even though it was a rainy day, the windowline was pretty cool. Service was quick and we were able to beat the lines entering the Whitney when the doors opened at 1pm.

The wait staff was delightful. One sincere smile to evoke another.
Once seated, I was impressed at the selection, and really only came to a decision when the waitress arrived. I sprung for the green-​and-​white (eggs with chives and cream cheese), with a side of the chicken apple sausage.
I really really really wanted to like the food, because the people and the atmosphere and the company was so terrific. But once I got to gnashing, I was just bored. And it wasn’t for lack of an appetite.
The sausages seemed particularly «meh», in texture they had a bit too much *Crunch* and next to zero flavor. The eggs were OK, but the greens and the whites didn’t do much to augment. The highlight was a pumpkin muffin, with preserves, that came with the eggs.
I was there at an odd hour, 1:30pm on a Wednesday, so perhaps this is an aberration.

Brunch, Brunch, Brunch! Oh there is something oh too fabulous about eating fluffy pancakes in a modern art museum. Hobnobbing with the Eastside artsy elite. You just feel that the doors to a secret society have been thrust open and you have been invited. It’s this feeling which adds to the allure of brunch here. Savoring each bite, only adds to the brunch experience, which by it’s nature is very «high society.»
Unfortunately, seeing modern art after an indulgent brunch is too much. You could, covering your eyes while jogging up the stairs, sit in a quiet corner looking at a Edward Hopper while you digest, but for heaven’s sake don’t go looking at video art after a sausage link!

How good is Sarabeth’s at the Whitney? It’s worth a visit even if you’re not planning to tour the museum, high praise indeed for the type of eatery that usually serves cafeteria-​quality food in antiseptic surroundings. Sarabeth’s mini-​empire is comprised of locations on the Upper East and West Sides, Central Park South, a bakery in the Chelsea Market, a new dining spot in Key West, and this bright and airy outpost at the Whitney Museum of American Art, feeding masses of art lovers and local residents since 1991. The brunch items are excellent, but it’s the lunch menu where the kitchen excels, with tantalizing treasures like a cold plate of Atlantic salmon, poached in lemon and white wine, served with a mixed vegetable and wild rice salad, corn pancakes with sliced salmon, fennel, and fresh grapefruit in a citrus vinaigrette, grilled chicken breast with a potato-​chive waffle, and a lavash wrap stuffed with roasted mushrooms, red onions, zucchini, tomato, lettuce, ricotta salata cheese, and arugula pesto. It’s as pricey as museum cafes tend to be, but here the quality is so good you’ll know you had a meal instead of a quick nosh.