Staring at Jacob

New York brunch on the canal: fried chicken, waffles, Bloody Marys.

Staring at Jacob does New York brunch with a conviction Amsterdam rarely musters before noon. The RASCO, buttermilk fried chicken over waffles with coleslaw and maple syrup, is the dish that built the queue, and the Nashville hot chicken sandwich on brioche keeps the return visits coming. Eggs royale with smoked butter covers the classicists; the NYC sweet stack, brioche French toast under white-chocolate ganache and strawberry-peach bourbon jam, covers everyone with poor impulse control. Bloody Marys and mimosas handle the rest. The room sits right on the Jacob van Lennepkade with pavement tables facing the water, which turns a hangover breakfast into something almost dignified. It's a daytime-only operation with no dinner ambitions, a kitchen that knows exactly what it is. Weekends get slammed, so book ahead or arrive at opening.

The RASCO, fried chicken, waffles, maple, plus a Bloody Mary is the canonical order.

Photo: Staring at Jacob