Spotted: Councilwoman Arroyo Brunching at the Bruckner

Shady shot courtesy of Lis

Ahhhh, nothing eases the pain of an impending indictment quite like a nice, bubbly mimosa on a Sunday morn...

Although embattled Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo has been said to be ducking the spotlight lately (she's said to be the target of a DOI investigation into the alleged funneling of slush funds to nonprofits controlled by relatives), she did venture out for a tasty brunch (complete with mimosas!) at the always bustling Bruckner Bar and Grill yesterday morning.

The ol' BD was lucky enough to be noshing there with friends and snapped a pic of the Councilwoman by faking a little family photo at our table. Big ups to Lis for getting the shot with minimal fanfare. True, we could have just walked up to Arroyo's table and asked her for official comment about the charges rumored to be brought against her, but we're spineless bloggers who weren't looking to ruin a lovely brunch with a run-in with a shady pol.

Just in case there was any question as to the identity of Arroyo,
here's of shot of a car parked outside the Bruckner with NYC Council 17 plates.

BD Digression: By the way, we ended up at the Bruckner for brunch because we were reminded of how delish it always is by a slightly ridiculous 'Big City' column in this weekend's New York Times. Susan Dominus, who a little birdie tells us does not live in said 'Big City,' but rather up in bucolic Hastings, wrote a piece regarding an iPhone app called Foursquare which enables users to receive tips about different destinations based on their real-time location.

Ms. Dominus was riding the Metro-North through the South Bronx (and noting the "impenetrable-looking brick buildings" and "boarded up windows" both in the BoogieDown and East Harlem along the way - how gritty!) when she received word on her iPhone that someone was really enjoying their time at the "awesome neighborhood bar," Bruckner Bar and Grill.

It was upon reading this that we remembered we hadn't been there in a while...so we contacted some friends and met up for a great meal. That's the problem with this 'Big City' column...It would have been much more interesting and useful if Ms. Dominus managed to put down her iPhone and get off the train to stop into the Bruckner to check it out. Perhaps she would have expanded her horizons a bit and learned that while the South Bronx can be a little gritty, it can also be quite friendly and, more importantly, delicious!

Instead Ms. Dominus used her Foursquare app to explore the oh-so-exotic world of cuisine offerings at Grand Central Terminal. She struggles with a decision to sample fare from the Oyster Bar, Hot & Crusty, or Manhattan Chili Company -- what the what?? All these options in this 'Big City' and these are final three contenders she considers? If these are the benefits of exploring city living that Foursqaure offers, I think I'll pass.

~ErLu