There is such a thing as a free brunch

On a recent Sunday, prospective homeowners attending an open house at the Forté, a 30-story, 108-unit condo in Fort Greene, were treated to a special offer. No, not lowered rent or gratis child care, but free food. “Would you like a mimosa?” asked Ailene Quinlan of the Developers Group (TDG). She pointed visitors to bagels, chocolate-cheesecake muffins and assorted salads adorned with tomato rosettes. As Elan Padeh, TDG’s president, explains, “It’s like the old saying: The way to the heart is through the stomach.”

Forté’s developers aren’t the only ones aiming for would-be purchasers’ paunches. At the Rialto in Williamsburg, local restaurant Juliette catered one open house (dishing out banana-stuffed French toast with toasted walnuts and maple-bourbon syrup), and a chef from Miele prepared shrimp brochette and pineapple chicken skewers at another. At 4 East 43rd Street’s open houses, meanwhile, offerings are from restaurants like bobo and Koi.

If few visitors were drawn by Forté’s Dean & DeLuca spread specifically, all appreciated it. “I’m not here for the brunch, but I am getting hungry,” said Olivia Georgia, a Chelsea resident reaching for lox and a poppy bagel. More impressive, she said, were the place’s panoramic views and the speed with which the elevator whisked her to the 26th floor (“It takes longer to get to the eighth floor of our building”). Evan Kaplan, a Brooklyn Heights resident, snacked on a plain bagel while strolling his son through a three-bedroom unit. “[Offering breakfast was] a nice thing to do,” he said, “but it wouldn’t affect whether I buy it or not.”

Scavengers, we know what you’re wondering: Get on building mailing lists or peruse sites like Curbed or Brownstoner for announcements. So far there’s no roster of condo comestibles, but at least now we know there is such a thing as a free brunch.

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