The day of the wedding! Not mine, Jamie’s. The cohort of us attending together later in the day are aware that dinner is not going to be until 6pm or so, and so brunch is in order before we suit up and make our way to Long Island City. The Smith, a proper all-American restaurant, is the venue of choice. I decide it is not too early for a pre-emptive espresso martini - get both the alcohol and the caffeine flowing early. I like oysters, but I’d be hard pressed to tell you why I’d want to order one of the four individually listed types of oysters over the others. I opt for the oyster of the day, but confusingly they are out of them already at 12pm on a Saturday, and even more confusingly, our server didn’t just give me any of the others and assume I wouldn’t notice. They’re delicious regardless. As are the churros waffles, shared amongst us to start, and the Benedict Johnny - baked into a Cheddar cornbread is a maple chicken sausage patty, with poached eggs and a hollandaise sauce. The combination of the hollandaise and the egg yolk, basting the cornbread, is exactly what the dish needs, and thus what I need to get me through the free bar later that evening. Here’s to the happy couple.