A Parisienne cafe welcomes you in the heart of New York, a place close to Balthazar serving some good food in a French ambiance. While French music plays in the background, sit on one of their leather benches and enjoy their amazing pancakes and exceptional eggs Benedict.
Large glass facades, suspended lights, a coffee bar and another for drinks, several dining corners spread on two levels, wooden tables, rugged wood parquet floor and lots of mirrors. A fresh and lively space good for an enjoyable breakfast or a long brainstorming meeting.
On the menu, choose one of Lafayette's croissants or freshly baked bread, fruits, yogurt or oatmeal, omelettes, eggs and pancakes.
Coffee: not their strongest point. Watery and bitter, the coffee could have been fresher.
One of the best eggs Benedict New York has to offer:
- Presented in a cast iron casserole, the eggs Benedict looked awesome! A masterpiece created with fresh ingredients. Two beautifully poached eggs, a bed of sautéed spinach, fresh smoked salmon and two pieces of brioche toast. It took me five minutes to even begin to touch them, as I was taking pictures from all angles to make sure the moment was immortalized. Extremely tasty is the least that can be said. Poached to perfection, the eggs are hot, salted and peppered, on top of sautéed spinach and quality salmon. You feel the love poured into this plate, the butter added, the pepper, the richness of the salmon and the lemony Hollandaise turning normal eggs into awesome eggs. The toast was just as good; lightly crunchy, warm and soft which an airy lightness.
- The pancakes: finesse on a plate, four of these pancakes, lemon pancakes - a premiere for me - thin yet fluffy and light, beautifully decorated with an artistic mix of red fruits served in their juice. One photo after another, I couldn't stop enjoying this vividly colorful plate. Feel the softness, the warmth, the sweetness, the crunchy berries while the maple syrup caresses your taste buds. Thin pancakes with finesse like no other. Lafayette is French savoir-faire in New York.
- A croissant and bread basket. Chocolate, almond and plain with thickly cut slices of whole wheat bread. There's also monkey bread with lemon zest and sugar frosting, a conical croissant in a cup that looked like a cruffin. As good as New York expects but not that buttery croissant you're used to having in Paris.
- The oatmeal bowl: I'm personally not a fan of oatmeal but one can't deny how perfectly done this one is. Fruit stewed in cognac, thinly sliced toasted almonds and figs. Lovely figs easily cut with your teeth offer their inner juice, a creamy mix served extremely hot, pleasantly crunchy almonds, a mix loaded with nutrients I'd love to share with someone. A fulfilling bowl which I thought I would only have a taste of, until I found myself finishing half of it.
Music continued on playing, people came in and out, natural day light, Lafayette was celebrating happiness and I was happy too. I stayed here for three long hours enjoying the vibes. The only thing I'd change is the coffee, it was way too bitter.
Breakfast in New York, Lafayette is surely on my Top10 list.
