By the time we got our Eggs Benedicts and $29 hamburgers (both excellent brunchy choices) I felt as though I were actually in the scene from Beetlejuice in which all the dinner guests are driven to their feet to dance with a mixture of horror and fascination. Except instead of Day-0 we were collectively rocking out to a live DJ re-mixing dance and hip-hop beats at very impressive volumes. While the appetizers were nothing to sit down for, the main course was just good enough to stop booty-shakin’ and plop ‘em back down.

I enjoyed the part where we sat down, sipped champagne and ate food like adults, though it didn’t last very long. It was Saturday around 5 pm they quickly lured us from the upstairs dining area to the lower level with a seductive package of volume and electric violin. Like the rats of Hamelin, we followed the intoxicating rhythms towards the downstairs party, which was like some cool club in the Czech Republic. I heard the sound of heels puncturing leather breakfast booths and saw people flailing their arms like rhythmic gymnasts as if they had an air pen spelling out KEEP GOING DJ! I bought a drink at the bar and watched the frothy melee of an entire daytime crowd brought to its feet in a post-brunch love orgy. Then I thought, “My God, it’s only 6 pm and I’m kinda wasted. And has it been this fucking loud the whole time?”

Then suddenly I was outside wondering what hit me. I don’t really remember what I ate – was it the burger? Snow fell and mothers walked by with their children trying to explain why the ground outside Merkato 55 was shaking… and the sun had yet to set over the Hudson. Strangely it was worth the curious looks and the experience of being tone deaf that early. The company was fantastic and the power to bring that many people to their feet with the smell of home fries in their hair should not be underestimated.