The peach martini and the pomegranate martini are both well done and went down nicely. Calamari appetizer was perfectly done but not enough habanero-avocado dip. I knew it the minute the calamari came, 'That's not gonna be enough.'

A soaring ceiling is one of the hallmarks of Essex, this wild and raucous restaurant on the lower east side. Opened for dinner during the week and brunch on the weekends. The generous alcohol policy (three drinks included with the $15 price for brunch), makes this one of the best brunch values in the city. Even if you make a reservation, be prepared to wait. People line up and wait on Sundays for a chance to have the Essex Brunch Experience. It's loud during brunch and the wait staff can be very busy, making the thin skinned customer think they are being mistreated. No, its just wildly popular and that comes with the territory.

Essex has a lot of things right -- one of them is that the times, they are a changing. Their menu is a fusion of Jewish and Latin food. The old Jewish neighborhood has left and in its place is a large Hispanic population.