My young cousin is enrolled in a  songwriting program at NYU. She was chosen for one of the 42 spots as a high schooler. Impressive.

Being in town for only two weeks, I asked her to pick a place to have lunch. We met at the White Oak Tavern on the weekend and dined inside as there was a street fair along Waverly.

I tried their blood orange mimosa ($17) offered for brunch and chose the omelet with three fillings. It came with a leafy green salad. I filled my omelet with roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions and goat cheese. My cousin had the meatless beyond burger ($19) on a pretzel bun with vegan cheddar, vegan chipotle aioli and pickled red onion; it came with French fries.

While waiting for our entrees, we shared their banana bread with honey butter, something she and her dad had enjoyed during their first visit. Our bread was undercooked, with a mushy interior. Our waitress offered to have them fire up another batch that we packed for her to take back to the dorm ($6)

White Oak Tavern
Greenwich Village
21 Waverly Pl (at Greene)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 260-2604
whiteoakny.com