📍Motel Morris, New York City

One of my weekend morning must-dos is brunch. Sometimes it's about catching up with friends and other times it's for the soul. This was one of those times for the soul. I was walking around in Chelsea looking for a place to go. The first few places I tried either had a line or wouldn't be able to seat me for a long time. Motel Morris had bar seat availability so I took a seat.

They have a beautiful bar that sits right in the middle of the space. The corners of the bar extend out almost like a table making parts of the bar an almost intimate space. The bar is flanked by tables and booths on three sides. Part of the kitchen is open and exposed behind the bar. They did a good job of creating a small restaurant feel in what is a large space for a NYC restaurant.

I visited Motel Morris a couple of times years ago when they opened. I remember having their burger back then so I was excited to come back to it. I started with a Kolsch beer. Many associate champagne or sparkling wine as a brunch-appropriate drink. A Kolsch is typically easy to drink and crisp like a dry sparkling wine, though obviously with a bit of straw-like malt flavor. It can be a fun alternative.

The burger here is called the Mad Morris Burger and that's what I got. It doesn't come with fries or anything but a few leafy greens on the side. They offer fries but I wanted pancakes instead. The burger also does not come closed. The toppings are placed above the meat and the sauce is applied to the top bun but you have to bring them together. I don't know why places do that. The greens had a vinaigrette on them that brought some good acidity to the plate with the burger.

I asked for the burger to be medium rare which was also what they recommended. You could tell they didn't mess with the beef too much because it was lightly packed together. There was a nice light crust on the outside of the burger that contrasted beautifully with the almost tartare-like inside. The fat in this burger came from the meat and cheese and it held up. There was no shortage of the beefy flavor coming out of each bite.

The bun was squishy but toasted well leading to a crusty texture. It held up well even with all the layers and juice. The burger came topped with fried onions, pickled jalapeños, cheddar, bacon, and a garlic BBQ sauce. I would consider it a play on those "Texas-style" burgers that were really popular years ago. The onions were crispy and added some crunch. While the Jalapeños and BBQ sauce gave a fun spicy and sweet exchange.

As I went to order the pancakes the bartender offered an off-menu version of the pancakes. They offer "kid size" pancakes which is just one pancake instead of the normal stack. The toppings and everything were identical. Considering I just had a burger, this was awesome.

Motel Morris did a cinnamon roll pancake. It was light and fluffy with this cinnamon sugar swirl running through it. The edges got a little crust and gave it some structural support. It was topped with sweet cream cheese icing just like a cinnamon roll. On the side, maple syrup that was warm enough to make the cup warm to the touch. Put it all together and it was exactly what you'd expect a hybrid buttermilk pancake and cinnamon roll to taste like.

It was very sweet and I ate every bite. I was grateful to only have one because I would have eaten more. The burger and pancake brunch combo continues to hit the spot for me.