Everybody thinks of evenings when they imagine the holidays in New York: sloshing through Central Park in a sleigh, white lights illuminating the way for rush-hour shoppers along Madison Avenue, or ice-skating in the shadow of Rockefeller Center. But weekend mornings in December are when I love New York best. And that’s all thanks to the delicious brunch at Arte Café.

Arte Café is located on New York's Upper West Side, on a tree-lined block of perfectly maintained brownstones in a residential neighborhood where you’re likely to see locals schlepping their Christmas trees home from corner convenience stores and walking their golden retrievers with steaming coffees in hand.

The reason to come to Arte Cafe, apart from the neighborhood, is its yummy, spectacular-value brunch. Creamy scrambled eggs cost about $5, and French toast slathered in apple-cinnamon sauce runs you a measly $6.50. Before you even receive your food, you’ll have a choice of blueberry, bran, or corn muffin -- plus some cubes of foccacia. But the real value here is the booze: an endless amount of champagne, mimosas, or bloody Marys is yours for a paltry $8 extra. And you won’t be battling the waitress for refills, either.

The other special thing about Arte Cafe is that the ambiance would support prices twice as high: a stunning marble fireplace, white linen tablecloths, wine bottles stacked and lit against the exposed brick walls, and a boisterous and diverse crowd of locals. And did I mention the free biscotti as you walk out the door?

Assuming you haven’t overdosed on holiday "spirits" the night before, you just can’t get any more festive in the AM than all-you-can-drink mimosas for $8. The shame of it is that this area of New York begs for exploration —- the Upper West Side’s best farmer’s market is located three blocks north (open only on Sunday) of Arte Cafe -— but trust me, all you’ll want to do after this much champagne is go back to bed.