Arlington Club Launches Brunch With Breakfast Sushi And Popover Benedict

Well, apparently chef Laurent Tourondel did not take The New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells' criticism of his sushi menu to heart. Arlington Club launched brunch service this past weekend, and the two menu items teased out as part of the prelaunch press touched on one of the more contentious aspects of the review of Tourondel's Upper East Side steakhouse and sushi mashup..

"Sushi for breakfast?" notes the release, which goes on to list the ingredients in chef Tourondel's "Everything Smoked Salmon" breakfast sushi roll: smoked salmon, cream cheese, scallions, asparagus, and daikon. If you didn't read the fairly positive two-star review in The Times, it called out the sushi menu for being embarrassing in the way "a Hawaiian shirt bought on vacation and worn to the office" is out of place. Apparently, on the Upper East Side, it's Hawaiian shirts welcome. Good for him?

If breakfast sushi isn't your thing, you can opt for Tourondel's riff on that unvanquishable breakfast menu staple: eggs Bendedict. The chef's poached eggs and short rib popover "reimagines his signature puffs for breakfast, incorporating mushrooms, spinach, fontina cheese, and mushroom hollandaise." Sounds like a brunch dish that even Wells could get behind.

Going forward, Arlington Club will be serving brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Arthur Bovino is The Daily Meal's executive editor. Read more articles by Arthur, or click here to follow Arthur on Twitter.