Yummy or crummy?

We’ve all been there, and for those who have yet to bask in the glory that is Café Brulé, read on.

It’s a Tuesday morning, right as the sun is coming up and the air feels nice and crisp. We take the window seat on the more exclusive patio area inside and look out at the quiet streets. Our waitress struts over moments later and immediately takes our drink order. Coffee is almost expected here, especially during breakfast hours.

The Americano does the job, however the hot chocolate is a festive alternative; it’s served in a large teacup with whipped cream and some sort of candy on top. A good way to start a hearty breakfast, and believe me, the stock comes in heavy and warm.

Having dined at the café numerous times for lunch and dinner, this marked my first breakfast and I was surprised at the variety they offer. Generally speaking, most cafés run short when it comes to breakfast items, usually carrying the tedious hallmarks like croissants or some classy loaf of bread dipped in syrup and surrounded by pink flowers. The café has just about everything in terms of breakfast from pancakes to muffins to eggs and bacon. I ordered two eggs, a meat and toast combo, scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns. This comes with a skinny orange slice which I ignored; he’s the odd one out.

The bacon was perfect. Hot, crunchy and greasy. The hash browns were tolerable, but would have been easier to swallow if they weren’t glued together. By this time the hot chocolate was nearly gone and the dry toast was suffocating, so I ordered some water.

Granted my stomach is piled with comfort food and simmering hot chocolate, I couldn’t help but lean back and take in the atmosphere. New York City diner meets French countryside meets Williamsburg Art Gallery. There’s enough decoration to indulge, but not too much to take in. The plants are fake, but they add to the whole artificial culturally-diverse aspect of the venue and its menu, which has country helpings and city-slicker portions.

A display case promotes their hand-crafted desserts and a few pie stands are placed around for guests to drool over. While I don’t recommend adding a cupcake to your breakfast, you should definitely go a second round just for the desserts.

Reasonably priced, quick and filling comfort food, polite and assertive staff and a “chillax” setting is the make-up of Café Brulé, open daily from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.