Lafayette (Brunch)

Ok Carmenelli, we are officially through.  No more disappointing brunches or dinners.  No more terrible service.  The only highlights of my brunch at Lafayette were the company and the outdoor seating, neither of which are remotely related to your cooking and service, the essence of your restaurants.

Carmenelli, you have a Patisserie located on the premises of Lafayette so your croissants should be exceptional and fresh.  But my chocolate croissant had a hard, log of chocolate in it.  While the dough was light and flaky, there is no way you can pawn that underwhelming treat off as a freshly made croissant.

Both of our mains were terribly overcooked.  The Brussels style (aka Belgium) Waffle with Nutella was charred in some places.  And the whipped cream on top was flavorless, so the waffle needed much more nutella then was lightly drizzled on the charred waffle.  Also, the Smoked Salmon in the Benedict was thoroughly cooked so it was like eating a cooked piece of salmon (not even cooked to medium rare), not a savory breakfast dish.

The service was worse at brunch than at dinner.  We repeatedly had to ask the server to serve us (e.g. take our order, deliver maple syrup for the waffles, bring us the bill, etc...).  It took asking twice and twenty minutes to bring out the maple syrup, by which time the waffles were cold, which certainly didn't improve its already lackluster taste.

What to Eat:

If you are stuck eating at Lafayette for brunch, the only item that was delicious was the Eggs Lafayette, Lafayette's take on deviled eggs.  The hard boiled egg halves were piled high with a puree of smoked sablefish, and then topped with trout caviar.  I would order at least one of these per person.

Anyone else cross Carmenelli's restaurants off their list?  I know I won't be back,

Your foodie friend