Beyond their role as vehement restaurateurs, Major Food Group (MFG) are somewhat of trendsetting disruptors. The creative force behind Carbone and HaSalon—to name a few—turned simple vodka-sauce pasta into a buzzy food trend and made stalking a reservation system totally normal. Oh, and membership dining? They’ve made that a thing, too.
The all-day breakfast seems like a natural next step, and let us be one of the many to emphatically say they’ve nailed it. Sadelle’s, Coconut Grove’s new outpost of the popular New York City restaurant, is a breezy, pastel-colored space where folks unapologetically tuck into Pancake Stacks, Bagel Towers and heaps of French Toast at all hours. (Which, in Sadelle’s case, is breakfast, lunch and early dinner.)
Parts of the menu read like a list of Jewish deli classics—with a MFG twist, of course. There are several large salads (we tried the Waldorf and the Freddy, both tasty and fresh if not slightly similar), regular sandwiches and triple-deckers where you pick two types of meat and pray your heart doesn’t give out going to town on the massive sandwich. But breakfast is why you’re here.
Ease in with an order of the Crispy Latkes—small and fried just right, they’re made all the better by the optional caviar topping. The Pigs in a Blanket are like the black-tie version of the pedestrian cocktail party snack. Do not sleep on these. Veal Dumplings are tasty but we’d save room for the aforementioned tower—the most arresting brunch platter you’ve ever laid eyes on.
It’s not only one of Sadelle’s signature items but also highly Instagrammable. At $125, sure, the Bagel Tower is expensive, yet it’s a steal if you consider all that goes into it: beautifully arranged cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and capers; slices of various smoked fish; whitefish salad; salmon salad; cream cheese; and, alongside it, a stack of perfectly toasted bagels. While Sadelle’s hails from New York, these bagels are smaller in size and crunchy, similar to what you’d find in Montreal. Once you’ve taken all your pictures (of which you’ll snap many, we’re sure), it’s on to assembling. We suggest ordering extra bagels to really make use of all of the toppings at your disposal.
Dessert can only go one way here: Pancakes and French Toast. We wouldn’t suggest ordering them as an entrée, rather get the table involved and go for a sweet send-off.
The French Toast is perfectly underdone in the center making for a gooey, custardy middle with crisp, toasted edges. While the Blueberry Pancakes are sweet and tangy with lots of fresh berries.
Breakfast Cocktails are standard—think your usual Mimosas, Screwdrivers, Bellinis, and an Espresso Martini—but the Bloody Marys offer a choose-your-own-adventure type of experience with three types of flavored vodka: olive, horseradish, and black pepper. Vodkas can also be ordered as frozen shots, if you dare. Perhaps the most unique drink was the Spicy Matcha Margarita with jalapeño and matcha powder mixed in. It’s the kind of upper you need to stick around and enjoy breakfast at Sadelle’s for as long as you can.