The Genteel Meal

What is it about a Southern-style brunch that seems rarified? Is it the biscuits made from scratch? The crystal glasses filled with icey cold Sweet Tea? The sugary, citrus spiked Mimosas garnished with strawberries and green grapes? The salty Country Ham brought up from North Carolina? The rich, eggy slices of homemade Quiche? The aromatic Fruit Salad, tossed gently in lemon juice and sugar, as not to "bruise" the delicate produce?

This past Saturday, in a borough called Queens, it was all of the above that made a Southern brunch a thing of serene refinement. (Everything noted above, that is, along with several Southern accents, a hungry pup hoping for scraps - and most of all - my pal Celeste in full-on Stepford Wives regalia, wearing a long white eyelet lace skirt and straw bonnet.)

You woulda thought I was in Jackson, Mississippi - not Jackson Heights!