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What do you want in a brunch? Bloody Marys as strong as the coffee, no line (or at least a fast-moving one, which rules out perennial favorites Prune, Diner, and Clinton Street Baking Co.), and enough choices to satisfy your bacon-lovin’ brother and your vegan aunt. Herewith, the ten best brunches for every situation:
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GRAND SPACE FOR IN-LAW INTRODUCTIONS AND OTHER DELICATE FIRST ENCOUNTERS
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- Eleven Madison Park
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11 Madison Ave.; 212-889-0905
What to get: Pecan-praline pancakes, or torchon of foie gras with Venezuelan cocoa and quince—while you still can.
BECAUSE ARTSY INTELLECTUALS NEED TO EAT, TOO
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- Wallsé
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344 W. 11th St.; 212-352-2300
What to get: Wiener schnitzel to start, Kaiserschmarm to finish.
A POST-SHOPPING PIT STOP FOR THE BOUTIQUE-INCLINED
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- 202
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75 Ninth Ave.; 646-638-0115
What to get: The full English breakfast or the chicken curry.
TO FEED YOUR INNER HIPSTER
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- Freemans
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Freeman Alley, off Rivington St.; 212-420-0012
What to get: Artichoke dip to share, smoked trout with horseradish cream and buttered toast, and bananas Foster.
TO GIRD UP FOR GALLERY-HOPPING
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- Cookshop
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156 Tenth Ave.; 212-924-4440
What to get: Huevos rancheros or Catskill rainbow trout with white-Cheddar grits and maple-ancho-chile butter.
ÜBER-SEASONAL AND QUASI-MEXICAN ON THE LES
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- Alias
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76 Clinton St.; 212-505-5011
What to get: Cornmeal waffle and fried chicken, or the carnitas breakfast burrito, a holdover from the late aKa Cafe.
WHERE TO TAKE A VISITING ITALIAN WINEMAKER
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- Centovini
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25 W. Houston St.; 212-219-2113
What to get: Fried eggs—duck or quail—with whatever seasonal garnishes chef Patti Jackson lugs back from the Greenmarket, and a bomboloni for the road.
FOR DESIGN GEEKS AND FANS OF FINE-TUNED FUSION
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- Public
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210 Elizabeth St.; 212-343-7011
What to get: Turkish eggs on garlic yogurt, or sweet-potato-and-Feta tortilla.
FOR THOSE WHO TRULY LIKE IT HOT
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- Fatty Crab
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643 Hudson St.; 212-352-3590
What to get: An incendiary Bloody, “Fatty sliders,” and Zak Pelaccio’s funky, porky take on bacon and eggs.
ONE WORD—SMORGASBORD!
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- Aquavit
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65 E. 55th St.; 212-307-7311
What to get: Sunday’s Swedish spread is stocked with all the herring, gravlax, and meatballs you can eat; $48 includes a Carlsberg.