Go to the ORANGE Brunch Gala and Make Brunch Be About More than Just Your Hangover
Brunch pancakes! Via Willow Instagram.
In this borough, brunch is attended as religiously as mass: every Sunday, with loved ones, for the good of one’s soul (if soul can be substituted here for hangover). But at base, brunch is an unalloyed self indulgence.
Now, BrunchCritic—the company that masterfully caters to that same indulgence with lists of the city’s best brunch destinations by category and neighborhood—gives us the chance to turn brunch into a (mostly) selfless cause.
The third ORANGE Brunch Gala, organized by BrunchCritic, is a feast from several of Brooklyn’s most tasty brunch destinations, that comes with a dress code (at least one item you wear has to be the color orange), live band, raffle tickets (for a little extra cash) whose grand prize is round-trip tickets for four to a Nappy Valley wine-region home (pool attached!), and—here comes the selfless part—whose profits go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
New Yorker Andrea Pappas started BrunchCritic as a means to direct friends and family to the best places to dine and drink during the day, whether they were out-of-town guests or just needed a little insider help. Given how much people brunch in this city, Pappas identified a gaping hole where practical and excellent brunch recommendations were concerned.
The origins of the ORANGE Brunch Gala for Parkinson’s research, meanwhile, were three fold: with the charity event, Pappas hosts her favorite meal with top-of-the-line city restaurants, raises money for a worthy cause (Pappas’s father had Parkinson’s, too) and she gets to bestow the event with her favorite thematic color: both BrunchCritic’s and the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s logos are orange.
At the Gala event on March 6 at 501 Union in Gowanus, guests should prepare to eat this multiple-course, delicious repast: Biscuits and gravy from Allswell; sausage and grits from Runner and Stone; Pappas’s favorite brunch item, pancakes, from Willow; bacon and kimchee fried rice from Pork Slope; a quinoa salad by Cassette; candied ginger and orange panna cotta from Aita; and the list goes on (including one Manhattan favorite, Hecho en Dumbo, with enchiladas suizas).
Pappas has secured a lot of corporate sponsors as well who will provide tasty things like a bloody mary bar (from EFFEN Vodka), prosecco & mimosas, beer, Bruce Cost ginger ale, coffee, reduced-price Lyft rides, gift bags, and a raffle (honestly, the chance to win that trip to Napa alone makes your Gala and raffle ticket worth it—you don’t even need to be present to win!).
Last thing, another word brunch is kind of synonymous with is “lazy,” but don’t be this time. Tickets today (for all those tasty treats and to help support Parkinson’s research) are just $95. But February 14 at midnight, they jump to $110, move onto $120 on February 29, and day-of (in just a limited quantity!) go for $140. So, hop on it! The money is for a good cause, but the event is brunch—you still get to think of yourself a little.
Visit the ORANGE Gala Brunch website for tickets and sponsorship details; event is Sunday, March 6 at 12:30pm; 501 Union.
