Motel Morris in Chelsea
We passed many times in front of Motel Morris in Chelsea, a place that only has such name because of the nostalgia of the 1960s from the owners. Yes, it is just a restaurant and not attached at all to a hotel. But an interesting restaurant for the atmosphere it carries: retro from its decor and popular from its crowd.
Menu wise, for brunch, it proposes an elevated all American menu with classics like burgers and eggs. And, reminiscent of diners, floats but spiked with alcohol, like the bourbon cherry coke float that is an interesting fusion of a vanilla milkshake and an old fashioned. But don’t be fooled: there is indeed bourbon in it and if you do not taste it at first because you did not mix the whole thing enough, you feel some warmth in the back of your throat that will remind you you are not just getting your daily dose of calcium.
Boozy float at Motel Morris in Chelsea
Boozy float at Motel Morris in Chelsea
They have lots of dishes to share and the ricotta fritters, served on ricotta and rhubarb compote are the perfect way to start or even finish your meal. However, for $14, I would have expected a bigger serving and cannot fathom anybody ordering this as a main dish. Nevertheless, these fritters were delicious: fluffy, with the outside slightly crunchy, I liked the addition of the rhubarb compote that paired well with the ricotta and added some sweetness.
Ricotta fritters at Motel Morris in Chelsea
I mentioned the burger before that is probably good, but I was in the mood for a fried chicken sandwich. The one at Motel Morris is served with celery root cabbage that is unfortunately a bit overpowering. Still, the chicken was good, crispy, tasty and cooked all the way through without being dry. It as served with some greens, probably to give the impression it is a healthy dish…
Fried chicken sandwich at Motel Morris in Chelsea
Jodi chose a salad and went for the hacienda salad that she asked without jalapeños. It was a fairly big salad composed of tomato, lettuce, avocado, black beans, cotilla cheese and a coriander ranch dressing.
Hacienda salad at Motel Morris in Chelsea
We did not have dessert as we had the fritters and were planning to go somewhere else, but overall, we had a good brunch there that makes me want to go for dinner.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Motel Morris - 132 7th Ave, New York, NY 10011