Breakfast at The Standard Grill @ The Standard Hotel, New York

We ate at a lot of fabulous places during our whirlwind stay in New York this past weekend, but one of my favorites, by far, was the amazing breakfast we had at The Standard Grill (part of The Standard Hotel).

After an early morning stroll through The High Line, we worked up quite an appetite - but the food stalls in the park were only setting up. What to do? We spotted The Standard Grill from across the street, as it seemed to be the only restaurant open at that hour. Little did I know that I was walking into one of the best breakfast experiences ever ...

You know those places where only beautiful people seem to congregate? The Standard Grill is one of these places. Everyone had glowing, gorgeous skin (including the host, whose impeccably groomed brows gave me serious brow envy). And everyone seemed to have just returned from a morning jog in chic, all-black ensembles and Nike Flyknits without even having broken a sweat. John joked that it was lucky we were early, since they probably wouldn't have let us in later - ha!

The interior was stunning, with an extensive, sparkly bar and reclaimed antique furniture that worked well in the naturally lit space of the breakfast room. We took a seat at a little table for two and I ordered a cappuccino, which arrived topped with an adorable foam bear. John had the cornmeal pancakes with blueberry maple syrup and I opted for the almond-crusted French Toast with cherries and Vermont maple syrup, which were both divine.

The thick, almond-crusted bread was a revelation! Once toasted, it formed a deliciously crunchy exterior, while preserving the lovely, fluffy texture of the bread inside. And John's pancakes looked cooked to perfection: all even and beautifully formed, though I liked my French Toast so much, I didn't do the normal annoying thing of reaching over to steal myself a bite from his plate. Of course, we also couldn't resist ordering a side of crispy bacon as well (I like British bacon but I love American-style bacon the most), which we promptly drenched in maple syrup.

All in all, a delicious breakfast which set us up for the rest of our morning as we wandered through the Meatpacking District and Chelsea Market (where I managed to pick up a birthday present for a friend - hurrah!) before having a hilarious time trying to hunt down some decent flowers to bring to Justine's apartment in Brooklyn Heights for lunch.

Bliss.