On this particular visit, I went for brunch (although there's never a bad time to go here), and we were lucky enough to arrive before it become crowded (it's rare that it's not). The first order of business was to order a cafe au lait. I love Madame Claude's coffee, particularly the cafe au lait; the milk is steamed perfectly to create a slight foam and in combination with the dark coffee, it creates a rich, smooth, intensely satisfying morning coffee that you linger over instead of gulping down. Be careful though - if you order the large, you will get a bowl of coffee and if that's what you're after, fantastic, but otherwise it can be a bit much.
For our meals, my friend ordered the croque madame while I ordered a ham and mushroom crepe. What I appreciated about this is that both of us ordered items that had relatively similar ingredients - eggs, ham, cheese - but that these basic components were used to create quite different dishes. All the meals come with a small mixed greens salad dressed with a slightly tart and acidic vinagrette that helps break the richness of the main courses.
The Croque Madame is one of my favorite items at Madame Claude's. It's essentially a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, but so much better. They use thickly cut bread and the addition of creamy bechamel, then topped with gruyere and a poached egg make this sandwich a rich but delicious meal. Madame Claude's uses a thinly sliced french ham isn't overwhelmingly salty while the gruyere adds a mild, nutty sweetness. The bechamel adds some rich creaminess and a slight nutmeg flavor but does not overpower the other ingredients. The egg is usually delicately fried so it's to runny but set and cooked though on occasion, it has been overcooked. It soaks slightly into the sandwich, making it just a little more hearty and cutting down on the (albeit mild) saltiness of the gruyere and ham. All together, these components create a delicious sandwich and filling brunch.The crepes are reliably delicious and while I actually don't consider them to be a staple or the best thing Madame Claude's has to offer, they're certainly always a good decision and a great example of a crepe. Thin but substantial, they often end up in something of a burrito shape, stuffed to the gills of whatever you chose to add (seriously, they don't skimp on ingredients). This particular one (La Gratinee aux Champignons) had more of the delicious bechamel on the inside with the ham and mushrooms and gruyere melted over the top. The crepe itself is unsweetened which really allows the ingredients inside to successfully be the star of the meal. The mushrooms were cooked but didn't become shrivelled or rubbery and the diced ham added a lot of flavor. I have found they tend to pile the bechamel at one end of the crepe which can be a bit overwhelming and cause the rest of the crepe to border on bland so some deconstruction is advised to get all the ingredients together. The gruyere again adds a mild but nutty sweet/saltiness and although it looks like its blanketed over the crepe, it ends up being just a slightly underlying taste - a welcome one just the same.
All in All
Madame Claude's is a charming, warm, and a wonderful place to spend a lazy weekend morning. There are a few downsides: it gets very crowded and reservations are highly recommended, it's both byob and cash only (although I actually love the byob aspect especially because they have a wine store by Hamilton Park to take care of that), service while generally quite friendly and efficient can become a bit rushed. Prices are moderate, especially for brunch, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it cheap especially since some of the appetizers or smaller dishes are priced closely to the main courses. I will say the consistency of the quality is not as high as I'd hope, but it's rare I run into missteps and even when I do, they're certainly not going to stop my from going again. Between the atmosphere and the food, it's always an enjoyable visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment