James S.
Yelp
Wonderful, creative, and delicious. I've driven by for years and will drive by no longer. Such an unassuming place from the outside, but a mighty force of awesomeness awaits inside. At least four stars. Further research will be eagerly pursued.
With brunch on the weekends and breakfast served all day during the week, one has plenty of opportunity to explore their menus. Crepes? Omelets? Quiches? Or many other options. In my party, for instance, one of us ordered and loved the L'Espagnole Omelet (Potatoes, caramelized onions, Spanish paprika, pork chorizo, and mozzarella). One of us had and loved Soleil Pancakes (Three butter pancakes with a choice of organic strawberries, bananas, Nutella, dark chocolate chips, lemon-sugar, raspberries or blueberries. Served with seasonal fruits and whipped cream).
A word on their poached eggs: Perfect. The shape was rounded, almost voluptuous. Expertly cooked, and all you enjoy is the egg. I have lamented that some other places rely on a heavy-handed vinegar flavor. Not here.
Praise Laurent.
A side of eggs is a great complement if you order the pancakes, for example. Or, with what I ordered: the French Toast. This is not your typical French Toast, and that's a good thing. While I love the more traditional puffy doughy triangles and squares at some other restaurants, it's a different world here.
Pain Perdu (French toast) is their own French toast recipe, made of brioche, butter homemade croissants, raisins, cranberries, and a touch of Canadian maple syrup. Mon Dieu! Served with fresh fruit and whipped cream. I submit that though there are many worthy items on the menu, this was exactly what I wanted --- without even knowing it. Pain Perdu arrives as a large disk of eggy, imperceptively bready Heaven with the aforementioned dried fruit. This was so satisfying. And the poached eggs merely sent it higher. Strong recommendation.
I enjoyed the coffee, too. Service was smart and helpful. Clearly, details matter at Cafe Laurent. I am grateful for such a tasty, joyful, and seemingly carefree experience.