| rev:text
| - Blintzes? Check
Bagels? Check
Live Yiddish Klezmer music? Check
A woman I could well enough call my own Bubbie? Check
It's very tough being Jewish downtown. Deli's, Dairies and a good old fashioned bagel house are very few and far between downtown. If i'm craving a lox bagel, eggs and onions or a scoop of tuna I usually have to head north to one of my favourite Jewish brunch joints. BUT for the past couple of years I've allowed Judy's Bella brunch to fill that void.
As I'm sure you've read countless reviews on 'Bella Did Ya Eat' brunch, I will only kibitz for a brief moment. I'm a bit of a nostalgic buff, as you can probably already tell from my other reviews. I yearn for a piece of the past, even the ones I've never experienced. In this sense, the shtetl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shtetl)
I really believe Judy has re created this with her brunch. Music from the old world, chatty gossiping ringing from each table and plates rotating varying Jewish soul food treats. There's so much food and its good too. Blintzes, latkas, french toast, eggs and onion, bagels, lox, dips and spreads, cheese, fruit and more more more. They are constantly refilling so everything's fresh and delicious. Bella's brunch is a perfect place to bring family, a few friends, a 3rd date, or some people who want a new brunch experience. The only problem is you have to keep it down for most of the brunch because of the music. There's also a limited seating time, so by the time the music if finished you've got to hit the road. No worries, you have plenty of time to eat and relax. It's just not the place if you haven't seen your friend in a couple years and want to catch up. I've experienced a few dozen of the 'shhhh's'. (There is another room, away from the music you can sit in)
Judy doesn't stop at brunch. She's a smart business woman who loves what she does and constantly offers other exciting events at her restaurant. Almost every other night there's some type of music event happening at Free Times. Whether it's an open mic on Mondays, an old band doing one last hoorah or a new one not even discovered, Judy searches high and low to always give her patrons a reason to come back. There's breakfast, lunch and dinner. They're open early and close date.
Overall, I give Free Times a 3.5/5. The brunch is fab, but I haven't been as impressed by the menu items. The servers can sometimes be hit or miss (Judy is always a hit) but I keep coming back for a taste of tradition. Judy does it so well. I really believe she deserves a star on College street for remaining fresh, unusual and dependable. As they say in the old world, "come for the schtick and stay for a nosh"
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