Entering “lockdown” as a fairly new restaurant, and then emerging with a banging new Sunday brunch, 7G seems to have the recipe for success in their hands!
Picture it: March 10th, 2020 in Huntington, and we’ve just had another awesome St. Patrick’s Day parade through the village despite the growing talk and concern over this weird new “Coronavirus” that’s come from China, spread through Europe and is now impinging on our local news. It was a Tuesday and as my one day off each week, the perfect night for a ladies night out….#NOSHYOURAVERAGESISTER suggested 7Gerard which had opened fairly recently to rave reviews; how could I say no? We had a lovely dinner in the almost empty restaurant, not knowing that seven days later, all restaurants and bars and more would be closed for the next several months. It was the last place I enjoyed a meal in a restaurant until the restrictions were lifted early in June…if I’d known that at the time, I would have ordered a LOT more food!!
We like to try a lot of things and share them around, like our own personal tasting menu…it can get expensive but it’s usually totally worth it to be able to try so many tasty dishes. We started with a selection of appetizer including crispy Artichoke hearts with a Lemon Thyme Caper aioli, Asian Brussel Sprouts with charred Pineapple in a Ginger Soy vinaigrette, Eggplant Meatballs in marina sauce topped with Ricotta, and a few other items that have since left their ever changing menu.
Main courses were also a shared event, also because that way we can try more things. We opted for the wood fire grilled shrimp & scallops over zoodles with tomato and roasted garlic as well as the braised short ribs with a cauliflower mash and veggies. Everything was delicious, and at the time, I was so full…again, looking back, I would have crammed in some more entrées.
Thank god we insisted upon dessert….ok more like, I insisted to the moans and groans of the too full. But it was so worth it! Fun food, Deep Fried Oreos with a yummy vanilla custard like glaze and freshly made vanilla bean ice cream were the perfect icing on the cake of a casual Tuesday girls night dinner.
Flash forward 5 months, and I finally get to visit again, this time for BRUNCH (squeeee!!!!) which is a new offering they are doing on Sundays only. At this time they have the road outside closed to traffic so that you can enjoy dining al fresco, but honestly, it’s August…give me all the AC! We sat at the bar and had most of that space to ourselves for the duration of our leisurely brunch (3 hours!) and let me tell you, it was super hard to not order one of everything off their brunch menu! So many choices, do you want sweet? Salty? Savory? Breakfast? Lunch? Options are endless, and so I did the more reasonable thing I could think of and decided to start by ordering drinks.
A Mimosa bar with your choice of 10 different fresh juices! I went with Watermelon, because how refreshing does that sound? Yes it was a good choice! As was the equally yummy Sail Away Coffee cocktail, the Cocoa Bean (Cold brew, Godiva, Kahlua).
While we waited for some late risers to join us, we ordered and promptly DEVOURED a few sweet bites. The Croissant French Toast topped with grilled peaches, fresh burrata and spiced honey was to die for! You might not think to put cheese on french toast (and you can bet it wouldn’t be my first or 50th choice) but the combination of the buttery, flaky croissant with the creamy buratta, and the sweet peaches it just the thing! The chocolate waffle tastes of rich cocoa and isn’t too sweet; we chose the mixed berry compote with chia seed jam (think clotted cream) and since we asked for the topping on the side, each person could decide how much to spread onto their waffle bite, making it a perfect handheld item with no mess.
Our sweet tooth was rounded out by Japanese Soufflé pancakes topped with a combo of the mixed berries and chia jam as well as bananas and caramel sauce. These were a mini version of those big, thick yet somehow fluffy pancakes that you see all over Instagram, and just the perfect portion to not ruin Round Two of Brunching…
We really went all out here at this point, ordering the Open Steak Sandwich, butter poached Lobster Sliders, Chorizo Hash, Lobster Mango Cocktail, and Chicken and Waffles. Let me assure you, there are no loser dishes here, every single thing we ordered was so yummy! I love their “7G Aioli”; a smoky chipotle sauce that paired well with the Chorizo hash, handcut sweet potato fries, and the chicken and waffles. TLDR: put this s**t on everything.
The Lobster Mango Cocktail was a dish I’d seen on 7G’s instagram , and was intrigued by the combination of Lobster, Mango, Avocado, and Roasted Red Pepper…individually, these are some of my favorite ingredients, but together?? Well let me tell you, they come together realllllly nice on top of a garlicky crostini. The sweetness of the Lobster and Mango are set off by the tangy smoky red pepper and the creamy avocado pulls the whole bite together. This is a great sharing dish, but I do think they need to provide more crostini toasts.
My favorite dish of the day had to be the Lobster Sliders (sorry Croissant French Toast, you were so close but you aren’t Lobster!) because it’s summer and lobster is a no-brainer. This trio of sliders were actually little bread bowls that are hollowed out and filled with decadent butter poached lobster; perfect for sharing if you have 3 people involved….less so if you have to cut them in half. I wanted more: thought about getting a second order but decided not to get rolled out of a restaurant, thank you!
By the time 2pm rolled around, we walked out feeling full (but not a bad full, you know?) and super happy with our wonderful Sunday Funday. If you’re looking for a fun local spot that has some unusual dishes with out of this world flavor, this is the place! Their staff and service is very welcoming and assiduous in sanitizing and social distancing; they are also very good about remaining properly masked while working. They’re currently closed Monday and Tuesday, but we hear rumors of a Karaoke night beginning there on Tuesday’s in the near future (fingers crossed for Disney sing-along night, am I right??!!). But go, go often, and if you’re going for Sunday Brunch, save me a seat at the bar!!
Nosh Your Average Food 