Positively West 4th Street

Everyone has a secret luxury, and I indulged myself in mine just the other day. As my friends know, I am a luxury-loving girl, especially when it comes to things like the big three—truffles, caviar, and foie gras. Those are not secrets and I enjoy sharing them with friends. My secret luxury is something I keep to myself: I love having scrambled eggs and a perfect cappuccino at Sant Ambroeus, a chic, expensive Italian restaurant in the West Village. I don’t get there often, but every time I do, I love it.

It’s the only place in New York where I can have a breakfast and pretend that I’m at a cafe in Italy. (That’s probably because Sant Ambroeus is a branch of a famous café with the same name in Milan.) I bring my New York Times and sit outside when the weather is nice and have a quiet hour to myself. Of course this is New York and on my recent visit a huge refrigerated truck was parked in front with its engine running. Luck was with me though and the driver returned and drove off.

The scrambled eggs are served with the shavings of reggiano-parmigiano cheese that softens perfectly after hitting the warm eggs. There are also roasted potatoes and a watercress salad to make things even better. The cappuccino is the right kind of hot and has the right balance of milk to coffee.

Maybe to some, luxury is breakfast in bed, but I find mine on West 4th Street.

Sant Ambroeus
259 West 4th St,
NYC, NY 10014
212.604.9254