It was ice cold and the pancakes in front of me were driving me nuts. Why can’t I eat them?
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The first time I went to Lafayette, I was only pretending to have brunch.
I was an extra on the Netflix show Kaleidoscope, filming on the patio in November. Why did they have to pick a restaurant with food so hard to resist!
As the scene finished, I asked a Production Assistant if I could finally eat the pancakes. She took mercy on me and looked the other way. 😁
Even stone cold, they were delicious.
So I had to come back and try Lafayette for real!
On a recent Wednesday, I wound my way down the stairs to the private dining room. I’d barely sat down when first rate bread and butter hit the table.
When you try the bread, you know how good a restaurant will be. At an excellent place, bread is never an afterthought.
Next: an inventive frisee salad with bacon and poached egg. If you hate salad, this is the one for you!
The smoothness of the egg white and oozing yolk tantalize. The crispy greens and unctuous lardons bring it home.
Think shrimp cocktails are over? Then you haven’t tried Lafayette’s!
I have never seen shrimp steamed so perfectly. Every time I come, they’re just right — neither underdone nor turgid.
Out comes a rich mushroom risotto. The mushrooms’ earthly flavor suffuses the rice.
To think we were only halfway through! Now, the main event.
First, a giant platter of fries…err, frites. Then, a steak bigger than your head, a poivre.
And just to make us look respectable, we also got some lovely cod.
The fries were the highlight for me. How do potatoes always manage to steal the show?
These taters were crisp and heavily seasoned, the way I like them. You can’t make a good fry without a pound of salt.
“Who was the first guy who’s like ’That was a good meal we just had. I’m full. Are you full? You wanna eat a cake?’”
Jim Gaffigan
No one needs dessert. But what’s life without it?
So I cracked the shell of a beautiful torte and watched the chocolate ooze out. Awesome.
I needed all my concentration to construct the perfect bite. A little cake, a little ice cream, scoop up some of the chocolate — chef’s kiss.
But perhaps the best thing I ate that night was the almond pastry. It was flaky, nutty and moist.
Lafayette is above all a bakery. And though they turn out a lovely dinner spread, pastry is where they truly shine.
Lafayette Grand Cafe & Bakery is located in NoHo just east of Washington Square Park. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week, Lafayette also has a lovely outdoor patio.
Give it a shot!
What are you favorite restaurants in New York? Leave a comment and let us know!
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