Vogue Cafe Now Open

Vogue Cafe, a French café at 177 York Street, opened their doors to the public late last week. Owned and operated by a French couple, they've created a casual but intimate feel with full coffee and tea service including a variety of specialized espresso drinks like a salted caramel mocha and a small menu comprised of sandwiches, soups, and bakery items. 

I've only tried a few things so far but of particular note were the wide variety of croissants. They had some stuffed with savory options like spinach and feta and ham and swiss (also available on a baguette), and sweeter ones like the standard chocolate and almond but also pistachio, walnut, and hazelnut. I tried the hazelnut and although I would have loved to have the actual croissant be just a little flakier, the flavors were great - buttery with rich, warm, slightly sweetened hazelnut. 

They also serve quiche, several rotating sandwiches, and offer at least two soups on any given day. On the days I was there, they had roasted tomato and french onion soups and a quiche lorraine although they said in the future they'll have more options. 

I tried the quiche which is sliced very generously and served warm if you're eating in. The crust was a little underbaked which I think is a result of early opening issues and probably won't be a long term problem, but it was delicious - creamy and pleasantly salty from the ham. It was curiously also served with french dressing (perhaps as a future placeholder for mixed greens ?), but since it was there, I used it and the tang of the dressing actually cut through the richness of the quiche quite well. 

Vogue Café also has what looks like it will a wonderful pastry case. I saw eclairs, individual fruit tarts, some creme brûlées, and they're planning to stock it up even more in the coming weeks. I took a blackberry tart to go and loved the smooth, tart filling and buttery shortbread crust. 

All in All
Vogue Café is a charming new spot with a wide variety of traditional French café dishes. There are a few rough spots that can most likely be put down to it being brand new, but there's a lot of potential for this to turn into a neighborhood favorite especially with the beautiful backyard. The café will be closed this Monday, 11/7, but otherwise they anticipate being open from around 7:30 or 8am to about 6pm every day although the schedule might be off and on over the next few weeks as they work through their soft open.